Liverpool registered their seventh consecutive victory in all competitions as they breezed past a hapless Southampton side on Saturday afternoon. The Reds opened the scoring through Wesley Hoedt’s unfortunate own inside ten minutes before Joel Matip doubled their advantage with a thumping header in the 21st minute.
The hosts put the nail in the coffin when Mohamed Salah tapped in Xherdan Shaqiri’s rebound off the bar. The win takes Liverpool to the top of the table, though Chelsea are yet to play West Ham United tomorrow and could return to the top.
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson Becker (7/10): Remained untested and got rid of the ball without dwelling too much on it. Made his first save deep into the second half which summed up Southampton’s toothless performance.
Trent-Alexander Arnold (7.5/10): A better second half display as Southampton did put in a few crosses in the first half. He also provided a lot of attacking impetus.
Joel Matip (8.5/10): Doubled Liverpool’s lead with a thumping header from a set-piece. But, that wasn’t Matip only contribution of the afternoon, as he won the most number of headed duels on the pitch (6). He was pretty composed and can provide some strong competition to the ever-impressive Joe Gomez.
Virgil van Dijk (8/10): Played a key role in limiting Southampton’s attacking endeavours with some neat front-footed defending. But, most importantly, the Dutchman also played a key role in Liverpool’s build-up from the back, putting together 65 passes with an accuracy of 95%.
Andrew Robertson (7.5/10): Another consistent performance from the Scottish international, who often motored forward to help the attackers in the final third.
Georginio Wijnaldum (7.5/10): The Dutchman who performed excellently against Southampton earlier. Wijnaldum played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s transition from defence to offence thanks to his incredible work ethic and tireless attitude.
Jordan Henderson (8/10): Marshalled the midfield with good pressing and passing. The English international was the most accurate passer of the game, with a success rate of 96%. In addition, he also helped to nullify the Southampton counters.
Xherdan Shaqiri (9.5/10): Capped off his first start for his new club with an astonishing performance as he was involved in almost all of Liverpool’s attacking moments. The Swiss superstar constantly kept finding the Liverpool attackers even in tight areas of the pitch and dictated the play really well from the number ten position.
His excellent free-kick at the dying embers of the first half hit the post, but the rebound of which fell straight to Salah for Liverpool’s third of the afternoon. He was, however, taken off after the end of the first half although coach Klopp did confirm that it was a tactical move. We could see more of him in the Carabao Cup.
Sadio Mane (6.5/10): It was a rather quiet evening by Mane’s standards as he was less involved when compared to his partners in crime. However, the Senegalese international did manage to make some dangerous runs in behind the defence.
Roberto Firmino (9/10): Industrious as ever, Roberto Firmino once again showed what he’s capable of a fantastic attacking display. The Brazilian international made a host of clever runs and even drifted out wide in order to allow the likes of Salah and Shaqiri take a central position. His link-up play with Salah was simply breath-taking at times.
Mohamed Salah (9/10): Following a slow-ish start to the season, Salah is slowly getting back to his rhythm, which was evident in his performance against the Saints this afternoon. The Egyptian was Liverpool’s central feature in attack with his mazy runs often creating problems for the opposing defence. His goal just before the end of the first half served as a relief for Salah, who has been heavily criticised for his lack of productivity.
Substitutes
James Milner (7.5/10): Replaced the influential Shaqiri just after the restart and as Klopp might have expected, Milner offered more solidity in midfield, which also allowed Wijnaldum to roam further forward. The perfect player to see out a comfortable lead.
Joe Gomez (7/10): Came on for van Dijk in the 54th minute, after the Dutchman took a knock in the first half. Fans won’t be worried, however, as Klopp confirmed that the injury is not serious and the defender will be back into action soon enough.
Naby Keita (6.5/10): Added a hint of freshness into the Liverpool midfield after replacing Wijnaldum at the 70th minute. Combined well with Firmino and Mane.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
