By Editor,Will Pickworth

Copyright dailymail

Alexander Isak scored his first Liverpool goal in their Carabao Cup third round tie against Southampton on Wednesday evening.

Isak was handed a start by Arne Slot for the clash at Anfield as the Swedish striker builds up his fitness having spent much of the summer on strike at Newcastle while he tried to force through a move.

Isak was one of 11 changes made by the Dutchman and it was his second start for the club after also playing 58 minutes against Atletico Madrid last week.

And the £125million British record signing got off the mark for the Reds just minutes before half time against the Championship side.

As Southampton tried to play out from the back, Federico Chiesa seized on a poor ball from Saints keeper Alex McCarthy inside the area.

Chiesa slotted the ball across the box and Isak was there to finish cooly from yards out to spark jubilant scenes at Anfield.

As he wheeled away the Swede did his trademark celebration and had a beaming smile on his face.

Isak had almost scored within one minute of the match when he had an effort from inside the box that McCarthy expertly saved.

The goal was one of Isak’s last actions of the match as he was withdrawn at half-time for Hugo Ekitike with Slot continuing to manage his fitness.

Liverpool went on to win the game 2-1, but not without drama as Ekitike scored the decisive goal before he was sent off for taking his shirt off in celebration.

Speaking after full-time, Isak told Sky Sports: ‘It was good to get minutes but the main goal was to win.

‘My main priority is to help the team with goals and the game but it was good to get minutes on the way to getting fit.

‘I feel good and fit, obviously it’s still early, new club and team-mates. I feel good, it’s a great team to be a part of, and with each game it’s going to get better.’

Meanwhile, Slot was happy with what he had seen but revealed when he expects to see a fully firing Isak.

‘We’re trying to build up (Isak) quicker than we would in pre-season, getting him playing as much as he can,’ he said.

‘He’s available for next week when we play three games. He’s ready for minutes. But to have the best version of him, that’s after the international break when he has minutes under his belt.’

Elsewhere, Isak had come off the bench for the final 23 minutes of their Merseyside derby victory against Everton on Saturday.

The Swede’s next action comes when the Reds face three tricky trips to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea over the next 10 days ahead of the October international break.