Barry Bannan reacts to Shea Charles moment in Southampton's loss to Liverpool | OneFootball

The Saints midfielder was praised by his former Sheffield Wednesday teammate for his Anfield antics

Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan was among those celebrating Shea Charles' initial equaliser for Southampton against Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday night, before the South Coast side were eventually edged out of the EFL Cup by Arne Slot's side.

Charles had spent last season on loan with the Steel City outfit following Saints' return to the Premier League, one which was extremely short-lived as they returned to the second tier after the second-worst campaign in the division's 33-year existence, accumulating a measly 12 points.

This meant that the only chance of facing off against teams such as last season's Champions would have to come through the luck of a draw in either the EFL Cup or the FA Cup, with Will Still's men drawn against the side who were defeated in the final by Newcastle United back in March.

It has been an extremely frustrating start to his tenure for the 32-year-old, whose only victories since a maiden Championship success against Wrexham had come against Northampton Town and Norwich City in earlier rounds of the now 65-year-long competition.

Charles was one of many first-team regulars dropped to the bench following Saturday's below-par defeat to Hull City, although the Northern Ireland international midfielder did give those who made the arduous journey up to Merseyside reason to be cheerful as Saints certainly made Slot's dominant outfit work for their eventual passage into the Round of 16.

Barry Bannan reacts to Shea Charles moment for Southampton vs Liverpool

Even with a much-changed XI themselves, Liverpool were still able to call upon the services of £125m summer signing Alexander Isak, who netted his first goal for the club since his well-documented move from Newcastle United following an error from stand-in goalkeeper, Alex McCarthy.

Despite the Reds eventually going on to progress into the next round as Hugo Ekitiké continued his fine goalscoring form whilst being shown a second yellow card in the process for the removal of his strip, those in the home sections of Anfield were left rather nervous with 14 minutes to go as Charles opened his account for Southampton as he capitalised on Wataru Endo's poor judgement to slam the ball past Giorgi Mamardashvil from inside the box.

The 21-year-old, who was an initial £10.5m buy from Manchester City during Saints' promotion-winning season of 2023/24 only enhanced his reputation at Championship level whilst at Hillsborough last season, something which current Wednesday skipper, Bannan, hasn't forgotten.

The 35-year-old, whose side were defeated by Grimsby Town in the same round last week, posted on his Instagram story: "The boy Charles" followed by a handful of upbeat emojis, showing his support for a former S6 teammate and fan favourite.

Despite conceding just nine minutes later, Charles admitted to Saints' official media channels that it was a proud moment for him to get off the mark in red and white.

“I missed a great chance here two years ago, so I’m buzzing to finally get it, and for it to be here is quite special,” he said.

Shea Charles will hope to play a part in changing Southampton's fortunes

After being involved in a tumultuous campaign at Hillsborough last term, in which players and staff were not being paid towards the end, Charles has been one of Still's better performers in the early weeks of the season despite an extremely slow start by one of the promotion favourites.

If the South Coast side are unable to shoot up the table, as they currently reside in 19th, the club may be at risk of losing the 21-year-old, who was the subject of transfer interest from the likes of Leeds United in the summer transfer window.

Scoring his first goal for the club will certainly provide Charles with a major confidence boost to add to his goalscoring or assisting output on a much more regular basis, which could prove key in turning fortunes around at St Mary's.