Southampton 0 Liverpool 2: Liverpool show grit and determination to close in on Champions League rivals

Brendan Rodgers started Daniel Sturridge on the bench not wanting to risk playing his prized asset for three games in a row.  Lovren, came in for the injured Sakho and Lallana returned respectively to St Mary’s for the first time since the controversy surrounding their summer signings. 

The third of the triumvirate Rickie Lambert, received a great return welcome, took his familiar place on the bench with Lazar Markovic returning for Moreno.

The continual rain and windy conditions throughout made it difficult for both teams to settle into any fluidity on the slippery service, but it was Southampton who grabbed the initiative with Djuricic seeing his claim for a penalty against Emre Can dismissed by referee Kevin Friend.

Philippe Coutinho appeared a tad leg wary over the last few games and there was a thought that he might be rested with the away leg at Besiktas and the home game against Man City only three days later in such close proximity.  Inside three minutes Liverpool fans were sent into raptures when the brilliant playmaker scored a goal of stunning quality.

Liverpool fans are getting used to the majesty of Coutinho’s intricacy and breath-taking technique, but this time he collected a ball from Markovic fully 30 yards before unleashing a curling shot beyond the reach of Fraser Forster.  The watching Matt Le Tessier who delivered many virtuoso performances and strikes for Southampton will have admired the technique and impudence of the Liverpool maestro even against his beloved Saints.

A minute later Southampton claims for a penalty should have been awarded after Allen’s challenge on Djuricic saw the frontman upended, the breaking ball fell to Elia who saw he shot expertly saved at the near post by the increasingly impressive Mignolet

Southampton proceeded to dominate the remainder of the half with the impressive Nathanial Clyne posing Markovic problems bombing down the right and in behind the retreating wing-back.  Liverpool were giving ground to the home team who had a massive 61 per cent possession in the first fifteen minutes.

Dominance aside, Southampton were failing to create any real chances with Skrtel governing aerially and Can sweeping up any loose ball.  Lovren appeared a little shaky on his resumption to backline duties, but appeared well up to the pressure of fending off the hostile treatment from the home crowd.

At the break Brendan Rodgers looked to decrease the threat of the raiding Clyne’s bringing on Moreno for Markovic.

This was a different Liverpool than we have grown accustomed to.   Not the free-flowing dynamism which has become the signature of Liverpool’s change in fortunes in the second-half of this season, but happy so soak up pressure and dig-in, led by Martin Skrtel, mastering Pelle at the back and Henderson and Allen in working the midfield.

The measurement of Liverpool willingness to graft was that fact that it took another 70 minutes for them to produce another shot on-target, but when it came it all but killed off the game.

Moreno who had negated Clyne’s driving runs given Liverpool stability going both ways on the left, in the same way Jordan Ibe had on the right nicked in to pick off a loose pass with the ball finding its way to Sterling who returned the compliment.  The Spaniard’s cut-back found Matt Targett, whose clearance ended up at the feet of Sterling to shoot passed Forster.

It was an impressive performance by a Liverpool side proving they are now capable of winning games on the back foot as well as the front.

Man of the match:  Martin Skrtel – produced the type of performance which makes one wonder if he did so on a regular basis we’d have one the best defenders in Europe on our hands.  He was outstanding leading from the front, winning almost every ball and providing the leadership at centre-back which Liverpool have lacked since the retirement of Jamie Carragher.

The fact that Liverpool have now kept five clean sheets on the road in a row for the first time in 30 years is due in no small part to the Slovakian captain.

Critical eye:  This was a performance which said a lot of about the growth of Brendan Rodgers side.  Willing to dig in and happy to relinquish possession without giving Southampton any clear-cut opportunities.  Whether the formation is 3-4-3 or 5-3-2 or 4-4-1-1, the brand of football Brendan Rodgers is deploying means that there is no room for one component of his wheel being off kilter and while it was Markovic today there was no doubting the player’s commitment.

Coutinho’s goal was quite simply world-class.  It was good to see both Coutinho and Allen getting through 90 minutes in such a combative game, especially with Liverpool short in the midfield area and also Lallana and Lovren showed character coming through some terse treatment from the home crowd.

Brendan Rodgers change at half-time bringing on Moreno, helped shut down Southampton’s attempts to get back into the game and it’s healthy to see him feeling empowered to make earlier substitutions.

Teams:

Southampton 4-3-3:

23 Fraser Forster, 2 Nathanial Clyne, 6 Jose Fonte, 3 Maya Yoshida, 33 Matt Targett, 16 James Ward-Prowse (Sadio Mane – 57 mins), 12 Victor Wanyama, 8 Steven Davis (Morgan Schneiderlin – 45 mins), 15 Filip Djuricic (Dusan Tadic – 75 mins), 19 Graziano Pelle, 21 Elijero Elia

Subs: 1 Kelvin Davis, 4 Morgan Schneiderlin, 5 Florin Gardos, 7 Shane Long, 10 Sadio Mane, 11 Dusan Tadic, 28 Harrison Reed

Liverpool 3-4-3

22 Simon Mignolet, 6 Dejan Lovren, 37 Martin Skrtel, 23 Emre Can, 33 Jordon Ibe (Glen Johnson – 75 mins), 14 Jordan Henderson, 24 Joe Allen, 50 Lazar Markovic (Alberto Moreno