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MOTD- Southampton 0-3 Liverpool

By on March 1, 2014

Could this be a turn of a new leaf for Liverpool? As usual they scored multiple goals, but for just the third time in fifteen matches they kept a clean sheet as they broke down Southampton at Saint Mary’s Stadium.  It was a defensively sound performance from the visitors, and one that if they can just repeat there might be a chance of them racing away with their first ever Premier League title.

Even against a Southampton side which have scored seven goals in their last four matches on home turf Brendan Rodger’s side only allowed the home side two shots on target, a record that Rodgers would be delighted to keep in a tough Premier League run-in consisting of the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Chelsea.  If not, at least Liverpool should have the comfort of their best strength, their goalscoring ability.  The three goals that Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling shared tonight made it sixteen in the last five matches for The Reds, and it could have been even better than that after Liverpool .  Suarez had creeped in at the far post to tap home a sitter from Daniel Sturridge’s cut back, only for Jose Fonte to barely tip it away at the expense of a corner.

But the signs of intent were there from Liverpool, and only ten minutes later they struck again, and this time hit the back of the net when the ball ricocheted off the leg of the helpless Fonte.  It broke right into the feet of Suarez, who curled a wonderful first time effort into the bottom right corner from fifteen yards.  However, as Southampton began to come back out of their shell they started to set off Liverpool’s warning bells.

The home side came inches away from equalizing a little over a half-hour in when Rickie Lambert chested down Callum Chambers wonderful cross from the right.  Although the ball ran away from the English international it slid through to Adam Lallana on the six yard line, where the midfielder poke a shot past Simon Mignolet onto the base of the post and wide.  Southampton continued to push forward, with Lambert forcing Mignolet into an incredible reaction save to palm down his low effort from Luke Shaw’s daisycutting cross.

Yet of course, Liverpool grabbed the momentum right out from under the home side thirteen minutes into the second half as Sterling gave the visitors a surprise second.  The English starlet slipped the ball out wide on the left to Suarez, continued his run into the box, and tucked Suarez’s low return cross into the back of the net at the near post to give Rodgers a much-needed cushion. Riding on the back of Liverpool’s newfound momentum Jordan Henderson fired inches over from ten yards, but the side now sitting in second place in the Premier League waited until very late on to put the icing on the cake. It was deep into the third of four minutes of stoppage time when Fonte tripped up the twisting and turning Suarez just inside the box, while it was already the ninety-fifth minute when Gerrard curled the resulting penalty into the top corner. But the win was already sealed, taking the visitors within three points of the top of the Premier League table.
Man of the Match: Daniel Sturridge

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.