Key events
GOAL! Southampton 2-1 Liverpool (Fernandes 56)
Southampton take the lead against the leaders!
55 min Gravenberch steals possession high up the field, keeps going and tees up Nunez, whose snapshot is deflected behind for a corner.
53 min The Southampton keeper Alex McCarthy gets a big cheer when he kicks the ball long for possibly the first time today.
53 min Lovely play from the teenager Tyler Dibling. He scurries past three Liverpool players, using little Sensible Soccer touches the whole way, then swerves to the left and shoots not far over from 25 yards.
52 min: Southampton substitution Lesley Ugochukwu replaces the limping Paul Onuachu, who gets a fine hand from the home supporters.
51 min Another injury for Southampton. Onuachu must have fallen awkwardly after that challenge from Gakpo because he needs to go off.
49 min Gakpo is booked for tripping Onuachu, who has held the ball up really well for Southampton.
49 min A corner is headed as far away from Jones, whose shot from 25 yards is blocked by the outrushing Fraser.
48 min Salah’s outside-of-the-boot cross is volleyed back across goal by Robertson and cleared crucially by Stephens. Lots of early pressure from Liverpool.
46 min Peep peep! Southampton begin the second half.
The consensus of the Sky Sports panel is that Lallana was lucky not to be sent off for that tackle on Gravenberch. “I’d have been sent off for that,” says Roy Keane. “I would! The more I look at it, the worse it is.”
Half-time reading
Yes, it really, really, really did happen.
Half time: Southampton 1-1 Liverpool
A lively, error-strewn half ends with the scores level. Southampton gave a goal to Dominik Szoboszlai with a clumsy attempt to play out from the back; Virgil van Dijk’s indulgent backheel led to a borderline penalty when Andy Robertson fouled Tyler Dibling. Adam Armstrong scored at the second attempt after Caoimhin Kelleher saved his penalty.
45+3 min Onuachu almost brings the house down with a winding run past three or four players. That was a bit like Clodoaldo in the 1970 World Cup final, albeit not quite as elegant and without the same end result.
45+2 min Stephens mocks Nunez by putting his hands over his face as if he’s been it. Nunez was suckered into a red card on his home debut so he could probably do with the half-time break to cool off.
45+1 min Nunez goes down in the area after being pushed just below the neck by Stephens. The referee has a word with both players, who were pushing each other repeatedly off the ball as they jockeyed for position.
45 min Six minutes of added time.
44 min Southampton almost give the lead straight back to Liverpool. McCarthy’s jittery pass goes straight to Gakpo on the left side of the area; thankfully for Southampton, there are enough defenders around to block Gakpo’s shot.
GOAL! Southampton 1-1 Liverpool (Armstrong 42)
Armstrong’s penalty is saved by Kelleher, diving to his right, but the ball rebounds perfectly for him to score at the second attempt.
41 min This is a nightmare for Michael Oliver in the VAR bunker. But the penalty stands! There was no clear evidence to overturn it.
PENALTY TO SOUTHAMPTON! Dibling is tripped right on the edge of the area by Robertson. Was he inside? The referee thought so. It’s really tight and because the penalty was given on the field I think the decision will stand.
It stemmed from an absurd, indulgent backheel by Van Dijk that went astray. Dibling ran straight at the heart of the defence, poked the ball past Robertson and was tripped.
39 min Walker-Peters finds Aribo, who slips Gravenberch in the area and fires a low cross that is cleared by the well-positioned Van Dijk.
Walker-Peters switched to left wing-back about five minutes ago and has had a bit of joy going forward.
37 min: Southampton substitution Joe Aribo replaces Lallana.
36 min Ach, Adam Lallana has a hamstring injury. The poor guy has had no luck. A number of his ex-teammates go over to wish him well.
33 min: Fine save by Kelleher! Southampton made a mess of the corner but then got the ball back on the right wing. Lallana’s neat dummy allowed a low cross to reach Downes, whose crisp shot on the turn from 10 yards was pushed round the post by the diving Kelleher. That’s a really good reaction save.
32 min Walker-Peters, on the left for a moment, wins a corner for Southampton with a deflected cross. From which…
Southampton made a horrible mess of playing out from the back. McCarthy rolled the ball out to Fernandes, who was challenged on the edge of the area. The ball ran back towards Downes, who mishit a nervous clearance straight at Szoboszlai on the edge of the area. He took a touch and curled a left-foot shot that went into the net via the inside of the far post. That’s a majestic finish.
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Liverpool (Szoboszlai 30)
And it all goes wrong, big-time.
28 min Now Jones has a long-range drive saved by the sprawling McCarthy. He’s made at least five saves now, although the majority have been comfortable.
27 min The lively Gakpo cuts inside from the left and whacks a good shot that is turned round the near post by the diving McCarthy. It’s coming…
25 min Szoboszlai robs Fernandes on the edge of the area and drives a low shot that is comfortably saved by McCarthy. Liverpool are slowly starting to take control.
23 min Lallana overruns the ball, wipes out Gravenberch straight away and is booked. That didn’t look great at all and he apologised straight away. He could have been sent off for that.
21 min: Good save by McCarthy! A very similar cross from Gakpo is missed by Fraser and reaches Salah beyond the far post. He controls the ball on his thigh and hits an early shot that is beaten away by McCarthy. The angle was pretty tight but McCarthy did well nonetheless.
19 min Gakpo’s dangerous inswinging cross is really well defended by Fraser, who had Salah waiting behind him.
17 min Onuachu bulldozes past Konate, who shoves him over and is booked. The attack stemmed from Salah losing the ball cheaply in the Southampton half. “Liverpool are not at the races here,” says Jamie Carragher on Sky.
15 min Bradley makes an excellent underlapping run and clips a cross that is pushed away by the diving McCarthy. Szoboszlai wallops the loose ball over the bar from 25 yards.
13 min Bradley is booked for a cynical foul on Lallana, who turned him beautifully on the halfway line. He really is a lovely footballer.
12 min Onuachu gets a loud cheer after some nice hold-up play, only to flick a nonchalant pass out of play. Even so, he has started well, as has Adam Lallana in midfield.
10 min Southampton have done okay in the first 10 minutes. They have looked vulnerable on the counter-attack but are playing some decent, optimistic football.
9 min Robertson’s deep, chipped cross is volleyed over by Salah, who couldn’t sort his feet. The angle was really tight anyway.
7 min Southampton appeal for a penalty when Armstrong goes over after a clumsy challenge from Konate. The referee gives a corner. I think it probably was a foul – but it took place just outside the box.
What I think is irrelevant: the VAR, Michael Oliver, has cleared it.
6 min Liverpool break four on three with Szoboszlai on the ball. He runs 40 yards and pushes the ball out to Salah, whose first-time shot takes a deflection and is pushed round the near post by McCarthy. Decent save.
5 min Southampton play out nicely from the back, with Harwood-Bellis finding Fernandes in a bit of space. He cuts across a shot from 25 yards that is comfortably held by Kelleher.
4 min Liverpool have made a relaxed, confident start, with the first few minutes taking place almost exclusively in the Southampton half.
2 min This is the revised Southampton formation.
Southampton (5-2-3) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Downes, Stephens, Fraser; Fernandes, Lallana; Dibling, Onuachu, Armstrong.
1 min Liverpool kick off from right to left as we watch. Southampton have started with a back five: Flynn Downes is playing at centre-half.
The weather doesn’t look too bad at St Mary’s, certainly compared to some parts of the country. Even so, it’s not exactly an idyllic winter’s day.
A reminder of the teams, who are about to take the field
Southampton (possible 4-2-3-1) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Fraser; Downes, Lallana; Dibling, Armstrong, Fernandes; Onuachu.
Substitutes: Lumley, Manning, Bree, Sugawara, Aribo, Sulemana, Ugochukwu, Brereton, Archer.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Quansah, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, Morton, Diaz.
Referee Samuel Barrott.
And read Arne Slot on Russell Martin
If you’re a manager, you have to believe in something and you have to stick to that plan. Russell has his own style and he believes in it. There is no one that knows for sure that if he or the club wants to change the playing style, that that would lead to much more points.
He brought them back up and he makes it really hard for every team to play against them. Normally, these teams that go up, they need some time to adapt to the new league. If you then have a good idea about football and a good gameplan, then results will come.
Read Jonathan Wilson on Russell Martin
The way in which the relationship between players and coach maps on to religious language is itself significant, a means by which the discourse subtly shapes expectation. Modern managers are expected to have philosophies, and to evangelise them in their dealings with the media. Pep Guardiola, say, has spoken of how Johan Cruyff “built the cathedral” at Barcelona and it being the job of subsequent coaches to maintain it.
Team news
Both teams are without a number of first-choice players. Alex McCarthy replaces the injured Aaron Ramsdale in goal for Southampton, one of five changes from the defeat at Wolves a fortnight ago. Ryan Fraser, Tyler Dibling, Paul Onuachu and Flynn Downes replace Ryan Manning, Joe Aribo, Cameron Archer and the injured Jan Bednarek.
Liverpool make three changes from the 2-0 win over Aston VIlla. Conor Bradley covers for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back; Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai are preferred to Luis Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister.
Southampton (possible 4-2-3-1) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Fraser; Downes, Lallana; Dibling, Armstrong, Fernandes; Onuachu.
Substitutes: Lumley, Manning, Bree, Sugawara, Aribo, Sulemana, Ugochukwu, Brereton, Archer.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.
Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Quansah, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, Morton, Diaz.
Referee Samuel Barrott.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Southampton v Liverpool at St Mary’s. Arne Slot’s side will go eight points clear if they, a helluvan advantage even with 26 games to go.
The match is bottom v top and will stay that way regardless of the result as Southampton are four points adrift. They are chasing a rare feat: it’s 13 years since bottm beat top in the Premier League.
Kick off 2pm.
