A game which pitted Liverpool’s devastating attack against a player which they hope will one day make their defence equally as impressive, resulted in a convincing win for the home side who were able to break their Southampton hoodoo.
Jurgen Klopp’s side failed to score in all four of their games against this opposition last season, but by picking a foursome of Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and top scorer Mohamed Salah to start together for the first time in the league, they were able to end that miserable run.
The forward line looks unstoppable on paper, but the question is always whether they would get the support from those behind them, and on this occasion, they did.
They were causing problems from the off as young right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, in for recent England debutant Joe Gomez, used some neat skill in his own half to beat Nathan Redmond, before releasing Salah in what was a taster of things to come.
The 19-year-old then found himself in the area following a charge down the right, and after the ball took several deflections it returned to his vicinity but he couldn’t quite get a shot away under pressure from the Southampton defence.
Romeu was a big presence in front of the visitors’ back line, and though he was able to outmuscle the likes of Mane, Coutinho and Salah on a couple of occasions, once they were past him there was nothing he, or his side, could do.
Liverpool dominated possession, which meant Coutinho featured heavily. The Brazilian was back in midfield for his club following a stint on the right wing for his country, and was the player his team-mates were constantly looking to.
Defenders and fellow midfielders sought him out with passes, Firmino dropped deep providing his compatriot with a wall off which to bounce the ball, while Mane and Salah made runs behind the defence in the hope the No 10 would pick them out.
It took just over half an hour for Mauricio Pellegrino’s defensive lines to be breached, and the goal came courtesy of some hallmark Liverpool counter-pressing. Dusan Tadic had just won the ball on the edge of the area, but as his side regrouped ready to attack, he lost it again. This gave Georginio Wijnaldum space to find Salah and the Egyptian curled his shot effortlessly inside the far post with his trusty left boot.
While Coutinho was taking control of the midfield, Salah was owning the game. The pair combined to double Liverpool’s lead with a piece of simple but devastating link-up play. Salah had cut in from the right wing to run behind the defence, and his team-mate provided the perfect through pass for him to finish on the run over Fraser Forster.
Firmino may not appear in the assists column for either goal, but it was he who won the ball back for the first, and he, drawing Virgil Van Dijk out of position, who created the space for the second.
The Dutch defender has been linked with a move to Anfield for most of this year, but his performance today might have only served to lower his value. Maybe that was the plan.
After the second goal it seemed to be more a case of how many Klopp’s side would score, as opposed to whether they would be able to hold onto the lead.
Pellegrino’s men emerged from the dressing rooms with more bite in attack, but Dejan Lovren was able to block Sofiane Boufal’s shot, which was the best of the chances created during this brief spurt of attacking play.
The game then returned to Liverpool’s grasp. Alberto Moreno had a chance to make it three but couldn’t get his shot away, before Coutinho sent a shot just wide. But the Brazilian made sure with his next attempt, pouncing on a rebound from Firmino’s (him again) fiercely struck effort to make it three. He was substituted as he ran back following his celebrations, receiving a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd.
The Southampton section of those in attendance had spent much of the game taunting former player Lovren, but the Croatian put in a display impressive enough to silence critics from all corners, at least for now.
Klopp was able to rest Mane and Salah, as well as Coutinho, as they prepare to travel to Sevilla in midweek where they can make a big step towards the Champions League knockout stages. Saints, meanwhile, will look to continue the rebuilding process under Pellegrino which may involve some ins and outs in the next transfer window. If the Van Dijk saga concludes this winter, they could well be spending some of Liverpool’s money come January.
