FT Match Notes: Saints 0-2 Reds

Sports - Football - Premier League - SOULIV

Saints kick off the action in red and white stripes, Liverpool all glowing orange.

2' First LFC corner, cleared.

3' Firmino goes down, edge of the box, pushed by Hoedt, nothing given, would have been harsh.

5' First corner for the home side, fist punch by Højbjerg, blocked and stopped first hurdle.

6' FIRMINOOOOO NETS IT, left-footer into the bottom right, thanks to Salah's pass back from the right, counter was too quick for the Saints' defenders to make it back in time to cover, 0-1. Boom.

8' Bertrand free kick on the left, headed away and cleared, first hurdle/defender again, Liverpool counter quick again, the Ox with a low deflected shot, McCarthy saves/collects comfortably.

9' Liverpool fans nice & loud MO SALAH MO SALAH MO SALAH! BOBBY FIRMINO!

10' Alexander-Arnold's cross from the right goes too far, out of reach, goal kick.

12' Captain Bertrand with a brilliant run to catch the ball before it went out and win a throw on the left. Commitment.

Southampton have now made nine errors leading to goals, only Arsenal have made more.

15' Tadic clear on the left, flag goes up.

18' Karius blocks and clears Højbjerg chance, face-to-face, head-to-head, just a couple of yards between them in the box, close one!

22' Firmino tries to follow the ball out for a corner, instead accidentally tips and trips it out for a goal kick, sarcastic cheers around St Mary's. Threat cleared, lol.

Halfway through, 2-2 shots, 1-2 on target, advantage Liverpool thanks to Firmino. 66% possession to the home side though! Matip slices and messes up a clearance for a throw as I write that.

25' Firmino goes down in the box way too overdramatic there, Stephens behind him, arm(s) on shoulder, but ref ignores it rightly.

26' Mané shot wide. The Reds keep pushing and pressing on the counter.

29' CARRILLO HEADER bounces straight into Karius' gloves, attempt on target though.

30' Karius gloves Ward-Prowse's header over for a corner, close again. The flag is up against the Saints.

32' Mané not happy with goal kick given, thinks Soares coming across him got the last touch.

34' Robertson with a ball across the box from the left, no one there to connect with it, shame.

36' Third Southampton corner, Liverpool unable to clear the bouncy ball, flag goes up eventually anyways, and breath. Chaotic and nervous stuff there by the Reds.

37' Matip is the first one in the ref's book for hugging and bringing down Tadic.

38' Saints free kick is collected by Karius, just one bounce, no real threat there.

40' Bertrand puts the ball out for a goal kick and they replay the LFC goal, Hoedt the guilty one giving the ball away in the buildup, before Salah passes from the right.

41' Karius collects the ball again, neither side are really in control here.

42' AND SALAH MAKES IT TWOOOOO!!! What a move! Right through the heart of the Saints defense, the Egyptian passes to Firmino, who flicks it back to him with a cheeky back-footer through into the box, for Salah to slash it in with his left foot into the left corner. 0-2. World class. Boom boom.

1 minute added on. Liverpool fans cheering, singing, echoing those names again. Firmino trips and tumbles and loses the force of the break and chance in the box and the ball with it. And that's HT 0-2, Southampton have nothing to show for all their dominance, Liverpool lethal on the counter, Firmino and Salah on the scoresheet.

HT Stats: SOU 0-2 LIV
Possession: 54%-46%
Shots: 5-5
On target: 4-3
Corners: 3-1
Fouls: 2-3
Yellow cards: 0-1

Liverpool kick off the second half, no changes made by either team.

46' Free kick given against Can, even though the Red skipper looked more hurt when Højbjerg tripped and fell over him, clumsy yellow.

47' Saints waste that chance, flag goes up once again. Play is stopped, Lemina doesn't look well...

50' SALAH SHOT high and out for a goal kick after Mané's acrobatic take was blocked off Firmino's cross from the left.

54' Cross goes out for a throw, Saints unable to keep the ball for long, Reds keeping the pressure up and going, but not top-quality flowing nor glowing.

55' Firmino gives the ball away, Matip wins it back, Højbjerg concedes a free kick, it goes out for a goal kick.

57' Ball goes out for a throw, first change of the game is made by the home side, unwell Lemina is replaced by Boufal.

59' Free kick to the Saints on the left, Ward-Prowse takes, Hoedt puts it just wide from close range. Chance. Gone.

60' Klopp brings on Milner for Oxlade-Chamberlain, first Red/orange change, like for like, or more defensive? Takes the captain's armband off Can.

62' Liverpool get pulled back to retake the free kick, way too quick there, Romeu booked, he looked the one in pain chasing the Reds. Wijnaldum kicks high and out for a goal kick, he has never scored away from home.

64' Mané to Firmino, Hoedt clears.

65' Van Dijk stops Saints' move forward, Liverpool with much more of the ball this half.

66' Can whacks the ball way high from distance after another charge, Milner on the right, Mané and Firmino threats were cleared from the box.

67' Flag is up against the Saints again. After four shots on target in the first half, nothing so far since the restart. Disappointing. For them.

71' FIRMINO SHOT saved by McCarthy, after Højbjerg's error, Salah puts the rebound into the side netting. Point blank stuff.

72' Long comes on for Ward-Prowse, second change for the home side, Saints fans shouting "you don't know what ye doing".

75' Mané and Robertson shots blocked, they are all lining up for Liverpool!

76' MANEEEEE denied AGAIN, actually, slipped it well wide himself, no one else to blame. Chance.

77' Van Dijk is beaten on the left (attacking that is), Saints fans cheer, throw to the Reds/orange.

79' Firmino is replaced by former Saint Lallana, second change made by Klopp. Free kick given against Liverpool, another attack stopped, Mané the culprit.

80' Last change made by Pellegrino, Davis on for Romeu, again "you don't know what ye doing" echoing around. Too little too late?

82' Karius punches away a rare Southampton chance, some chanting "when the Saints go marching in", which there hasn't been too much of this afternoon, chants nor marches.

85' LALLANAAAAA puts a chance across goal and wide of the far post, set up by Salah of course. 6-16 shots, 4-4 on target, all Red/orange this half!

89' Last change for the Reds, Salah applauded off, former Saint Lovren on, more boos by the Southampton fans, surprised they have any breath/voice/nerve left.

4 minutes added on, kick about for the visitors. YNWA echoes in the background, St Mary's emptying.

Van Dijk heads away the ball, Saints with the ball, backed into their own half, can't get into the red/orange box, and the full time whistle finally blows.

It couldn't have been easier for Klopp's men, the bit of competition there was in the first half was totally gone after the break, it could have been four or five for the Reds, Mané missing and wasting most.

0-2 at the end thanks to Firmino and Salah, their pressing and pushing and wonderful football enough to flatten and beat the Saints.

The Reds go up to third thanks to the win, two points behind United in second after their defeat at Newcastle, whilst Southampton drop into the relegation zone, 18th, one point behind Huddersfield in 17th.

FT Stats: SOU 0-2 LIV
Possession: 51%-49%
Shots: 6-16
On target: 4-4
Corners: 3-1
Fouls: 5-8
Yellow cards: 1-2

Liverpool Goals: Firmino 6', Salah 42'.

Southampton Team: 13 McCarthy; 21 Bertrand (c), 6 Hoedt, 5 Stephens, 2 Soares; 18 Lemina (19 Boufal 57'), 14 Romeu (booked 62') (8 Davis 80'); 11 Tadic, 23 Højbjerg, 16 Ward-Prowse (7 Long 72'); 9 Carrillo. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 3 Yoshida, 20 Gabbiadini, 22 Redmond, 44 Forster.

Liverpool Team: 1 Karius; 26 Robertson, 4 van Dijk, 32 Matip (booked 37'), 66 Alexander-Arnold; 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can (c) (booked 46'), 21 Oxlade-Chamberlain (7 Milner 60'); 19 Mané (6 Lovren 89'), 9 Firmino (20 Lallana 79'), 11 Salah. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 18 Moreno, 22 Mignolet, 28 Ings, 29 Solanke.

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man of the match: Mohamed Salah
Ground: St Mary's
Attendance: 31,915

Click here for my last LFC match report.

All info, stats and facts were taken from the Sky Sports app, Twitter and SFR match coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 24

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 24

The 24th week of the Premier League action saw:

25 goals - most by Chelsea & Arsenal = 4 each
233 shots - most by Man City & Liverpool = 21 each
90 on target - most by Arsenal & Chelsea = 10 each
99 corners - most by Man City = 18
194 fouls - most by Stoke City = 18
26 yellow cards - most by Brighton, Burnley, Man United, West Ham & Tottenham = 3 each
0 red cards
2 penalties - 2 scored (Agüero for Man City, Vardy for Leicester)

What a game! Arsenal proved like Liverpool did last week, it's all about the team, not the player, life goes on without them. With Alexis Sánchez omitted and Manchester United bound, the Gunners hit four goals in the opening 22 minutes, absolutely stunning and thrashing Crystal Palace 4-1 at the Emirates. A free Nacho Monreal headed in the opener (6') and provided the next two, Alex Iwobi doubling the lead (10') and Laurent Koscielny tapping in the third (13'). Alexandre Lacazette made it four with a beautiful team goal and finish (22') to complete an abysmal start for Roy Hodgson's side. Luka Milivojević did pull one back late on with a nice turn and shot, denying Petr Čech his 200th clean sheet, keeping the stopper stuck on 199. It was Palace's only defeat in the last 12 league games against the Gunners. Arsène Wenger couldn't have been happier with his team's blistering display, but they won't have it that easy every week!

What a team! Manchester City recovered from their first league defeat of the season against Liverpool with a dominant 3-1 win against Newcastle at the Etihad, Sergio Agüero starring with a hat-trick, his 11th for Pep Guardiola's side. Jacob Murphy did cause a little scare when he made it 2-1 with his first goal for the club in his 19th appearance. Rafael Benítez praised his side's reaction and effort, but after only six goals in the last eight games, the Magpies are 15th in the table, just one point away from 18th-placed Southampton. With the takeover talks halted and off the table, the chances of adding to the squad are close to none. At the top of the table meanwhile, City's lead remains 12 points, which takes me to this interesting stat I read, which irritated me at the same time... City aren't Newcastle and United are nowhere near Fergie's greats, I dare say!!!
Here are my match notes of a very frustrating display and rare defeat for Liverpool, suffering against stubborn Swansea, losing 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Monday night, ending the Reds' unbeaten run after 18 games. It was such a disappointment after their breathtaking performance against the league leaders last week, but somewhat expected as the Reds like to let it slip against the lower sides, especially the Welsh side as past results show: Their German boss Jürgen Klopp seems to dislike the Swans, having lost three Premier League games against them, more than against any other opponent in the competition.

What a man! New Stoke City manager Paul Lambert started his reign with a win, his side beating Huddersfield 2-0 thanks to Joe Allen (53') and Mame Biram Diouf (69'), taking them out of the relegation zone, a step in the right direction. The new boss enjoyed and celebrated both goals full-heartedly and made sure all players stayed back to thank the fans for their support. The Terriers meanwhile are winless in the last six league games, having lost three in a row, David Wagner accepting their dire form and position and conceding they have to do more to get out of it, just one point separating them from the drop zone.
Leicester's Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez impressed with startling displays, the prior's penalty and the latter's smooth goal were enough to beat Watford, Marco Silva's side continuing their slump with just one win in the last 11 league matches. The dire run saw the Portuguese sacked on Sunday, the board blaming Everton's approach in November for it! Harsh!!! They quickly appointed a new boss later that day, Spaniard Javi Gracia, the 10th manager to work under the Pozzo family at Vicarage Road since 2012! Something tells me the 18-month contract won't be seen through at this rate! 7 of the bottom 12 have sacked their managers this season and I've got the feeling it's not gonna stay at that...
Both David Moyes and Sam Allardyce drew more frustrated figures this week, not happy men, both West Ham and Everton dropping two points drawing 1-1 against Bournemouth and West Brom respectively, home games they should have or were expected to win. None of the sides will be happy with dropping points. Again. But for the Hammers it continued their unbeaten run in the league (DWDWD), whilst the blue Merseysiders have been sliding a bit longer without a win (DDLLLD). It could have been worse for the Toffees if it would not have been for super-sub's Oumar Niasse's equaliser just 56 seconds after coming on. More to that game below. And the Hammers had Javier Hernández to thank for the point equalising 65 seconds after falling behind, their manager crying out for the former United man to stay. It was Eddie Howe's 100th league game in charge, the third youngest English manager to achieve this, at the age of 40 years and 52 days, the draw extending the Cherries' unbeaten run to five games (DWDWD).

What a goal! Chelsea stunned Brighton with two splendid goals in the opening six minutes at the Falmer Stadium. Eden Hazard opened the scoring with a neat finish from inside the box (3') and Willian doubled the score after some beautiful team and one-touch play in the buildup (6'). The Seagulls did fight back, Ezequiel Schelotto was denied a penalty after being brought down by keeper Willy Caballero who kept out former Citizen Tomer Hemed before Davy Pröpper headed against the post. Hazard sealed the win eventually (77') and Victor Moses added to the total late on to make it 0-4 and three points for the Blues (89'), their first league win in 2018. But as manager Antonio Conte pointed out, his side are unbeaten in 12 games now. Brighton boss Chris Hughton was right, the scoreline was harsh, but the visitors did make it very difficult.
In the only Super Sunday match Davinson Sánchez's awesome own goal put Southampton ahead at St Mary's, sliding and turning in Ryan Bertrand's low cross, before non-other than Harry Kane levelled the score for Tottenham, easy 99th Premier League goal for the England striker. Despite continuing their longest winless streak in nearly two decades, Saints will be happy with the point, the fans were great, Mauricio Pellegrino grateful but realistic (loved his electric chair metaphor about his position), whilst Spurs will be gutted to have dropped two points in the race for the top four.

What the hell?! All the best wishes went to Toffee James McCarthy of course after manager Big Sam confirmed his very nasty injury, a double-fracture! Albion Salomón Rondón was in tears after waving frantically for the referee to stop play and get the medical assistance. No one likes to see anything like that... #goosebumps
Manchester United extended their unbeaten run to eight games in the league, Anthony Martial's second-half strike enough to beat Burnley. But the Red Devils didn't give their fans much to cheer and watch, keeper David de Gea mainly to thank with his 14th clean sheet, more than any other in Europe's big five leagues this season. Sean Dyche's side fought hard, but were condemned to their fourth defeat on the trot for the first time since May 2015. The manager was understandably gutted as they were the only side making a real game out of it, no matter how José Mourinho tried to put it, having a clear dig at them after the match, complimenting the referee. Yep, you read right. The Portuguese was all positive, especially about the officials, of course, looking at the scoreline, but nothing else. Pf.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Brighton 1:1 Chelsea - 0:4
Arsenal 1:1 Crystal Palace - 4:1
Burnley 1:2 Man United - 0:1
Everton 2:1 West Brom - 1:1
Leicester 3:0 Watford - 2:0
Stoke City 2:2 Huddersfield - 2:0
West Ham 3:2 Bournemouth - 1:1
Man City 4:1 Newcastle - 3:1
Southampton 1:3 Tottenham - 1:1
Swansea 1:5 Liverpool - 1:0 or my match report

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and SFR coverage.