Liverpool moved up to second in the Premier League table with a 4-0 victory over Southampton at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
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Liverpool moved up to second in the Premier League table with a 4-0 victory over Southampton at Anfield. A pair of close-range finishes from Diogo Jota established a lead for the Reds. The same was extended by Thiago Alcantara, with help from a deflection, before half-time. Virgil van Dijk fired in a fourth against his former team early in the second half. The emphatic result moved Jurgen Klopp’s team to within a point of Chelsea at the top of the table ahead of Sunday’s fixtures.
Klopp made six changes to the team that started the preceding win against FC Porto. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Jota were brought in. The bitterly cold conditions could not prevent Liverpool from making a flying start. There were three changes for Saints from the side that lost 2-1 at Norwich last time out. as Ralph Hasenhuttl gave Lyanco a full Premier League debut and restored Romain Perraud and Armando Broja. Kyle Walker-Peters and Ibrahima Diallo dropped to the bench with Mohamed Elyounoussi missing from the matchday squad. That meant a switch to three centre-backs, while Broja joined Adam Armstrong and Ché Adams in attack. The trio started together for the first time.
Jota had already seen a promising chance snuffed out by a block after he seized on a slip in the Southampton defence. However, he benefitted from a slick passing exchange between Sadio Mane and Robertson on the left touchline. That transformed into a chance when Mane guided a pass through the legs of Jan Bednarek for Robertson to collect in the area. The defender clipped a cross into the middle, where Jota prodded a finish past Alex McCarthy. This was followed by Salah trading passes with Jordan Henderson before scampering into space on the right-hand side. From there the No.11 was able to slide an assist across to the opposite post for Jota to convert again.
Things got even better seven minutes before the interval. The Saints failed to sufficiently clear their lines and Thiago capitalised. The Spanish midfielder shimmied around Bednarek and saw his effort hit the roof of the net via a Lyanco deflection. Van Dijk netted the Reds’ fourth from the resulting corner, with the defender the first to reach Trent Alexander-Arnold’s kick with a low drive that Alex McCarthy could not stop.
Arsenal returned to winning ways and deepened Newcastle United’s relegation worries as goals by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli sealed a comfortable 2-0 Premier League win on Saturday. Bottom club Newcastle had new manager Eddie Howe on the touchline for the first time after he was forced to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 test earlier, but they were well beaten in the end and remain without a league win after 13 games.
In his first game on the sidelines as Newcastle boss, Eddie Howe looked a worried man at full time and rightly so. His side only went close from long-range and didn’t have a go at Arsenal until they were 2-0 down. Perhaps that defensive approach was understandable but this was like watching a Steve Bruce side. Newcastle have now failed to win any of their opening 13 games of the season and sit rock bottom of the table.
Howe needs a big January window to bring in new players and even that may not save them from relegation. Their next two games against Burnley and Norwich (both at home) will basically show us if they have what it takes to stay up.
