HOT JOT Deadly Diogo Red-y to fire
RALPH HASENHUTTL burst into tears when he beat Jurgen Klopp for the first time last season.
On this occasion the Saints boss had a very different reason to weep.
Diogo Jota scored twice and further goals from Thiago and Virgil van Dijk enhanced Liverpool’s standing as the most entertaining team in the country.
Southampton were lucky it wasn’t a lot worse after a performance which should have come with the waving of a white flag.
Hasenhuttl blamed himself for switching to a three-man defence that was torn apart with ease by the rampant Reds.
The Kop club have now scored 39 goals in their first 13 games. If they carry on at this rate they’ll have 114 by the end of the campaign.
Klopp said: “It’s good that we’re scoring so many goals but if we win a game 1-0 I am happy as well.
“It’s all down to the stability we now have in the team again.
“I learned a lot last season. It’s easy for me to look back and know it was wrong to have played midfielders in defence when our centre-halves were injured. Losing centre-halves is like breaking a leg but if you then put midfielders in the last line and you open up other gaps then you break your spine and you can’t walk.”
Saints’ 1-0 victory over Liverpool at St Mary’s in January remains the only time Hasenhuttl has avoided defeat at the hands of Klopp in seven attempts.
It took just 112 seconds for Jota to put Liverpool ahead here – and the Portuguese had already missed one decent chance before that.
Sadio Mane slipped in the returning Andy Roberston on the gallop down the left and when he crossed low there was Jota to sweep the ball past Alex McCarthy.
He scored again in the 32nd minute as Mo Salah produced a brilliant exchange of passes with Jordan Henderson and rolled a cross into his path.
And then, five minutes later, Thiago went dancing into Southampton’s box before unleashing a shot that took a
deflection off Lyanco’s knee and flew high past McCarthy.
Hasenhuttl hauled off Che Adams and Jan Bednarek at the interval.
But Liverpool scored a fourth in te 52nd minute when Van Dijk met Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner to punish his former club with a thumping volley.
Liverpool keeper Alisson had been forced to save at the feet of James Ward-Prowse and Armando Broja in the first half, both chances coming courtesy of mistakes by the home side.
But Southampton’s ambition after the break stretched no further than damage limitation.
Jota missed another chance when he slid in to meet Robertson’s cross but failed to keep his toe-poke down.
And only Mohammed Salisu’s block prevented Salah from getting the goal his sparkling performance deserved.
Hasenhuttl said: “We tried to surprise them a little bit by changing our normal shape but I think we ended up surprising ourselves.
“It was my mistake. I take it
on myself. I sent them out in the first half with a plan that wasn’t good.
“Liverpool had too much individual quality. We just couldn’t stop them.
“We changed it at half-time to our normal system but the game was already gone.”
Klopp revealed that Liverpool are still working on getting permission for Salah and Mane to report late for the Africa Cup of Nations in a bid to have the duo available to face Chelsea in the New Year.
Egypt star Salah and Senegal striker Mane could be missing for five weeks at the tournament that kicks off in January.
FIFA regulations state that they should link up with their countries after Liverpool’s Boxing Day clash with Leeds.
But the Mersysiders want them for the clash at Stamford Bridge on January 2 and the Leicester trip on December 28.
Klopp said: “We are still talking and we are hopeful.”