In the penultimate encounter before the World Cup break, Liverpool dominated Southampton and defeated them 3-1 with a number of players contending for player of the match honors.
Liverpool vs Southampton: Player Ratings
Goalkeepers and Defenders
Alisson (9.5/10)
Midway through the second half, he prevented a wobble with a powerful left hand and a body stop in short succession. He then backed it up with a save low to his right. World-class. When we next see him wearing a Liverpool jersey, may he already have won the World Cup?
Alexander-Arnold (7.5/10)
Trent had a good but unremarkable performance, but the right-back didn’t really need anything more than that because he did his job properly. We occasionally saw him play well enough to threaten to blow the game wide open.
Joe Gomez (7/10)
Gomez was the only player from midweek who was kept because Ibrahima Konate was injured, and the additional responsibility from that game carried over to this one.
Van Dijk (7.5/10)
Che Adams was one of the players who was lost on the free-kick, although he otherwise remained firm in the middle of defence, responding too late to affect the game. Despite being sluggish to react against Adams, he may have scored and made a game-high seven interceptions.
Andy Robertson (8.5/10)
Robertson, who is enthusiastic and on the same page as Nunez, has benefited greatly from having Kostas Tsimikas serve as his assistant; this is a model that should be followed by players other than left-back. It’s also important to note that, with 53 assists, he is now tied for first place among Premier League defenders.
Midfielders
Fabinho (8/10)
Liverpool will expect more of that from Fabinho when he returns after only winning two tackles in his previous nine games. He had two in the first half alone and was focused from the get-go.
Elliott (8.5/10)
Elliott continues to play with maturity beyond his years; bright, forward-thinking, and quick to assist cover the right side, he was more than deserving of his standing ovation after being pulled. If he plays his cards well, he will be the next great thing.
Thiago (8.5/10)
Thiago completed his day’s work efficiently, completing 92.7 percent of his passes accurately as he worked to make the victory as easygoing as possible for both players and spectators. Liverpool has genuinely benefited from Spain’s defeat.
Forwards
Roberto Firmino (9/10)
Bobby wasted little time in demonstrating what Brazil may be losing after the disappointment of being passed over by them with a well-placed header into the back post for his ninth goal of the year. He is only two short of his total from the previous season.
Mohamed Salah (7.5/10)
Salah had his moments, but it wasn’t exactly his day. That one percent was simply not there, and it was the difference between him scoring and contributing an assist.
Darwin Nunez (9/10)
Nunez and his teammate strikers are developing chemistry and understanding, and this is encouraging for the post-World Cup resumption. Nunez was a tremendous treat to see, a constant threat to the opposition, and he’s just going to get better.
Substitutions
James Milner (6.5/10)
The 36-year-old was making his 600th Premier League appearance, yet at one point, he was powersliding like a man half his age.
Oxlade-Chamberlain (6/10)
A steady return and some crucial time before his next key training period.
Carvalho
Bonus minutes as he prepares for a fruitful few weeks.
Tsimikas
There for some last-minute defense, but didn’t have enough time to have any real influence.
