Liverpool’s rising status proved by defensive Southampton display
Of all the compliments paid Jürgen Klopp’s side this season, this match may have been the most significant.
Liverpool are accustomed to distinguished teams heading to Anfield with little more ambition than blunting their attack – Manchester United did so expertly earlier in the season and designed the blueprint for others.
That Southampton felt such caution was their chief route to success on their own turf demonstrated wisdom and fear from Claude Puel. This is Liverpool’s challenge for the foreseeable future.
Credit to the home side for becoming only the third side to prevent Liverpool from scoring this season, but there was as much satisfaction as frustration from Klopp as he assessed his side’s growth.
For league leaders, any draw will come with the description ‘two points dropped’ and while that may be correct such a negative connotation does not reflect Liverpool’s direction of travel.
This was a fixture they have lost plenty of times, and the kind of feisty game they have failed to compete in on many of the occasions.
Little wonder Klopp was his ebullient self afterwards, his mood no doubt helped by the fact his side preserved its status as leaders by having scored more goals than Manchester City.
“It was a really good performance versus a great side. They adapted their style to our strength,” said Klopp.
“I am fine with the performance. We could have scored and maybe should have scored. Very often in my life my team has lost games like this but we stayed in the game.”
Liverpool certainly had more than enough chances to win, especially in the second half when Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne somehow missed the target with Fraser Forster helpless.
On other occasions heroic defending came to the Saints’ rescue. Although the home fans spent much of the afternoon targeting their former centre-half Dejan Lovren – they have never forgiven him for the manner he left St Mary’s – an appreciation of those who replaced him was more appropriate.
Liverpool’s attacking trio will not face many more formidable centreback pairings than Virgil Van Dijk and Jose Fonte this season. So often it seemed the hosts would succumb to the pressure only for a late intervention from one of them.
Puel was naturally asked how long it will be before those two are the subject of bids from wealthier Premier League clubs, a question he repelled without daring to contemplate the future.
Van Dijk’s duel with Sadio Mané was high class, the Dutchman possessing both the pace and strength to repel the Senegalese striker.
A last-ditch tackle on 40 minutes as Mané scurried clear with just Forster to beat was the most eye-catching contribution, although the defender would later be fortunate to escape being penalised for a shirt tug on Firmino.
Mark Clattenburg ignored penalty appeals. Fonte was equally impressive in disrupting Coutinho when he looked to have shrugged off his marker at the start of the second half.
On the one occasion Mané did find space in the box to get a shot away, Forster produced a world-class save to tip his right-footed effort over the bar.
Liverpool improved after the interval, moving the ball quicker and finding more space, but the predatory instinct that had plundered 30 goals in their previous 11 games deserted them despite incessant pressure.
Firmino missed the easiest chance on 66 minutes, toe-poking wide after an exquisite Coutinho pass.
Clyne was culpable when substitute Sturridge’s cross found the England full-back free at the back post. The header was an inch wide.
Southampton just about held on without offering any threat to Liverpool’s continuously underused goalkeeper Loris Karius.
Klopp made a point of clenching his fist to the away supporters. We need more time to establish if this was a momentum-stopping or momentum preserving point. To the Liverpool manager, it felt the latter.