Liverpool vs. Southampton: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match
Jurgen Klopp's wait for a first win as Liverpool manager goes on, as Southampton held the Reds to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Christian Benteke broke the deadlock with a thumping header on 77 minutes, but Sadio Mane silenced Anfield with a scrappy late equaliser.
Mane was later sent off after picking up two bookings in a matter of minutes, but the clock was against Liverpool, and, in truth, a point apiece was a fair result from such a drab encounter.
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The teams created precious few clear-cut chances in the first half, but it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock through centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
Steven Davis' free-kick found the Dutchman completely unmarked at the back post, but Liverpool stopper Simon Mignolet palmed his header away from the top corner.
That much was a big let-off for the hosts, who rode their luck at times in an uninspiring 45 minutes.
At the other end, though, Southampton were looking incredibly comfortable, as van Dijk and Jose Fonte handled everything the Reds could throw at them.
Adam Lallana and James Milner found themselves in good positions but were thwarted easily by the Saints' defensive duo and goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
OptaJoe showed just how little a cutting edge Liverpool possessed in the opening half, with the problems that plagued Brendan Rodgers giving Klopp plenty to think about:
Something had to change at the break, and the German manager reacted by sending on Benteke in the hope that he'd add an extra dimension to their attack.
The Belgian duly delivered with just 13 minutes left on the clock.
After another half hour of Liverpool looking completely out of ideas in front of goal, Benteke met a Milner cross with a bullet header into the top corner to send Anfield wild—and Klopp even wilder.
Former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor was one of many singing Benteke's praises:
The Reds' joy was short-lived, though, as Mane bundled home Gaston Ramirez's knockdown on 86 minutes to ensure the spoils were shared.
The Press Association's Simon Peach's tongue-in-cheek tweet did little to ease the tension among the Liverpool faithful:
Mane then got himself sent off for two clumsy tackles within three minutes of each other, yet it was too late for the Reds to take advantage.
So the wait goes on for Klopp, who will take his team to Stamford Bridge next weekend hoping to break his Premier League duck with a victory.
The fact remains, though, that Liverpool need something to change up front. There was no invention to their attacking play on Sunday—it was all incredibly predictable and one-dimensional.
Klopp is the ideal candidate to turn such a problem around, but he needs to act fast before the season gets away from his new club.
Reaction
Following the match, Klopp said that while Sunday's game didn't go to script, his side still have plenty of time to change and opportunities to right their wrongs, per BBC Sport:
"Football is not a fairytale. Sometimes we write stories like this but it doesn't happen. You see these guys can play football, are technically strong and physically strong, but you saw how big the disappointment after Southampton was.
We can change a lot of things if it's necessary, but not all things will work from the start. If you are on something, you are not 100 per cent better the next day.
It's not what you can change in a short time but what we can change and take into the next game. It's our situation, so no problem. We can play Wednesday, and that's our next chance.
"
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, meanwhile, reflected on a good day at the office for the Saints:
"You like always more than a point, but to get more you have to get to your level and maybe we didn't do enough to win today. Of course, if you are 1-0 down with 15 minutes left and you take a point, you are happy. Were Liverpool there to be beaten today? Yes. But you have to take chances against big teams and create more. It was a good mentality and spirit in the team. I think it's a fair result.
"
