Southampton might falter against the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Hull City even, but they always put up a brilliant performance against Liverpool. And they have maintained that tradition this time too, as they stopped Liverpool’s feared attack with relative ease at their backyard.
The draw although keeps the Reds at the top of the table for the moment, it surely opens up a clear chance for Chelsea to overcome them if they win against Middlesbrough. Although Liverpool missed numerous chances to make the result in their favour, in the end, they just could not put one at the back of the net.
3 talking points from Liverpool’s game at Southampton
Southampton’s defence is no short of a world class one
Rumour mills have time and again linked Van Dijk to many top clubs in the recent weeks and he showed exactly why he is in such a huge demand. There were times when he completely shut out Firmino and Sadio Mane reducing their threat to a mere half-hearted attempt. He recovered the ball 7 times and although Forster was called into play few times by Liverpool’s attack, except one or two, the rest were toothless attempts.
Another special mention should of Cedric Soares. There is a reason why Barcelona are keeping tabs on the 25 years old Portuguese. He is magnificent. Liverpool’s left flank was almost always compromised for his defence-ripping runs and if not for the blunt attack Southampton possesses, Southampton could have even won the game.
In between the two talents stands Jose Fonte. The towering defender hardly made mistakes in his steps and made sure nothing went in. The only mistakes on show were the fixable ones.
Related Reading: The BEST And The Worst Liverpool Players Rated In Their Draw Vs Southampton
International-break hangover
International breaks are known to break the rhythm of the players in the club as they suddenly place them in a different competition of a different intensity. Liverpool might have experienced it. Staying two weeks at the top of the table made them the highlight of the social media, which was impossible to ignore and over that the rumours linking them to clubs outside also deterred their focus.
In all of this, what most suffered was their conviction. Although Liverpool countered repeatedly but 90% of the time the team seemed to have already known how the attack was going to end.
Southampton’s brilliant balanced display
The Saints knew exactly what Liverpool’s tactics are. And they made the defending look ridiculously easy at times. They weren’t expecting a win at all today though they had some pretty good chances to achieve that. Their movement had this brilliant flair and balance going up and down. They knew Liverpool cannot continue their attack at the same high tempo throughout the game and they were happy to sit back, head out, intercept and throw bodies when necessary.
There was absolutely no panic in defending a team, who were scoring for fun until now. This display will surely give huge aspirations and defending goals to other teams facing Liverpool.
