24 November 2024
Southampton 2 Liverpool 3
It was the classic clash at St Mary’s as bottom faced top, with The Saints welcoming Arne Slot’s Liverpool to the south coast. On paper, this should be nothing but a comprehensive win for the league leaders but football often does not work out that way. With Man City losing against Tottenham, it was a big chance for The Reds to open up a bigger gap at the top.
The hosts tried to start positively but as a move broke down, that lightning quick Liverpool counter-attack got into full flow. Szoboszlai burst through the middle of the park before laying it off to Salah on the right. His first time shot was beaten away by McCarthy in the Southampton goal. An early warning for Russell Martin’s side, if they even needed one.
Armstrong took the ball through the legs of Konate but as soon as he got into the box he fell to the floor after feeling contact from the Frenchman. The referee waved away protests for a penalty and the replay showed it was the correct decision, not according to the home fans. If the contact was enough to send the player to floor as he did, the Southampton striker would be spending most of his daily life on his hands and knees.
Salah had another chance to score as Gakpo picked him out at the back post but the usually reliable forward saw his shot blocked by The Saints’ keeper. Moments later Lallana was booked for a heavy challenge on Gravenberch. The referee produced a yellow card but looking at the replay, he was lucky to stay on the pitch. All the pundits agreed he should have been given his marching orders.
As with many decisions over the weekend, they underpinned the inconsistencies of VAR. It is all down to the perception of the individual, a constantly changing beast. They are not following the letter of the law but their own interpretation of it. No doubt next weekend we will see someone sent off for an identical challenge. It is like having someone with multiple personalities officiate.
From the resulting free kick, the hosts failed to clear their lines and Szoboszlai got a shot off at goal but McCarthy saved again. Moments later, Southampton got themselves into trouble trying to play out from the back. The ball was gifted to the Hungarian, who curled a left-footed shot into the far corner to give Liverpool the lead.
Downes, the player responsible for the visitors’ goal, almost made amends as he got a shot away at the other end of the pitch. Kelleher reacted well for Liverpool and parried his effort away. Van Dijk was then dispossessed on the halfway line and Dibling made a beeline towards goal. Robertson upended him and immediately the referee pointed to the spot.
The argument with the decision was whether contact was initiated outside the box. After a VAR review, they deemed there was no conclusive proof that the challenge took place outside the penalty area. Armstrong stepped up to take it and Kelleher saved his spot kick but the ball rebounded to the fortunate striker who made no mistake at the second attempt.
Dibling was proving to be a thorn in the side of the league leaders. Soon after the restart, he went on a mazy run before unleashing a shot from distance. It was always bending away from the goal but was close enough to worry the Liverpool keeper. The youngster seemed to be the key to The Saints upsetting the odds in this encounter.
As McCarthy gathered a Liverpool cross, the hosts hit them on the counter-attack. Dibling played a sublime pass over the top of the defence to Armstrong, who held it up well before spotting the run of Fernandes. The midfielder slotted home to turn this game on its head. St Mary’s erupted into a cauldron of noise as the ball hit the back of the net.
Their lead didn’t even last ten minutes as a long ball over the top saw Salah time his run to perfection. McCarthy came racing out of his goal to try and get there first but the Egyptian winger’s first touch took it past him and straight into the back of the net. The Southampton keeper was looking a bit rusty in his first appearance for some months.
Slot brought on his South American stars for the last quarter of the game. Mac Allister tried his luck from outside of the box and it arrowed over the bar but not by much. Salah then put a teasing inswinging cross into the box and Sugawara judged it all wrong as he used his arm to control the ball. The referee immediately pointed to the spot and the VAR review that followed agreed with him.
Ridiculously, the defender tried to tell the referee it hit his shoulder as his defence. That may have worked in a Sunday league match but with the plethora of cameras at the Premier League’s disposal, it seems a pathetic attempt to hide your guilt. As the replay showed, it was a definite handball if not once but maybe twice. Case closed.
Salah stepped up to the spot and swept his shot into the far corner. He got enough height on it that despite going the right way, McCarthy couldn’t get anywhere near it. The Egyptian King then had the chance to grab himself a hat-trick but his volley from Diaz’s cross struck the base of the post and went wide of the goal.
Southampton continued to throw players forward desperately looking for an equaliser. Try as they might, it was not to be. Liverpool held on for the three points and, as a result, opened up an eight-point gap at the top of the table. Despite their dogged performance, The Saints remain rooted to the bottom of the table, now six points from safety.
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