Alexander Isak leaves ITV pundit baffled during Liverpool win vs Southampton

ITV pundit Francis Benali was baffled watching Alexander Isak running on the pitch during half-time - before it emerged he was warming down to be substituted off. Minutes after scoring to make it 1-0 to Liverpool against Southampton in their Carabao Cup third-round tie, which they ultimately won 2-1, Isak spent the break at Anfield running sideways across the field while wearing a performance tracking vest.

But the ITV Sport panel were confused after watching Isak run between the two touchlines during half-time. Watching footage of Isak's exertions, the channel's host Mark Pougatch asked: "How do you interpret this?" But former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson responded: "I don't think I can!"

"I like the honesty here," Pougatch replied, before Johnson said: "We've never seen it before." Southampton legend Benali, who made 373 appearances for the Saints across 16 years in their first team and joined Pougatch and Johnson on the ITV team, chimed in: "I find it bizarre.

"If he's coming off, surely the management have some sort of conversation. But to run him at half time? It seems a bizarre circumstance. I've never seen anything like it." Once ITV returned from a break, it became clear Isak's half-time activity was because his evening was over.

Isak was replaced by team-mate Hugo Ekitike during the interval. The Swede had put Liverpool 1-0 up on 43 minutes after Federico Chiesa stole possession following a poor pass out from the back from goalkeeper Alex McCarthy. Shea Charles later drew the Saints level with 14 minutes to play, capitalising on a Wataru Endo error at a corner.

But half-time substitute Ekitike booked Liverpool's spot in the fourth round with a winner four minutes time, tapping into an empty net after great work from Federico Chiesa. Having already been booked, though, the Frenchman was given a second yellow card and sent off for taking his shirt off while celebrating.

Isak said to ITV after the match: "It was good to get back out there and score my first goal here at Anfield and get the win as well. A good night. I should have scored that one [at the start] as well. That's part of being a striker - you miss some and you score some.

"The most important thing is to shake it off and be ready for the next one. I just tried to play my game and not think too much and I'm confident in myself that things will work out and that when I get my chances, I'll put them away. That's my mindset.

"I feel good. With every game I play, it's very helpful and gets me in better shape. Hopefully I'm getting more and more ready." Asked how close to 100 per cent he is, Isak replied: "It's difficult to say. I think it's a mixture of fitness-wise and football-wise. I feel good. I feel like I'm in a shape to at least make a difference."

The £125million striker said of team-mate Ekitike's red card: "Yeah I'm sure he just wasn't aware of being on a yellow in that moment. It can sometimes be emotional when you score a goal in that moment. Of course it's unfortunate."

While Liverpool manager Arne Slot reacted: "A late win indeed. Not our best performance which is what you can expect if you play a completely new team.

"So many players who haven't played for a long time. There were also positives to say, Giorgi Mamardashvili had a very good game, Giovanni Leoni had a very good game, Federicho Chiesa a very good game. A first goal from Alexander and another goal from Hugo."