Woeful stat underlines dismal Liverpool display in Southampton loss

Danny Ings TEAMtalk

Liverpool missed out on the chance to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League table after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Southampton on Monday night.

Former Reds striker Danny Ings scored the only goal of the game in the second minute and despite plenty of posession from the visitors they only fashioned one shot in target in a dismal display.

Liverpool showed three changes for the game at St Mary’s, with Thiago Alcantara handed his first start since October’s Merseyside derby.

Curtis Jones, James Milner and Nathaniel Phillips were left out of the starting XI, with Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming in and Jordan Henderson starting at centre-back.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl also made three changes from his side’s draw with West Ham.

Goalkeeper Fraser Forster came in for Alex McCarthy, who tested positive for coronavirus, while Oriol Romeu and Che Adams were replaced in the starting line-up by Stuart Armstrong and Ibrahima Diallo.

Inside two minutes, and with their first chance of the game, Southampton took the lead through Ings.

The striker benefited after catching out Trent Alexander-Arnold from a clever free-kick from James Ward-Prowse, taking a touch before lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Alisson Becker and into the far corner of the Reds’ net.

Liverpool enjoyed the majority of possession after going behind but were unable to convert it into clear-cut chances and often resorted to long balls from defence in an attempt to find Mohamed Salah.

Indeed, Saints could have gone in to the break 2-0 to the good when substitute Nathan Tella saw a superb curling effort drift narrowly wide.

More intensity but no ideas from Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp’s men came out with far more intensity to start the second period, piling forward in numbers in search of an equaliser.

Fabinho TEAMtalk

Klopp made a change 10 minutes into the second half, with Oxlade-Chamberlain hauled off for the more attacking Xherdan Shaqiri.

But despite their dominance, the visitors were struggling to trouble Fraser Forster in the home goal.

Liverpool finally fashioned an opening with 20 minutes to go when Roberto Firmino glanced a header wide from a Shaqiri cross.

Forster was forced into his first meaningful save in the 75th minute when the Reds finally had a shot on target, but it was a weak effort from Sadio Mane.

The home side came close to wrapping up the points late on when Alisson came charging out of his goal but was beaten to the ball by Yan Valery, whose goalbound effort was cleared away by Henderson and then Fabinho.

Mane powered a header over the bar in stoppage-time, but in truth Liverpool never looked like scoring all evening in what was a really poor display from Klopp’s men.