Articles
Jurgen Klopp's history-making Reds have Anfield fear factor growing by the week
The man with the Midas touch did it again.
The pack was shuffled but Jurgen Klopp still held all the aces as the good times just keep on rolling at Anfield.
The pack was shuffled but Jurgen Klopp still held all the aces as the good times just keep on rolling at Anfield.
For the first time in their illustrious history Liverpool have kicked off a season by winning their first seven competitive fixtures.
This stroll in the park against Southampton put the Reds top of the Premier League table as they stole a march on Chelsea, who take on West Ham on Sunday.
The wealth of talent at Klopp's disposal was showcased by the contribution of those who stepped up from the fringes.
Xherdan Shaqiri sparkled on his full debut for the club with two assists – forcing Wesley Hoedt's own goal and then unleashing the free-kick which cannoned against the woodwork and was tucked away by Mohamed Salah.
In between, Joel Matip, who hadn't started a game since the victory at Crystal Palace in March, savoured his first goal at Anfield.
The points were wrapped up by half-time. The second half was a non-event with Saints seemingly content just to avoid an absolute hammering.
Klopp has made Anfield a fortress once again and the fear factor is growing by the week.
The sheer gulf in class was underlined by the fact that it took 91 minutes for Mark Hughes' side to force a save from Alisson Becker.
Liverpool have cherry-picked some gems from Southampton in recent years but Hughes can rest easy, they are unlikely to go shopping on the south coast again any time soon.
The record books are being rewritten but what makes the coming months even more appetising is that Klopp's side have yet to operate anywhere near the peak of their powers as an attacking force. There's so much more to come.
Defensively, it's a different story with the Reds growing in stature and proving beyond doubt that they are no longer a soft touch.
Despite the talismanic Virgil van Dijk going off with bruised ribs early in the second half, Liverpool never wobbled against Saints.
Joe Gomez, who had been given a breather initially, excelled when he came on alongside Matip. Full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson remain two eye-catching models of consistency.
The stats are remarkable. That's now eight successive home league clean sheets – the club's longest sequence since 2006/07. Anfield has witnessed 751 minutes of league action since Michail Antonio netted for West Ham back in February.
Southampton certainly didn't see this coming with Klopp switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Roberto Firmino on the left, Sadio Mane on the right and Shaqiri central behind Salah.
The Reds hounded and hassled Saints from the off. Firmino set the tone on his return to the starting line up as he shut down Cedric Soares and picked his pocket.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was in attendance and fittingly the opener inside 10 minutes arrived from the left.
Shaqiri latched on to Mane's pass, cut inside and saw his strike deflect off Shane Long and hit Hoedt before bobbling over the line.
It was a slick of luck but there was nothing fortunate about the way in which Liverpool turned the screw.
Shaqiri, who had a licence to attack with Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum outstanding behind him, was at the heart of everything best about Klopp's side.
His movement was intelligent as he kept on finding pockets of space in which he could torment Hughes' side. There were some classy flicks and tricks as he linked up with Mane, Salah and Firmino. The summer signing from Stoke is proving to be a quality addition.
If Salah was feeling the heat after the recent scrutiny of his form he certainly didn't show it. He was a menace and after rolling Jannik Vestergaard, he played a slick one-two with Firmino. Just before Salah could pull the trigger, Soares slid in to knock it behind but from the ensuing corner Liverpool made it 2-0.
Alexander-Arnold's delivery was inviting and Matip took advantage of some abject marking to power a header home from 10 yards out. It was the former Cameroon international's first goal since he netted in the victory at West Ham last November.
Saints, who sorely missed on-loan Reds striker Danny Ings, had their moments at the other end but they kept running into an old friend.
Van Dijk showed them just what they're missing as the £75million man repelled the advances of his former club.
The Dutchman prevented Long from latching on to Matt Targett's cross and he also got Matip out of jail after a stray pass had left the Reds exposed. Van Dijk has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. He spots danger and deals with it.
When Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made a complete hash of Ryan Bertrand's cross, the Reds countered at pace with Salah inches away from finishing off the move with an audacious back-heel.
The Egyptian looked to the heavens with a rueful smile on his face. Moments later he was being mobbed by his jubilant team-mates.
Shaqiri's curling 25-yard free-kick was a beauty and it beat Alex McCarthy before hitting the underside of the bar. Salah won the foot race to the rebound and gleefully stuck away his first goal in four matches.
With the game effectively over, Klopp sought more control in midfield for the second half. He didn't want the game to be open with Liverpool playing with four attackers. Shaqiri was desperately unlucky to be taken off as the manager switched back to 4-3-3 with James Milner introduced.
It was another sign of how Liverpool have evolved under Klopp. The great entertainers are now winners. The manager didn't want to give Saints a sniff.
This stroll in the park against Southampton put the Reds top of the Premier League table as they stole a march on Chelsea, who take on West Ham on Sunday.
The wealth of talent at Klopp's disposal was showcased by the contribution of those who stepped up from the fringes.
Xherdan Shaqiri sparkled on his full debut for the club with two assists – forcing Wesley Hoedt's own goal and then unleashing the free-kick which cannoned against the woodwork and was tucked away by Mohamed Salah.
In between, Joel Matip, who hadn't started a game since the victory at Crystal Palace in March, savoured his first goal at Anfield.
The points were wrapped up by half-time. The second half was a non-event with Saints seemingly content just to avoid an absolute hammering.
Klopp has made Anfield a fortress once again and the fear factor is growing by the week.
The sheer gulf in class was underlined by the fact that it took 91 minutes for Mark Hughes' side to force a save from Alisson Becker.
Liverpool have cherry-picked some gems from Southampton in recent years but Hughes can rest easy, they are unlikely to go shopping on the south coast again any time soon.
The record books are being rewritten but what makes the coming months even more appetising is that Klopp's side have yet to operate anywhere near the peak of their powers as an attacking force. There's so much more to come.
Defensively, it's a different story with the Reds growing in stature and proving beyond doubt that they are no longer a soft touch.
Despite the talismanic Virgil van Dijk going off with bruised ribs early in the second half, Liverpool never wobbled against Saints.
Joe Gomez, who had been given a breather initially, excelled when he came on alongside Matip. Full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson remain two eye-catching models of consistency.
The stats are remarkable. That's now eight successive home league clean sheets – the club's longest sequence since 2006/07. Anfield has witnessed 751 minutes of league action since Michail Antonio netted for West Ham back in February.
Liverpool have scored the last 23 league goals at Anfield and you have to go back to 1986 for the last time they managed that kind of streak.
Van Dijk vowed that he will be fit for next Saturday's crunch trip to Stamford Bridge and that promises to be a real test of this team's title credentials.
Questions keep getting asked of Klopp's men and they keep coming up with the answers. This time it was 'how would they handle coming back down to earth after their thrilling Champions League triumph over Paris Saint-Germain in midweek?'
European hangovers were an issue last term. Liverpool won just one of their six league battles immediately following group matches. But this time momentum was maintained.
Klopp had spoken about the element of surprise in the build up to the game. “It should not be that we are in any way predictable so that people say: 'Okay, that's how they play,' he said.
Van Dijk vowed that he will be fit for next Saturday's crunch trip to Stamford Bridge and that promises to be a real test of this team's title credentials.
Questions keep getting asked of Klopp's men and they keep coming up with the answers. This time it was 'how would they handle coming back down to earth after their thrilling Champions League triumph over Paris Saint-Germain in midweek?'
European hangovers were an issue last term. Liverpool won just one of their six league battles immediately following group matches. But this time momentum was maintained.
Klopp had spoken about the element of surprise in the build up to the game. “It should not be that we are in any way predictable so that people say: 'Okay, that's how they play,' he said.
Southampton certainly didn't see this coming with Klopp switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Roberto Firmino on the left, Sadio Mane on the right and Shaqiri central behind Salah.
The Reds hounded and hassled Saints from the off. Firmino set the tone on his return to the starting line up as he shut down Cedric Soares and picked his pocket.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was in attendance and fittingly the opener inside 10 minutes arrived from the left.
Shaqiri latched on to Mane's pass, cut inside and saw his strike deflect off Shane Long and hit Hoedt before bobbling over the line.
It was a slick of luck but there was nothing fortunate about the way in which Liverpool turned the screw.
Shaqiri, who had a licence to attack with Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum outstanding behind him, was at the heart of everything best about Klopp's side.
His movement was intelligent as he kept on finding pockets of space in which he could torment Hughes' side. There were some classy flicks and tricks as he linked up with Mane, Salah and Firmino. The summer signing from Stoke is proving to be a quality addition.
If Salah was feeling the heat after the recent scrutiny of his form he certainly didn't show it. He was a menace and after rolling Jannik Vestergaard, he played a slick one-two with Firmino. Just before Salah could pull the trigger, Soares slid in to knock it behind but from the ensuing corner Liverpool made it 2-0.
Alexander-Arnold's delivery was inviting and Matip took advantage of some abject marking to power a header home from 10 yards out. It was the former Cameroon international's first goal since he netted in the victory at West Ham last November.
Saints, who sorely missed on-loan Reds striker Danny Ings, had their moments at the other end but they kept running into an old friend.
Van Dijk showed them just what they're missing as the £75million man repelled the advances of his former club.
The Dutchman prevented Long from latching on to Matt Targett's cross and he also got Matip out of jail after a stray pass had left the Reds exposed. Van Dijk has a knack of being in the right place at the right time. He spots danger and deals with it.
When Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg made a complete hash of Ryan Bertrand's cross, the Reds countered at pace with Salah inches away from finishing off the move with an audacious back-heel.
The Egyptian looked to the heavens with a rueful smile on his face. Moments later he was being mobbed by his jubilant team-mates.
Shaqiri's curling 25-yard free-kick was a beauty and it beat Alex McCarthy before hitting the underside of the bar. Salah won the foot race to the rebound and gleefully stuck away his first goal in four matches.
With the game effectively over, Klopp sought more control in midfield for the second half. He didn't want the game to be open with Liverpool playing with four attackers. Shaqiri was desperately unlucky to be taken off as the manager switched back to 4-3-3 with James Milner introduced.
It was another sign of how Liverpool have evolved under Klopp. The great entertainers are now winners. The manager didn't want to give Saints a sniff.
MATCH FACTS
Liverpool : Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk (Gomez 54), Robertson, Wijnaldum (Keita 70), Henderson, Shaqiri (Milner 45), Mane, Salah, Firmino.
Not used : Mignolet, Fabinho, Sturridge, Moreno.
Southampton: McCarthy, Soares, Vestergaard, Hoedt, Bertrand, Redmond, Hojbjerg, Romeu (Bednarek 55), Lemina, Targett (Armstrong 55), Long (Austin 78).
Not used : Gunn, Yoshida, Davis, Ward-Prowse.
Liverpool : Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk (Gomez 54), Robertson, Wijnaldum (Keita 70), Henderson, Shaqiri (Milner 45), Mane, Salah, Firmino.
Not used : Mignolet, Fabinho, Sturridge, Moreno.
Southampton: McCarthy, Soares, Vestergaard, Hoedt, Bertrand, Redmond, Hojbjerg, Romeu (Bednarek 55), Lemina, Targett (Armstrong 55), Long (Austin 78).
Not used : Gunn, Yoshida, Davis, Ward-Prowse.
Referee : Paul Tierney
Attendance : 53,274
Attendance : 53,274
Goals : Hoedt OG 10, Matip 21, Salah 45
Bookings : Romeu, Lemina
Man of the match : Gini Wijnaldum. Another fine shift from the Dutchman.
Copyright - The Liverpool Echo
Bookings : Romeu, Lemina
Man of the match : Gini Wijnaldum. Another fine shift from the Dutchman.
Copyright - The Liverpool Echo
