TAKE IT AS RED, JEZZA
Party time on Merseyside for Corbyn & Klopp
LIVERPOOL kept the Red title flag flying in front of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Corbyn, in the city for his party’s annual conference, was in the stands (inset, top) to see Kop boss Jurgen Klopp enjoy another victory in his 600th game as a manager.
It may not have been the expected landslide against Southampton, but it was another vote of confidence in a Liverpool side going from strength to strength this season.
Klopp’s flyers got off to a quick start courtesy of a Wesley Hoedt own goal followed by Joel Matip and Mo Salah putting the game beyond Saints. And Klopp (inset, bottom) couldn’t hide his delight.
He said: “It was good. Really good. Southampton had their moments and they played good football, but we controlled the second half.
“Scoring three and making setpieces is cool.”
The smile was typical of Klopp as he savoured every moment of a game which was always out of Saints boss Mark Hughes’ reach.
Sparky has not won any of his 12 Premier League visits to Anfield as a manager but remained upbeat.
He said: “You can’t come to a place like this and concede too readily. Liverpool have a settled way of playing and a manager who has given them continuity. They are building something, clearly. We faced a quality side.
“We are not the first side – and won’t bethe last – who are not able to cope.
“We always looked vulnerable on the break and the second half was damage limitation.”
Klopp had banged the drum in his programme notes and admitted that he wasn’t worried about his boys switching off. After Liverpool’s midweek Champions League success against PSG, the K op boss stressed this was “our most important match of the season” simply because it was the next game. Klopp had demanded his side were ready – and boy they were as they streaked
Klopp’s men were ready.. and Salah made it 3-0 by the time the interval kettle was put on
into a three-goal lead by the time the interval kettle was put on.
There were only 10 minutes gone when the Saints became sinners with a disastrous – if not comical – own goal.
Xherdan Shaqiri drilled across goal and the ball flicked off Shane Long, struck Hoedt and rolled into the net.
Southampton’s Jannik Vestergaard flashed a header wide of the upright three minutes later, but Liverpool were 2-0 ahead in the 21st minute.
Salah couldn’t prod home, but from the resulting corner Matip headed powerfully into the net.
Salah was again in the thick of the action two minutes from the break and after a wriggle here and there audaciously attempted a back-heel with the ball trickling past the post.
His wry smile was almost as wide as the Mersey and it grew in the 45th minute.
A Shaqiri free-kick smacked the underside of the bar and bounced down invitingly for Salah to finish off and raise both arms in his trademark salute.
Saints fought hard to keep the scoreline at a respectable level after the break but Salah thought he’d nipped back into play to score his second, following up James Milner’s shot, but a linesman’s flag ruled it out.
And in the 90th minute home keeper Alisson finally made his first save of the match from Charlie Austin, for a fourth clean sheet of the season.