Southampton 1-3 Liverpool: Player ratings as Reds go top again

Liverpool fought back from a goal down to claim a 3-1 win over Southampton and move back to the top of the Premier League.

The Reds fell behind to Shane Long's early goal at St Mary's Stadium, but Naby Keita headed the equaliser, with Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson scoring in the second half

Read on to see how we rated the players...

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SOUTHAMPTON (by Gerard Brand)

Angus Gunn - 6

Made a good point-blank save to keep Saints ahead in the first half, got a hand to Keita's leveller at the near post, but couldn't do much about Liverpool's final two goals. A lot of action near his goal, but mainly in front of him on a quiet night for the youngster.

Yan Valery - 6

Was booked after Mane got the better of him at the start of the second half, but otherwise one of Southampton's brightest attacking threats down the right and looked firmly at home in the opening stages as Saints caused problems.

Jan Bednarek - 6

Lost by Firmino for the third goal, and couldn't stretch to head clear for Liverpool's first, but solid in between for Saints.

Maya Yoshida - 5

Left a stray leg on Keita in the second half which may have resulted in a penalty had the Liverpool midfielder not already been falling down. Made a superb block on Firmino before Salah's goal, but otherwise looked uncomfortable.

Jannik Vestergaard - 6

Kept Salah extremely quiet for the majority of the game, and was a big threat in the opposition box as Saints routinely found themselves in Liverpool's final third in the first half.

Ryan Bertrand - 6

Very bright in the first half and provided the cross that led to Saints' opener, and had a good connection with Nathan Redmond on the left flank. Was left last man as Salah broke with 10 minutes to go, attempting to keep both the Egyptian and Firmino within distance, but it ended in a goal.

Oriol Romeu - 6

Got Saints from back to front quickly in the first half, winning the ball back eight times (2nd highest in Southampton side), but was soon chasing shadows after the break before Liverpool's quality told.

James Ward-Prowse - 6

Attempted 10 crosses, successful with four of them, but was otherwise quiet as the game passed him by. Dead-ball delivery always dangerous, but didn't show the other sides to his game.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7

Southampton's best player. Registered the most passes (43), was successful with a team-high 79 per cent of them, and won the ball 12 times, more than any player on the pitch.

Nathan Redmond - 5

Got in-behind on several occasions in the first half but lacked the quality delivery needed to get Southampton's second. Lost the ball 20 times, and Milner got the better of him when he replaced Alexander-Arnold.

Shane Long - 6

Got his rare goal, and worked hard to force Liverpool into stray passes in the first half. When Long is in that mood, there is no doubt he is a nuisance, but has lacked the goals to go with it in recent years. Brought off for Josh Sims just after the hour mark.

SUBS

Josh Sims - 5

Southampton were defending in numbers by the time Sims came on. Unable to impact and made only 12 touches in 30 minutes.

Charlie Austin - n/a

Not on long enough to rate.

Stuart Armstrong - n/a

Not on long enough to rate.

LIVERPOOL (by Nick Wright)

Alisson Becker - 6

Could do little to prevent Long's goal and rarely troubled after that. Put Trent Alexander-Arnold in a difficult position with one under-hit pass in the first half but otherwise did what he needed to do.

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6

Produced some typically dangerous deliveries, including the cross for Keita's goal, but struggled defensively, with Southampton persistently targeting his flank in the first half. Made way for Jordan Henderson in the second half, with Jurgen Klopp opting to move Milner to right-back.

Virgil van Dijk - 6

A costly error for Southampton's goal as he was caught in no man's land between Hojbjerg and Long, but the Dutchman improved after that - despite the boos of the home fans. Made some important clearances and registered a 94 per cent passing accuracy.

Joel Matip - 8

So often the unsung hero alongside Van Dijk, Matip was Liverpool's best defender here. Made some excellent defensive interventions and impressed when stepping out of defence with the ball at his feet. Outstanding long-range pass for Roberto Firmino in the build-up to Liverpool's third.

Andrew Robertson - 6

Involved in the build-up to Keita's equaliser but not his best night overall. One over-hit cross in the second half left Klopp with his head in his hands. Struggled to contain Southampton's runners at times, earning a yellow card for a clumsy foul on James Ward-Prowse late on.

Fabinho - 6

Worked hard, covering more ground (11.2km) than any other Liverpool player and making the most ball recoveries (seven), but also had some difficult moments. His passing was sloppy at times - as shown by his 76 per cent success rate.

Naby Keita - 7

Initially struggled on his first start since February, his rustiness showing as he was robbed of possession on a couple of occasions in the early stages, but improved thereafter, scoring his first goal for the club and earning a big hug from Klopp when he was substituted.

Georginio Wijnaldum - 5

The only Liverpool midfielder to keep his place in the team following the win over Tottenham, but seemed to struggle with Southampton's intensity. Failed to track Hojbjerg's run for Southampton's goal and sent a routine pass out of play shortly before being replaced by Milner in the 59th minute.

Sadio Mane - 7

There was no goal or assist from the Senegal international, and not everything he did came off, but he was still a constant threat to the hosts. Set up a great chance for Firmino with one excellent run in the second half.

Mohamed Salah - 8

Chose a good time to end his scoring drought. A brilliant run and finish from the Egyptian, whose shirtless celebration showed how much it meant. He was at the heart of almost everything Liverpool did in the first half and took his chance superbly.

Roberto Firmino - 7

Typically industrious performance from the Brazilian, who linked Liverpool's attack together and played a key role in Henderson's goal, collecting Matip's pass, cutting inside and picking out Henderson. Might have done better with a couple of other chances.

SUBS

James Milner - 7

Drafted into the right-back role and showed his experience with an assured performance. Produced some dangerous crosses and added some much-needed energy.

Jordan Henderson - 8

Game-changing impact from the England international. Claimed an assist with the header to release Salah for Liverpool's second goal and scored the third himself.

Dejan Lovren - n/a

Not on long enough to rate.

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