Up stepped Mohamed Salah. You know the story. He ripped home a penalty and off he waltzed into the South Coast night, tearing the shirt from which he wore and throwing it on the ground to cap off yet another Liverpool win.
It was a Salah rescue act. This was not Arne Slot’s finest game as Reds boss, far from it, but the Anfield outfit prevailed on their travels after an almighty scare from lowly Southampton.
Russell Martin’s side currently occupy the bottom spot in the Premier League and from the way they gifted Liverpool three early Christmas presents, it was clear to see why.
Alex McCarthy’s error for the opener scored by Dominik Szoboszlai was inexcusable, putting his teammates under pressure inside their own penalty box. He was strangely out of position for Salah’s first and then could do nothing for the Egyptian’s second as he slammed home a penalty.
Alas, Southampton were a product of their own downfall. They led 2-1 at one point but couldn’t hold on amid a plague of errors from the hosts.
Liverpool's best performers against Southampton
It has been a troubling campaign for Szoboszlai so far. He had not scored in the Premier League since January when he was gifted an opportunity that he could not pass up at St Mary’s.
Surely he wasn’t going to miss this chance? Indeed, he did not. The Hungarian has been in and out of the side under Slot but this was perhaps his finest afternoon of the campaign.
Pass success
Jones (100%)
Duels contested
Fernandes (13)
Most duels won
Szoboszlai (6)
Most touches
Robertson (104)
Most key passes
Robertson (5)
Defensive actions
Harwood-Bellis (9)
Tackles
Szobszlai & Fernandes (4)
Shots on target
Salah (4)
Expected Goals
Salah (1.64)
Dribble attempts
Onuachu (3/3)
Curling home on his weaker left foot, despite the dismal error from Flynn Downes and goalkeeper McCarthy, it was still a fine finish.
Away from that goal, the attacking midfielder laid on three key passes and won a game-high six duels throughout the match.
That said, Salah was the true star of the show. When is he not? He has already bagged ten goals in 12 league outings this term with six of those coming in his last outings alone.
He wasn’t at his free-flowing best in the first half but came alive when it mattered to send the Reds eight points clear of second place Manchester City.
Still, despite that, a few figures in Slot’s side have not quite been at the races. That includes a Jurgen Klopp stalwart in the shape of Andy Robertson.
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Andy Robertson's performance in numbers
Under Klopp, the Scottish full-back was near-everpresent. He was a colossal figure, a leader of men, an influential full-back who quickly became one of, if not the best left-back in the Premier League.
For the German boss, Robertson contributed 65 assists in 297 appearances but he is yet to register a single goal involvement since Slot arrived over the summer.
It’s not through a lack of trying. After all, the 30-year-old managed five key passes on Sunday evening. Offensively he is rarely a problem but at the back, he is becoming an issue.
It was the Scot who was at fault for Southampton’s route back into the game. Tyler Dibling broke forward and was too hot to handle for the defender who dove in and conceded a penalty.
Minutes played
90
Touches
104
Accurate passes
72/78 (92%)
Key passes
5
Accurate crosses
3/11
Duels won
2/6
Dribble success
0/1
Possession lost
15x
Dribbled past
2x
Tackles
2
Interceptions
0
Clearances
2
Whether or not the first contact was initially outside of the box, it was a clumsy challenge from a player who has become “sad to watch” in the words of one Reds content creator.
Further handed a 5/10 match rating by GOAL’s Tom Maston, the reporter noted that he ‘still doesn’t look the player he once was.’
That’s an incredibly accurate depiction and one Slot has realised at times this season. Kostas Tsimikas, so often a player who rarely saw many minutes, has already started five times in 2024/25, with three of those starts coming in the Champions League.
The Greek is becoming more reliable while his positional peer becomes all the more unreliable. It’s simple, Robertson should no longer be a regular starter for Liverpool.
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1 ByAngus Sinclair Nov 20, 2024