Liverpool vs Southampton (3-0): Three reasons why Liverpool won
Liverpool have had an absolutely brilliant start to the 2018/19 Premier League season and the players are having a ball, often toying with sides at times. Whatever happened after the Champions League final against Real Madrid, whatever Jurgen Klopp said to the side and his work in preseason has worked wonders. The Reds have won their opening seven games for the first time in the club’s history.
This means Klopp and his current squad of Liverpool stars have etched their name into the record books, with no Anfield side had ever won their open seven consecutive games(including Charity Shield). They were rampant and Southampton had no answer to any question Liverpool asked them, and they were picked off within the opening half of the game. This is over the fact that for the first time this season, Klopp made three changes to the side that beat PSG over the week, with Xherdan Shaqiri making his first start.
But with Roberto Firminio, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and adding Shaqiri to the mix, the Saints were going to have a torrid time defending against the quartet. While both Firminio and Mane struggled to make an impact on proceedings, the other two stars were in fine fettle hassling Southampton’s giant center-backs time and time again. In the end, it was a comfortable 3-0 score-line for Liverpool and a welcome boost ahead of their clash against Chelsea.
Here are three reasons why Liverpool beat Southampton:
#3 Xherdan Shaqiri, back to his best once again?
Once called the Alpine Messi, Xherdan Shaqiri was a star everyone wanted to get their hands on. A 22-year-old when the 2014 World Cup came around, the Swiss international showed exactly why Bayern Munich bought him. However, with the likes of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery ahead of him in the pecking order, he struggled to make an impact for the Bavarian giants and was sent on loan to Inter Milan before making the move permanent.
A move to Stoke City and Mark Hughes’ side beckoned the Kosovo born star, and while he had moments of magic for the Potters, eventual relegation meant that it was time for the 26-year-old to move once again. And Liverpool called, with Jurgen Klopp looking for depth after a Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.
While many believed that the move won’t and will not work for the star, it looks like so far both Klopp and Shaqiri have proved the doubters wrong. The Swiss international still has to open his account for the Reds, but if his performance today is anything to go by, then a goal is certainly on the way.
He harried and hustled Southampton’s back-line and was an absolute menace for Liverpool. Why he was taken off at half-time, only Jurgen Klopp and Shaqiri are privileged to this information, but if the 26-year-old can stay fit and keep playing like the way he did today, then Liverpool have a great option off the bench.