Liverpool entertained Southampton at Anfield earlier today hoping to pick up maximum points in front of the Kop. The Reds created some decent chances to score in the first half but were toothless in the final third. Both teams went into the half-time break with nothing to split them.
The Merseyside outfit racked up the pressure early in the second 45 minutes and took the lead via Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 47th minute shot from long range. Jordan Henderson doubled his team’s advantage just 13 minutes later when he found the back of the net with a clever finish. Mohamed Salah went on to score two more goals in the final quarter of the contest to put the icing on the cake for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp’s men managed to see out a dominant 4-0 victory over the South-coast club and thus, stretched their lead at the top to 22 points in the Premier League standings.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the contest versus the Saints.
Liverpool Players Rated In Win Vs Southampton
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian goalie made a few solid saves to secure a comfortable clean sheet at Anfield. He will be happy with his commanding performance tonight.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10
The English defensive ace struggled a bit with his ball-distribution but put in a battling display down the right flank. He performed better in the second half and picked out Firmino with a world-class diagonal in the lead-up to Henderson’s goal.
CB: Joe Gomez – 8/10
The Liverpool centre-back had to work his socks off to keep a shutout at the back. He read the danger exceptionally in and around the Liverpool penalty box and kept his composure when going in for tackles. Gomez was also responsible for making some vital clearances for his side.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 8/10
The Dutch colossus took a few risks but managed to keep Danny Ings quiet during the game. He won a lot of aerial duels and put in another brave performance inside his own half.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish full-back ran himself to the ground down the left flank and put in some inviting crosses into the Saints box. At least, Robertson has a clean sheet to show for his efforts.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 9/10
The Liverpool captain led the press for his team in midfield. He played some brilliant long balls in the opposition half and bagged a deserved assist as well. He took his goal well at the hour mark with a controlled finish from close range.
CM: Fabinho – 7/10
The Brazilian midfield ace made a slow start to the match but put in a much-improved display in the second half.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 5/10
The Dutch midfielder showed a lot of energy in midfield but lacked the cutting edge in the final third. He was guilty of squandering some decent chances throughout the 90 minutes.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 8.5/10
The Egyptian speedster was a quiet presence in the first 45. However, he came alive and scored two excellent goals in the second half to help his side seal a dominant 4-0 win in front of the home supporters.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 8.5/10
The Brazilian forward ran the show in the opposition half. He dropped deep into midfield and was always willing to play a killer pass for the Reds in search of more goals. He ended the game with three assists to his name, which will delight Klopp.
LM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7.5/10
The ex-Arsenal talent gave his team the lead with a wonderful breakaway goal. He caused a few headaches for the Saints but ran out of gas in the end.
Substitutes:
CM: Naby Keita – 6/10
It was good, energetic display from him. He was also responsible for playing a breathtaking through-ball to Firmino, but his pass didn’t get the finish it deserved.
LM: Takumi Minamino – 5/10
The Japanese youngster missed a sitter after coming off the bench.
CM: Adam Lallana – N/A
He came off the bench to run the clock down for his team.
