Team News
There were three alterations to the Liverpool side that thrashed [team 19] last week. Oxlade-Chamberlain, [player 84627] and [player 1920] were named on the bench as Henderson, Konate, and Robertson came into the eleven. The exciting youngster [player 37316836] was also on the bench after his solid mid-week performance against [team 652] in the [league 2].
As for Southampton, they also had three changes with [player 150759], [player 537558] and [player 4659] were dropped. In came, [player 337432], Broja and [player 219534], who was making his first start in the [league 8].
First-Half
Under Klopp, [team 8] are known for starting games on the front foot and killing teams in the first twenty minutes. It didn’t feel this way as [team 65] won the game’s first corner inside a few seconds. It was a nervous start by the home side.
However, in the second minute of the game, Liverpool scored after a brilliant move overall. [player 1389] played a delightful pass into the path of Robertson, who picked out Jota to make it 1-0 for the home side.
In the 12th minute, Liverpool thought they had made it 2-0 when [player 1078]’s free-kick delivery was headed home by Mane but was ruled out by VAR for offside. Southampton were posing a threat with the pace they had upfront. [player 129820] made a vital save to deny [player 23697427] as he almost made Liverpool pay for [player 1917]’s mistake.
Despite the away side’s slight threat, Liverpool were comfortable and soon increased their lead. It was [player 159917] again in the palace at the right time. [player 4125] exchanged passes with [player 323] before playing a simple pass into the box for the in-form Portuguese.
It was not done yet as Liverpool scored a third. Southampton couldn’t clear the lines, and [player 31857] picked up the ball outside the box before dribbling and shooting to make it 3-0 for the hosts.
Liverpool were by far the more dominant side in the first half. They had 64% of the ball with 12 shots in the opening half. Interestingly, all of Liverpool’s 12 first-half shots were taken from inside the box, which shows Southampton’s poor midfield resilience.
[coach 524297] had quite a task at halftime to bring his side back into the game. His side’s defending was a major issue in the first half, with them also not creating enough going forward.
Second-Half
Southampton made two changes at the start of the second half. [player 979] and [player 1494225] came in for [player 155138] and [player 3596]. However, it did not change the rhythm of the game as [player 1131] tipped over Mane’s curler from the left side.
The resulting corner saw an ex-saints man score at the Kop end and took the game beyond Southampton’s reach. [player 1743]’s clean shot went straight past the goalkeeper after the Southampton defenders did not clear the ball away.
The saints did respond positively, with [player 2951] getting on the end of two chances but failing to convert either of them. The first one was blocked by [player 100556], whereas Alisson saved the second one.
To add fresh legs into the midfield, Klopp decided to make a couple of alterations. [player 850] replaced Thiago before [player 197] came in for Henderson. With the points in the bag now, Liverpool had slowed the game down.
Jota was annoyed as he failed to complete his hattrick when provided a great chance by Robertson’s cross. However, his shot went off-target.
Liverpool ended the game with another clean sheet and another mesmerizing performance. Total domination at home again, with Thiago scoring for the second game in a row in all competitions.
What did the managers say?
After the amazing win, [coach 455353] said, “The game went completely in our direction. We controlled the game pretty much. I said after the game to the boys, it was 4-0, what do I have to moan about? But we can and have to do much better. (Alisson’s) saves were too spectacular. But of course, a lot of things were really good.
“We had a lot of good football moments today, and I think the people enjoyed it. It was cold here today, so we gave them a bit of warmth I think!”
When asked about Jota’s performance, the German said, “Exceptional player exceptional boy. He’s the perfect signing because he has everything that a Liverpool player needs in this squad. The technical skills, the physical skills, and he is very smart and can learn all the tactical stuff pretty quick. He can also play all positions. So it was very helpful, he has the speed and direction to finish situations off. His goalscoring record is pretty impressive.”
Southampton boss, Hasenhuttl, reflecting on a poor display said, “The first half was simply not good enough to be competitive against this team. We tried a different way of defending, and it was absolutely not working. Second half we changed to our normal behaviours.
“They are on fire at the moment, you must say. We had chances, we can score, but it’s only a question of time when they speed up the game today. I think there was no chance today after the start we had.”
Author: Devashish Akolekar
