The No.19 made his first start of the season after returning from injury and marked the occasion with the Reds’ second goal at St Mary’s on Wednesday night.

Darwin Nunez had earlier given the visitors the lead and Arne Slot’s side ensured they will be in Thursday night’s last four draw despite second-half pressure from the Saints, which included a goal from Cameron Archer belonged.

As for how he would assess a “tough” competition overall, Elliott told Sky Sports after the game: “Just like that, actually. They caused us some problems.

“We came into this game especially given the circumstances Southampton are going through. We knew they would fight and we had to be prepared.

“I feel like as a team we brought out today – some of us haven’t played much this season, we had very young guys too – we fought as a team and luckily we can get the win .”

There were further opportunities from both sides in the second half, including an excellent save from Caoimhin Kelleher from Archer just moments after the game had been 2-1.

“To be honest I wouldn’t say surprised because if you look at the Premier League game they caused us problems too,” added Elliott about the hosts’ reaction.

“Southampton are a team full of confidence and are not afraid to play from the back and take risks. It is thanks to them that, as I said, they have caused us problems today, and they have done so before.

“But it was just about how we as a team could deal with those issues and the pressure they put on to make sure we stayed strong and defended as best as we could.

“Even though we conceded a goal, I felt like we did very well.”