Southampton were one of several clubs to claim a win over Liverpool during their miserable start to the calendar year, but a repeat seemed unlikely as the year comes to its end. Ralph Hasenhüttl is the best thing to happen to Southampton in years, yet his reign has been hamstrung by a lack of investment and Southampton spend more time looking warily at those below them in the table than chasing those above them as they would have done a few years ago.
Hasenhüttl made three changes to the team that lost to Norwich, as Kyle Walker-Peters, Ibrahima Diallo and Mohamed Elyounoussi were replaced by Lyanco, Romain Perraud and Armando Broja. Southampton switched to a 3-4-3 shape from their usual 4-4-2.
Having already won their Champions League group, Jürgen Klopp made plenty of changes in mid-week for the win over Porto, but he made three changes from the side that beat Arsenal last weekend, bringing back fit again Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson in midfield and sticking with Ibrahima Konaté at centre-back after starting him in mid-week. Liverpool set up in their usual 4-3-3 formation.
Liverpool immediately took the lead. After a recent downturn in form and some impressive displays by Kostas Tsimikas started to suggest that his iron grip on the starting left-back spot was beginning to loosen, Robertson played like a man possessed in his cameo against Porto and started this match with an assist. Liverpool broke forward quickly but Southampton managed to repel their attack and get back into shape, with Liverpool in possession on the left. Robertson and Sadio Mané were outnumbered by Valentino Livramento, Jan Bednarek and Oriol Romeu, yet easily worked around them. Livramento and Bednarek doubled up on Mané yet failed to actually try and stop him, giving the Senegalese the time to pick out a pass inside to Robertson, whose underlapping run went untracked. The Scot collected the ball in the box and cut it back for Diogo Jota to tap in.
Southampton attempted to pressure Liverpool’s backline in a similar way to how Liverpool’s frontline works. Ché Adams would stick to Fabinho in midfield while Adam Armstrong and Broja would pressure Liverpool’s centre-backs while curving their runs to block the passes wide to the centre-backs, aiming to filter Liverpool through the centre.
This didn’t really work though. Firstly, as usual, Thiago Alcântara would drop in next to Fabinho, providing an alternative pass out of the defence. Secondly, Jota and Mané were willing to drop off into midfield while Henderson would push forward to join them, leaving Southampton’s midfield two outnumbered. Even if Southampton managed to stop Liverpool from passing into the open Thiago, there was still a free passing option ahead of him as Southampton didn’t have enough midfielders to cover them all.
Liverpool moved the ball around quickly and this was particularly notable at second balls following long passes by Southampton, where Liverpool would flick the ball on rather than attempting to control it and risk encouraging Southampton to press them.
Liverpool doubled their lead on the counter. Perraud intercepted a cross-field pass but his touch fell to Trent Alexander-Arnold, allowing Liverpool to spring forward at an exposed back three. Alexander-Arnold passed the ball down the line to Mohamed Salah, with Liverpool’s attackers three-versus-three against Southampton’s centre-backs. Although Mohammed Salisu managed to stop Salah cutting inside into the box, the Egyptian rolled the ball back to Henderson, and rather than stay with Salah, Salisu stepped out to meet Henderson, leaving Salah open for a return ball in behind the backline. Salah squared the ball to Jota at the back post to tap in for his brace.
Thiago then added another minutes later. Albeit less spectacular, it was similar to his goal against Porto in mid-week. Southampton headed away a corner and then another cross, but the ball fell to Thiago on the edge of the area, who took a touch then shaped to shoot, before flicking the ball onto his left foot and shooting through the open gap, deflecting in off Lyanco.
Southampton reverted back to their usual 4-4-2 at half-time, substituting Bednarek and Adams for Nathan Redmond and Nathan Tella. This saw them try to to push Liverpool wide rather than through the middle, with two strikers blocking passes into midfield then pushing forward to press the centre-backs, leaving it to the wingers to step forward and press the full-backs.
Liverpool would add another goal from a corner early in the second half though. With Southampton using a mixed marking scheme, Konaté and Mané made runs toward the ball, dragging their markers with them and opening up space for Virgil van Dijk to volley home the ball from the penalty spot.
At this point the match was already over as a contest.
If Southampton were going to get anything from the game, they needed to be defensively solid and they had failed on that front within 90 seconds. Liverpool got their second 4-0 victory in a row but this was hardly a test for them.
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