Southampton vs. Liverpool: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Liverpool dropped their first Premier League points in four matches as they were held to a 0-0 draw by a dogged Southampton side at St Mary's on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp's side dominated proceedings and had by far the better chances, but they were oddly inaccurate with their attempts on goal, only forcing two genuine saves from Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

Liverpool's best chances fell to Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, but neither could break the deadlock, and Saints held on to earn a point against the Merseyside outfit. 

Both clubs provided their lineups ahead of kick-off:

The hosts started brightly, with Ryan Bertrand making an early effort on goal, but Liverpool soon took control.

However, while the Reds had much of the ball, they could not force a genuine chance on goal until Mane's rasping effort from the edge of the box drew an excellent flying save from Forster after 28 minutes.

The former Saints man was almost in again as he burst into the box five minutes before half-time, but Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk was on hand to prevent a shot on goal with an excellent block.

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Despite being the home side, Southampton offered little going forward, and striker Charlie Austin looked isolated for most of the half.

Manager Claude Puel would doubtless have been impressed with his side's exemplary defensive performance.

The Liverpool Echo's James Pearce gave a pithy summary of the first 45 minutes of action:

The visitors were quick out of the blocks at the start of the second half, with Firmino being denied a potential penalty after Van Dijk brought down the attacker in the box in the 47th minute.

Minutes later, the Brazilian put compatriot Philippe Coutinho through on goal in plenty of space, but the Liverpool playmaker sliced a tame attempt wide under pressure from Jose Fonte.

A rare Southampton chance was spurned just before the hour as Austin failed to guide his header goalwards after Cedric Soares whipped in an excellent ball from the right.

Despite looking some way from their fluid best, though, it was Liverpool who continued to dominate.

However, a lack of the Reds' characteristic sharpness was clear as Emre Can and Firmino both put efforts wide when in space in the box.

Given his impeccable form this season, Firmino's miss was surprising, as he did not even trouble the goalkeeper after Coutinho had played him in brilliantly, per BBC 5 live Sport:

Southampton were hanging on, and it was clear Klopp was not happy to settle for a point when he sent on Daniel Sturridge for Can 12 minutes from time.

The Englishman made an immediate impact, clipping a perfect ball from the byline into the box for Clyne to meet with his head, but the effort, once again, went wide.

Two minutes later, Forster was forced into action by a curling shot from Firmino but had little trouble in pushing the ball away to safety.

It just was not Liverpool's day in the end, and they paid for a lack of clinical finishing as the points were eventually shared on the south coast. 

Post-Match Reaction

Per BBC 5 live Sport's Simon Clancy, Klopp felt Liverpool did enough to win the game and hinted the recent international break had an effect on his key players:

Puel, meanwhile, acknowledged the challenge his side faced in holding out for a point, per the Liverpool Echo's Neil Jones: "We played a very good team, very good players, and it was difficult for us."