Wataru Endo fought tooth and nail to see Liverpool through to the Carabao Cup semi-finals for a second successive campaign. He may not be called upon too often of late, but the Japan captain proved himself to be one of the greatest tools at Arne Slot's disposal, and his teammates are the first to recognise that.

Against Southampton Endo made his first club start since Liverpool knocked Brighton out of this same competition seven weeks prior. Opportunities have been hard to come by since the new leadership took over in the summer, when a Marseille transfer approach was also turned down without hesitation.

And for a head coach who plays with a strong defined system, each player sticking to their individual roles, Slot will have been grateful on this one occasion for Swiss army knife-type of player Endo entering the fray - out of position as a central defender, no less - and getting the task completed.

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The 31-year-old took to Instagram after the successful quarter-final with his colleagues, who were handed a rest, replying with plaudits.

In the comment section, Ryan Gravenberch can be found calling Endo: "Warrior." Virgil van Dijk gave his approval with two fire emojis, whilst Curtis Jones wrote: "Machine."

Playing alongside him at St. Mary's, Caoimhin Kelleher used the brick emoji to describe the No.3's defensive performance and substitute James McConnell commented with the raised hands emoji. Even Yukinari Sugawara, who played for the opposition, replied with love heart emojis for his national team captain.

Endo's own message - echoed by Alexis Mac Allister with the Argentine's own Instagram post speaks volumes in of itself.

Both celebrated the club reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, with the latter adding: "A great night in Southampton, where the team gave everything to win. Huge thanks to the fans who are always with us, all together."

A lot of attention is given to the Premier League and Champions League given the weight of achievement those trophies hold, though ultimately these players want to fight for all that is available - even the so-called 'lesser' cups.

This was the first trophy Endo and Mac Allister lifted with this club, and they have taken a step closer to doing so again. To have another chance at Wembley they must first navigate a semi-final, with tonight's draw pitting them against Arsenal, Newcastle United, or the winners of Tottenham vs Manchester United.