Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for today's late Premier League kickoff as
Southampton host
Liverpool at St Mary's!
Huddersfield's win over Bournemouth, coupled with Tottenham's victory in the North London derby yesterday, means that this is now fourth from top against fourth from bottom, with both sides coming into this match desperate for a win which could have a big impact at both ends of the table.
We will have a close look at the situations both clubs find themselves in in a short while, but first let's have a butchers at the team news...
SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand; Romeu, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Tadic; Carrillo
SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Forster, Yoshida, Davis, Boufal, Redmond, Long, Gabbiadini
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Mane
LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Lovren, Milner, Moreno, Lallana, Ings, Solanke
What can we make of those two teams, then?
Well, it was always going to be all eyes on Virgil van Dijk when that team news came out, and as expected the centre-back does start for Liverpool on his first return to St Mary's since leaving last month.
Van Dijk made the move on January 1 for a world-record fee of £75m, becoming the sixth player to swap Southampton for Liverpool since June 2017, for a combined total of £172.5m. Van Dijk is likely to get a more hostile reception than most of those who preceded him, though, having pushed for a move away last summer.
Van Dijk is one of three former Southampton players in the starting lineup for Liverpool this afternoon, alongside Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane, the latter of whom is actually the last Southampton player to have scored against Liverpool in the Premier League.
Oxlade-Chamberlain returns to the starting XI for this one, but fellow former Southampton players Lovren and Lallana have to make do with a place on the bench from the start in this one. Lallana is still recovering from a thigh injury, but is fit enough to be included in the matchday squad today, despite being sent off for the Under-23s earlier this week.
The man of the moment of Liverpool right now is undoubtedly
Mohamed Salah, who continues to go from strength to strength in one of the best debut seasons anyone has ever enjoyed at the illustrious club.
Salah's brace against Spurs last time out - including a dazzling second goal - saw him become the quickest player to 20 league goals for Liverpool since 1915, and he now needs just one more left-footed goal to equal Robbie Fowler's record for the most of those in a Premier League season, which currently stands at 19.
The concern for Liverpool will be that they are overly reliant on Salah, as they have failed to win any of the five league games in which he has not provided a goal or assist this season.
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In all,
Jurgen Klopp has made three changes to the side which drew with Tottenham Hotspur a week ago, including welcoming Joel Matip into the heart of his defence alongside Van Dijk, as Lovren drops out.
Emre Can keeps his place in midfield and gets the armband this afternoon, but alongside him Wijnaldum and Oxlade-Chamberlain return to the fold, with Henderson missing out entirely and Milner dropping to the bench.
Southampton were expected to name an unchanged side to the one which beat West Brom last weekend, but manager
Mauricio Pellegrino has opted to make one switch in his starting lineup from that long overdue win.
The change comes in midfield as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg comes back into the side, replacing the slightly more attack-minded Sofiane Boufal. It is a nod to Liverpool's attacking prowess, although Hojbjerg is certainly capable of helping Southampton go forward themselves too.
There is a first home start for record signing Guido Carrillo, and a goal today against Liverpool would be a pretty special way for the January arrival to open his account for his new club.
Pellegrino has been forced to throw the Argentine in at the deep end to a certain extent due to injuries to Austin and Gabbiadini - the latter of whom is included on the bench despite concerns over a hip problem - but the Saints will still expected big things from their new striker.
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Carrillo's time at Southampton did not cross paths with Van Dijk's, but there are plenty of Southampton players who will be looking to get the better of their former teammate in the visitors' box this afternoon.
Lemina scored a cracking goal against West Brom last weekend before Ward-Prowse later joined him on the scoresheet, and the Englishman may fancy his chances of doing more damage today. He has been in fine attacking form recently, and his set-piece deliveries could wreak havoc against a Liverpool defence who have traditionally struggled to deal with those.
One of Southampton's main goal threats in recent weeks has actually come through the unlikely source of Jack Stephens, who has seemingly established himself alongside Hoedt as the Saints' first-choice centre-back pairing now.
Stephens has scored in three consecutive Southampton appearances, having failed to find the back of the net in his first 38 competitive outings for the club. Liverpool will need to keep an extra close eye on him up from the back this afternoon.
Southampton do have options and avenues through which they can hurt Liverpool, then, but there is no doubt the Saints will head into this match as underdogs following what has been a hugely disappointing campaign so far.
The Southampton board may well be rueing the decision to sack Claude Puel in search of more entertaining and attacking football last summer now, with the Saints beginning the day seven points and six places worse off than they were at the same stage of last season.
Things have only got worse for them so far this afternoon too, and as things stand
Mauricio Pellegrino's side will begin this match in the bottom three.
The Saints began the day in 16th and one point clear of the relegation zone, but Huddersfield upset the formbook with an impressive 4-1 triumph over Bournemouth in the day's early kickoff and Newcastle are currently on course to pull off an even bigger shock, leading Manchester United 1-0.
Huddersfield and Newcastle occupied the two places directly below Southampton at the start of today, so those scores have only cranked up the pressure heading into this match.
Southampton are actually unbeaten in their last six games across all competitions, which is their best run since October 2016, so there has definitely been an improvement since the turn of the year.
However, it is their Premier League form which remains unconvincing and has seen them slip closer and closer to trouble. The Saints are unbeaten in their last four top-flight outings, but three of those have been draws.
Draws have been a major problem for the Saints this season, sharing the spoils on a joint league-high 11 occasions whilst winning only five games all season.
Southampton do come into this match off the back of one of those rare victories, though, coming from behind to beat West Brom 3-2 at The Hawthorns last weekend to finally end what was a 12-match winless streak in the league which stretched all the way back to November.
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Another victory this afternoon would make it back-to-back wins for the first time since April 2017 and the first time under manager Mauricio Pellegrino, and they may take a small amount of encouragement from the fact that their only win all season against a team currently in the top half came when Merseyside opposition visited here, as they ran out 4-1 winners over Everton in November.
That is about where the parallels between that match and this match end, though, and at the very least Southampton will need to significantly improve their recent home form if they are to get anything out of this game.
Southampton could set an unwanted club record of seven Premier League home games without a win this afternoon, having drawn four and lost two of their last six top-flight outings in front of their own fans.
Indeed, since the aforementioned visit to Everton, Southampton have taken only four points from a possible 18 here at St Mary's, while all season they have only won three home games - the second-lowest tally in the division.
Such poor form has not been consigned to the Pellegrino era, though, and including the tail end of last season Southampton have now won only three of their last 19 Premier League home games, drawing eight and losing eight.
Only Newcastle and West Brom have picked up fewer points in front of their own fans, and as things stand with Newcastle beating Manchester United it would only be West Brom by the time Southampton kick off here.
The Saints have, in fairness, taken points off Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton here so far this season, but they have not beaten one of the 'big six' teams in a home league games since their 4-2 triumph over Manchester City in May 2016.
While Southampton will be praying for Manchester United to get a goal back against Newcastle in the dying stages of that match, Liverpool will be hoping it stays as it is having already seen one result go against them yesterday.
At least one of Tottenham and Arsenal were guaranteed to drop points in the top-four race when they faced off in the North London derby yesterday, but Liverpool will have been hoping for a draw and, failing that, an Arsenal win. As it was, though, Tottenham's 1-0 win lifted them up to third, sending Liverpool down to fourth in the process.
Goal difference means that only a draw is needed for the Reds to move back above Spurs this afternoon, but they will be keen for a win in order to capitalise fully on what is now a confirmed defeat for Manchester United against Newcastle.
Defeat for Liverpool would be a huge setback, and could result in them finishing the weekend outside the Champions League places depending on Chelsea's result when they take on West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.
It is all very tight in that top four race, and Liverpool will need to get back to winning ways on a consistent basis if they are to keep ahead of the chasing pack, having let their standards slip a little since their enthralling 4-3 victory over Manchester City last month.
The Reds have won just one of four games across all competitions since then, including two defeats having been unbeaten in 18 prior to that.
Jurgen Klopp may well feel that it should have been two wins after a bonkers finale to last weekend's clash with Tottenham Hotspur, which saw the visitors rescue a point from Anfield with a 95th-minute penalty.
That only tells half of the story, though, with Kane having earlier missed another penalty during an action-packed final 10 minutes, and both spot kicks being hotly contested and requiring lengthy discussions between the officials. Add to that wonder goals from Wanyama and Salah in the final 10 minutes too, and it truly was a rollercoaster end to the game.
Despite Liverpool's recent dip in form, it is worth noting that they have still only lost one of their last 17 Premier League outings, claiming 38 points from a possible 51 in that time.
Only Man City have lost fewer matches in the top flight all season, although the shock nature of their recent defeat to Swansea should ensure that they do not take their eye off the ball for this match, with the first leg of their Champions League tie against Porto coming up on Wednesday.
Liverpool have also been very good on the road this season, with only Manchester City picked up more points on their travels than Jurgen Klopp's side. Indeed, despite all three of Liverpool's league defeats this season coming on the road, they have picked up just three points fewer away from home than they have at Anfield.
The Reds have lost just one of their last nine away games across all competitions, winning six of those, and have suffered only two defeats on their travels since September.
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Most impressive of all has been Liverpool's goalscoring away from home, with the Reds going into this match having found the back of the net on their travels more often than any other team in Europe's top five leagues.
Indeed, their current tally of 32 away goals in just 13 Premier League outings is just one short of their total for the whole of last season, and five more than they have managed in front of their own fans.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at St Mary's, which means that it is time for a prediction!
Liverpool are always a difficult one to call in these types of matches. Everything on paper points to an away win, but these are exactly the games Liverpool often slip up in. Even so, we are backing the visitors to come away with all three points this afternoon.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Southampton 1-3 Liverpool
Southampton have been a bit of a bogey team for Liverpool in recent years, with Jurgen Klopp having won just two of his eight previous meetings with the Saints across all competitions, losing three and drawing three.
One of those wins did come in the reverse fixture, though, with Salah scoring a first-half brace before Coutinho capped off the scoring in a 3-0 win, ending a five-match winless run for Liverpool against today's opponents.
It is a different story when looking solely at the recent Premier League history between these two sides, with Liverpool losing just one of their last eight meetings with Southampton in this competition.
However, they have not won here in the league since February 2015, with Coutinho and Sterling were the scorers in a 2-0 victory. Southampton come into this match unbeaten in their last three home fixtures against Liverpool in all competitions, most recently running out 1-0 winners in the League Cup semi-final last season.
Liverpool's last league visit to St Mary's ended in a goalless draw, though, and the Reds have now kept clean sheets in each of their last three top-flight trips to this ground, with Mane - now a Liverpool player, of course - the last Southampton man to score against them here.
The last two meetings between these two sides here have yielded just one goal in total, compared to 12 goals in the two before that. Let's hope for a return to the latter this afternoon!
Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to get going here at St Mary's! A quick reminder of the team news before we do get started...
SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand; Romeu, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Tadic; Carrillo
LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Can, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Mane
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Southampton get us underway at St Mary's!
An early worry for Southampton as Hoedt mis-controls the ball and almost gifts possession away to Firmino in a very dangerous position. Firmino goes down under the rescuing challenge from Hoedt, but the referee waves away claims for a free kick.
Robertson concedes a corner, which will give Ward-Prowse the chance to whip a delivery into the box here...
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Liverpool (Roberto Firmino)
It is a perfect start for Liverpool, but it is a gift from Southampton too!
The hosts have looked shaky in defence already, and another error leads to this one here. Liverpool break and Wijnaldum's ball forward should be cut out by Hoedt, but he completely misses his attempted clearance. Salah then picks it up before rolling the ball into the path of Firmino, who makes no mistake with his decisive finish.
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SAVE! Liverpool push forward in search of a quickfire second as Oxlade-Chamberlain dips inside onto his right foot and drills a low shot towards goal which McCarthy keeps out despite a deflection on the way through.
This has been a really bright start from Liverpool to this match, whereas Southampton have been sloppy on more than one occasion already. The hosts need to settle here or this could get worse quickly!
Alert goalkeeping from Karius as he comes out of his box to sweep up a long ball over the top. The flag was up anyway, but the keeper was not to know that.
As expected, Van Dijk is being jeered every time he gets the ball, although the Liverpool fans are doing their best to drown those boos out with cheers of their own.
SHOT! Jack Stephens looks to continue his recent goalscoring run with a long-range drive, but he drags it well wide.
CHANCE! Southampton have their first big chance of the match, but Karius makes a very important save! Romeu floats a perfectly-weighted pass over the top of the defence for Hojbjerg, who takes it down inside the area before seeing his subsequent effort thwarted by Karius.
Southampton were slow to get going in this match, but they have settled into it now. The Saints are seeing plenty of the ball now and look much more capable of getting back into this game.
Karius has faced plenty of criticism during his Liverpool career so far, but that was a really good stop from him to deny Hojbjerg. He was quick off his line and stayed big, although Hojbjerg could have done better too.
Wesley Hoedt and Southampton fans look away now - here is that early Liverpool opener...
Liverpool break into the Southampton box again as Alexander-Arnold feeds the ball into the path of Firmino, who throws himself to ground in search of a penalty. There was contact, but it was a very theatrical fall from Firmino.
SHOT! The ball breaks to Mane around 25 yards from goal and he only has one thought in his mind, but his low drive goes a couple of yard past the post.
I've just seen a replay of that Firmino penalty appeal - there was certainly more in it than it initially seemed. Stephens did pull him back in order to get to the ball, and it was a risky challenge from the defender.
CHANCE! Carrillo almost gets his first goal in Southampton colours as he towers above Alexander-Arnold in the box. The delivery is typically good from Ward-Prowse, but Carrillo's header is straight at Karius.
CHANCE! Another chance for the hosts as this time a cross from the left causes problems! Ward-Prowse is on the end of it this time and plants his header towards goal, but Karius reacts well to tip it over the crossbar.
This has been a good spell from Southampton, who will feel that they could and should be at least level here. They have had the majority of possession and chances, but that early Firmino goal is still the difference.
CHANCE! Half a chance for Liverpool at the other end as Mane latches on to a through-ball, but Cedric is quickly across and the Liverpool man can only poke his finish wide of the target.
Robertson gets down the left flank and delivers a dangerous low ball into the middle, but it goes all the way through without anyone able to get a touch.
Poor defending from Liverpool as Matip lets the ball bounce inside the area after an initial corner had been cleared. There are three Southampton players offside, but even so Liverpool should have dealt with that a lot better.
YELLOW CARD! Matip is the first name in the book this afternoon after hauling Tadic to ground.
Mauricio Pellegrino will be delighted with how his side have responded to going behind so early. With results going against them earlier in the day coupled with that setback, Southampton could easily have let their heads drop, but they have been the better team for the majority of this first half.
SAVE! Once again a deep cross from Bertrand finds Ward-Prowse in space at the back post, but once again his header is not good enough to beat Karius. This time it lacks power, and Karius is able to collect.
GOAL! Southampton 0-2 Liverpool (Mohamed Salah)
Oh Bobby Firmino, take a bow! This is magic from the Brazilian to set up Salah for his 22nd league goal of the season!
Matip feeds the ball into the path of Salah, who quickly gives it to Firmino before darting into the box. Firmino waits before producing a magnificent back-heel perfectly into his path, and from there there is only ever going to be one conclusion as Salah tucks the finish home.
That goal is a hammer blow to Southampton, who really do not deserve to be two goals down going into half time. Liverpool have been clinical when the chances have fallen their way, though!
There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Southampton 0-2 Liverpool
The first half comes to an end at St Mary's and it is Liverpool who take a 2-0 lead into half time despite conceding the lion's share of possession in that opening 45 minutes.
Southampton were on top for most of the half and had their chances to be leading themselves going into the break, but Liverpool have been more clinical, scoring at the beginning and end of the half to put themselves in control of the game.
Liverpool broke the deadlock after only six minutes following a mistake from Hoedt, who completely missed the ball when trying to cut out a pass forward from Wijnaldum.
That gifted possession to Mohamed Salah, who in turn rolled the ball into the path of Firmino. The Brazilian never looked like missing as he tucked his finish into the bottom corner with aplomb, bringing up 20 goals for the season.
The same pair combined for the second Liverpool goal just three minutes before the interval, although this time the roles were reversed as Salah tucked home his 29th goal of the season.
The Egyptian traded passes with Firmino, whose returned ball was a brilliant back-heel perfectly into the path of Salah, who stroked his finish past the keeper. It was another stunning piece of link-up player between the two attackers, who have been the difference so far today.
Southampton have had their chances, though, and will feel that they could well be at least level at the halfway stage.
The best opened fell the way of Hojbjerg, who was thwarted from close range by Karius after being picked out by Romeu's pass. Ward-Prowse has also had two good headed chances which Karius has kept out, while Carrillo also threatened aerially for the home side.
KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half!
YELLOW CARD! Can picks up an early yellow card for a foul on Romeu, although Southampton wanted advantage.
Southampton may be forced into an early change at the start of this second half. Lemina has gone to ground here, although it is thought to be an illness rather than an injury.
CHANCE! Chance for Liverpool to add a third as first Mane sees his spectacular acrobatic effort blocked by Lemina before the ball falls to Salah. It is on his left foot and, on current form, you would expect Salah to do better, but he scoops his finish over the crossbar.
Liverpool have an interesting balance to strike in this second half. A two-goal lead for them is not exactly as safe for Liverpool as it might be for other top teams, so they may be eyeing a third goal just to make things more comfortable.
Liverpool are seeing more of the ball so far in this second half, which is important for their game management. Southampton controlled possession in the opening 45 minutes, but they haven't be able to do that since the interval.
Van Dijk tries his luck with an early free kick from all of 45 yards here. I'm not quite sure what he was trying to do, but it didn't work.
SOUTHAMPTON SUB: Lemina does eventually come off here, being replaced by Sofiane Boufal.
CHANCE! Southampton almost pull one back as Ward-Prowse whips a devilish ball in towards the front post from a free kick. Hoedt gets across it and tries to help it on its way, but he gets too much on it and sends it wide.
LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool make their first change of the afternoon as James Milner replaces Oxlade-Chamberlain.
YELLOW CARD! Romeu is the latest name in the book for a late challenge on Milner.
SHOT! Wijnaldum goes in search of that elusive first away Premier League goal as he lets fly from just outside the area, but it goes comfortably off target.
Liverpool are just knocking the ball about amongst themselves at the moment, so much so that the fans are giving them the 'Ole!' treatment. The visitors are in complete control right now.
Milner delivers a cross from the byline which is only cleared as far as Can, but his first-time left-footed effort flies a long, long way over the crossbar.
Something needs to change for Southampton here. This match is going exactly how Liverpool want right now, and with just over 20 minutes remaining they need to do something to upset the visitors' rhythm.
CHANCES! Liverpool almost add a second, but McCarthy makes a really good save before Salah can only find the side-netting. Mane brings the ball forward before finding Firmino, whose low drive is well kept out by the feet of McCarthy. The ball bounces back to Salah, but he cannot tuck the rebound in at the near post.
SOUTHAMPTON SUB: The hosts make their second change of the afternoon as Ward-Prowse is replaced by Shane Long.
Carrillo has had very little to feed off against Van Dijk and Lovren today, especially in this second half. It may have been different if the Saints had taken their chances in the first half, but they are really struggling to find a way through now.
SHOT! Mane brings the ball forward a long way as it all opens up for him on the counter, and eventually he finds himself on the edge of the box. His shot is blocked when he finally does pull the trigger, and Robertson's subsequent follow-up effort also finds a Southampton defender in the way.
CHANCE! Another chance for Liverpool as Stephens gives the ball away in a dangerous position. Firmino feeds a clever pass into the middle which Wijnaldum leaves for Mane, but he is off balance as he skews a shot wide of the near post.
Southampton are beginning to throw caution to the wind a bit more now, but that has only resulted in Liverpool looking more dangerous on the break. The visitors will fancy their chances of getting another goal here.
LIVERPOOL SUB: Here comes another Southampton old boy as Adam Lallana replaces Firmino.
SOUTHAMPTON SUB: A third and final change for Southampton as Steven Davis comes on for Romeu. Chants of 'You don't know what you're doing' greet the change from the Southampton fans.
This has been a very comfortable half for Liverpool - more so than they might have expected after that first half. Salah's goal just before the break looks like it really took the wind out of Southampton's sails.
CLOSE! Liverpool again come close to a third as Lallana exchanges passes with Salah to break into the box before putting his finish narrowly past the far post.
It will all be about the clean sheet for Liverpool now, and in truth it is hard to see Southampton getting a goal in these closing stages. It has been a very tepid display from the hosts today.
LIVERPOOL SUB: Another successful day comes to an end for Salah as he is replaced by Dejan Lovren.
There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match.
FULL TIME: Southampton 0-2 Liverpool
Liverpool comfortably see out the second half to pick up a 2-0 victory over Southampton this afternoon, then, climbing up to third place in the table and to within two points of second-placed Manchester United now
While it was a very good day for Liverpool, it was a dreadful one for Southampton as the two teams below them in the table also won, leaving the Saints in the relegation zone and a point from safety after succumbing to first-half goals from Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's late kickoff as Liverpool beat Southampton to climb back up to third, leaving the Saints in the relegation zone in the process. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
