PLAYER RATINGS: SOUTHAMPTON 1-2 LIVERPOOL

A second string Liverpool side went to St. Mary’s tonight and showed the fight and mentality Klopp always speaks about. A come from behind victory after goals from Minamino and Matip means the title race will go to the final day. Here are player ratings from the match.

Alisson – 7

Quick off his line to block Broja’s attempted cutback early on. Gobbled up a late strike from range at the second attempt. Was a calming presence at the back, shame about the clean sheet. Not much he could do about Redmond’s deflected strike.

Gomez – 5

Hit and miss tonight. Poor for their goal as he allowed Redmond cut inside onto his favoured right foot too easily. Made some poor decisions on the ball. At times too he played really incisive passes into the feet of the attackers, with one such ball leading to the equaliser. Picked up an injury. Hopefully it’s not too bad.

Matip – 7.5

Too easily beaten by Broja early on, had to do much better there. With Southampton defending so deep, he was usually on the halfway line. Scored the winner with a stooping header.

Konaté – 8

Charged up into the Saints half allowing Broja to run in behind and beat Matip for that early chance. He was rock solid after that as he completely bossed Broja. Came to the fore late on when they threw everything at it. Cleared several crosses and made a huge interception to halt their last attack of the game.

Tsimikas – 8

Another strong showing by Kostas. Was in a running battle with Walker-Peters. He found Firmino with a peach of a free kick but the goal didn’t stand as Bobby had strayed offside. His deliveries from corners were poor first half but one in the second half led to the winner. He set Jota up once or twice and could have had an assist on another day.

Milner – 7

Was also culpable for their goal as he didn’t attempt to halt Redmond’s run but rather made himself a small target for the winger to bend the ball around. Played well in the holding role. Moved the ball about and created chances. Stung McCarthy’s gloves with a strike from range. Suffered when he moved to right back. Didn’t have the pace or footwork to create a yard of space to allow for a cross.

Elliott – 6.5

Showed some lovely touches and played some incisive passes. Unlucky not to score when sent through by Bobby. From a tight angle, his chip went into the side netting. Wasn’t affecting the game enough till the five minutes preceding his substitution.

Jones – 7

Played well in most parts of the game but his decision making still leaves a lot to be desired. He holds onto the ball too long at times. He had two shots from the edge of the box that he should have done better with. Showed maturity when dropped into a double pivot with Hendo. The talent is there but there’s still a lot to come as he continues his development.

Minamino – 7

Not more you can ask of him. He’s not played for months but looked sharp. Took his goal with ruthless accuracy, blasting home at the near post from a tight angle. Explosive finish, similar to on against Norwich in the FA Cup. Worked hard. Quiet in the last half hour.

Firmino – 6

Not a lot came off for Bobby. He lost the ball one too many times. Unlucky to see his header chalked off for offside. Slid Elliott through for a big chance. Dropped deeper when Origi came on. Can play better but this was his first start in a while after recovering from injury.

Jota – 6.5

Slipped Minamino in for the equaliser. Had a few sights at goal but couldn’t get on the scoresheet. He was unlucky with a quick control and shot second half as it whistled past the post. Last half hour his performance level dropped a bit but his workrate didn’t..

Substitutes

Henderson – 7

Brought a whole lot of calm to the play after we took the lead. Nothing happened in the game for about twenty minutes after Matip’s goal. Just what the doctor ordered. He’s played so many games this season but still keeps going.

Origi – 5

Led the line when he came on. Beat his man down the wing and was brought down. Tried unnecessary fancy flicks when we needed to keep the ball. Won some headers.

Keita – N/A

Mucked in.

Jürgen Klopp

The gaffer rang the changes, making nine changes to the side that started at Wembley. Gomez, Matip and Tsimikas came into the backline in place of Trent, Van Dijk and Robertson respectively. In midfield, Milner, Elliott and Jones started with Henderson, Keita and Thiago all rested.

It was all change in attack as well with Minamino, Firmino and Jota starting in place of Salah, Mané and Diaz. It is incredible the mentality he has instilled throughout the side.

It could have been easy for heads to drop after they scored in controversial circumstances. These Reds though, they kept going, kept fighting and got over the line. The race goes to the final day. Incredible effort all round.