Following Liverpool’s excellent victory against Ronald Koeman’s Saints, we assess how each Reds player performed at St Mary’s.
Simon Mignolet (Out of 10) – 8
Called into action a lot on a busy afternoon, the Belgian was excellent making big saves at key moments and he provided an authoritative and decisive figure between the sticks.
Mingolet’s new found confidence was evident again on a big afternoon in the season and he deservedly kept a fifth consecutive clean sheet on the road to cap off his good work.
Dejan Lovren – 5
Operating on his unfavoured side, the Croatian endured a tough afternoon on return to his former club from minute one, looking extremely unsettled at right centre back where he caused chaos first half in a nervy back three.
The former Saint improved second half as he looked more comfortable following the half time regroup, but his appearance only increased the desire for Mamadou Sakho to make a quick return from injury.
Martin Skrtel – 7
The Slovakian endured a difficult opening 20 minutes, but credit must go to the 29-year-old for the way he responded and helped bring a calming influence thereafter.
Reliable in his use of the ball too, Skrtel competed superbly against the handful Graziano Pelle who barely featured under the close watch of the dominating centre back.
Emre Can – 6
As with his defensive partners, Can struggled to get to grips with being switched to the left side early on where he looked far from his assured self.
The German was lucky not to concede a penalty in the opening minute and was unsettled for the majority of the first half against the dynamic Saints attack, but credit to must go to the 21-year-old for a much more assured second half display.
Jordon Ibe – 8
The impressive youngster produced another fine display at right wing-back where he provided the Reds biggest attacking threat, especially first half.
Typically positive going forward, the teenager defended well for the most part too – though was caught ball watching twice which thankfully came to nothing – but with defensive uncertainty around him, Ibe showed great maturity in his display.
Jordan Henderson – 8
The Captain looked exactly that on a tough afternoon at St Marys where his usual tenacity and energy was shown in abundance.
Henderson worked tirelessly up against a physical Southampton midfield with his driving force fundamental to a battling performance, and alongside his selfless work, his distribution was thoughtful throughout as he knitted play together nicely. An excellent all-round display.
Joe Allen – 7
After an anonymous showing against Besiktas, Allen was in much better form against Koeman’s men and he produced a quietly effective display like against Crystal Palace a week ago.
Fortunate to get away with a penalty claim however, the Welshman did break play up well on occasions in the middle of the park, and his use of the ball was intelligent and helped the Reds earn control in a game where Rodgers’ side were on the back foot for periods.
Lazar Markovic – 5
The Serbian struggled on his return to the side at left wing-back where he failed to provide any defensive security in front of the equally rattled Emre Can.
Offering little going forwards – apart from an assist from Coutinho’s opener – the 20-year-old was hauled off at the interval summing up his first half display perfectly.
Adam Lallana – 5
It was another ineffective performance on return to his former club from Lallana, who contributed next to nothing in or out of possession in the Reds attack.
Slow to release the ball at times and taking himself out of the game with unintelligent pressing, the 26-year-old looked to have turned a corner over recent games but has provided very little positives over the last two fixtures.
Scorer of a truly stunning strike to hand the Reds the lead after just three minutes, Coutinho went on to produce a decent display on his 19th consecutive start, but not quite at the level we’ve come to expect.
The Brazilian used the ball well throughout despite a lack of movement ahead of him for large parts, and he worked hard to provide an extra body in midfield when defending too. The 22-year-old did look tired and Rodgers must begin to manage the magician’s game time.
Raheem Sterling – 6
Sterling notched the all-important match sealing goal, but aside from his deflected finish, the 20-year-old didn’t enjoy his best afternoon.
Suffering from a poor first touch throughout, Sterling made poor runs and wasted possession on too many occasions with his all-round play a real frustration.
Substitutes
Alberto Moreno (half time for Markovic) – 7
Coming on into a frantic match for the struggling Markovic, the Spaniard provided a much needed solidity down the left in support of Emre Can.
Moreno aided the attack well at timely moments too – as for the winning goal – and his introduction was key to stopping the home side causing problems down the left, and allowed for the Reds to settle defensively.
Daniel Sturridge (62nd minute for Lallana) – 6
Entering for the ineffective Lallana, Sturridge was equally as unproductive for the half an hour he lead the Liverpool attack.
Slow to react to loose balls and failing to provide the respite the Reds needed when on the back foot, the 25-year-old did very little but as always, he carried a threat which allowed Liverpool to play on the break and give the home side something to think about they pressed to get back into the game.
Glen Johnson (75th minute for Ibe) – N/A
Replacing the excellent Ibe at right-wing-back, Johnson only had the remaining 15 minutes on the pitch as Liverpool saw out the game, but it was still enough time for him to get skinned once before hurting his shoulder – the only thing he did of note.
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