Liverpool through to League Cup semis; Jesus hat-trick gives Arsenal win

LONDON :Holders Liverpool booked their berth in the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Southampton at a wet and windy St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday, thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott.

Gabriel Jesus bagged a second-half hat-trick as Arsenal came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-2, and Sandro Tonali scored twice to lead Newcastle to a 3-1 win over Brentford.

Nunez, who had been goaded by Saints fans earlier in the game for a wild miss, got on the scoresheet in the 24th minute, pouncing after a mis-kick by centre back Jan Bednarek and a slip by keeper Alex McCarthy. Nunez put his finger to his lips in a gesture to the crowd after finishing past McCarthy.

Elliott doubled the Reds' lead eight minutes later when he unleashed a low, hard shot from Cody Gakpo's pass. Cameron Archer pulled one back for the home side in the 59th minute with a curling shot from just inside the box.

"We came into this game knowing the circumstances that Southampton were going through and knew they were going to come out fighting and we were ready for it," Elliott told Sky Sports.

The game was a tale of teams at opposite ends of the Premier League table, with Liverpool at the summit and Southampton - who sacked manager Russell Martin following Sunday's 5-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur - in last place with just one win.

"We have to defend the trophy because the club won it last season, so we want to compete in every league and this is one of them, so we're happy that we reached the semi-final," said Reds manager Arne Slot, who watched the game from the press box while serving a touchline ban.

Palace had Arsenal reeling in the fourth minute when Jean-Philippe Mateta nudged aside Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior to latch