Every player rated from Liverpool 3-0 Southampton as Shaqiri turns heads in cameo role

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Liverpool claim another three points to continue their flawless start to the Premier League season with a 3-0 victory over Southampton.

This one was all over before the half time whistle was blown at Anfield this afternoon. Wesley Hoedt’s own goal from Xherdan Shaqiri’s cross, then a header from Joel Matip and a tap in from Mohamed Salah sealed the visitors’ fate before half time.

The second period was a more subdued affair, but Liverpool were already in the driving seat and on cruise control. They succeeded in smothering every Southampton attack, only allowing them a shot on target at the very end of the game.

Here’s the player ratings from this afternoon’s game at Anfield.

Liverpool

Alisson  – 6 – Had precious little to do for the whole game and his hands rarely touched the ball. He made a good stop against Southampton’s only shot on target in injury time.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8 – Was solid at the back, got into some good positions in attack and created Liverpool’s second with a wicked cross after a corner.

Joel Matip – 8 – Scored Liverpool’s second with a strong header from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Was solid at the back.

Vigil Van Dijk – 6 – Was solid defensively and kept and distributed the ball well. Was subbed early in the second half due to a heavy knock.

Andrew Robertson – 6 – Was rock solid all afternoon and was comfortable in possession.

Georginio Wijnaldum – 6 – Played well alongside Henderson in midfield, but made a few reckless challenges in the first half.

Jordan Henderson – 8 – Understated as usual, Henderson was cool and confident all afternoon. He commanded the game with an excellent performance.

Sadio Mane – 6 – Played well along Liverpool’s attacking trident, especially in the first half. Had a quieter second period.

Xherdan Shaqiri – 7 – He caused havoc in Southampton’s penalty area in the first half. The Swiss forward had a hand in two of Liverpool’s goals this afternoon. His cross was sliced into the net by Hoedt and his wicked free kick struck the cross bar at the end of the first period for Salah to poke home from close range. Would have rated higher, but subbed at half time.

Roberto Firmino – 7 – Made some excellent runs and delivered some beautiful passes to his team mates. As usual he linked up well with Mane and Salah in attack.

Mohamed Salah – 7 – The Egyptian was bright all afternoon and scored his 30th goal in 31 games at Anfield with a tap in at the end of the first half. Denied a second by an offside flag in the last moments of the game.

Substitutes

James Milner (for Shaquiri 45) – 6 – Brought on as part of Klopp’s more conservative approach to the second half. He performed the role flawlessly with several important challenges and kept possession well.

Joe Gomez (for Van Dijk 54) – 5 – Didn’t make much of an impact, but slotted into to the team well to help get their victory over the line.

Naby Keita (for Wijnaldum 69) – 5 – Came on with high energy and linked up well with with his team mates. Didn’t make a significant impact though.

Southampton

Alex McCarthy – 5 – Couldn’t do much about the goals he conceded, but he did concede three this afternoon.

Cedric Soares – 6 – Regularly collected the ball in a decent position on the right flank, but failed to trouble Robertson and usually opted to go backwards or sideways.

Jannik Vestergaard – 5 – Couldn’t keep up with Liverpool’s attackers this afternoon, and if the Reds were in a more ruthless mood he’d have suffered many more embarrassing moments.

Wesley Hoedt – 4 – Botched a clearance into his own goal in the early stages, and looked lost at sea at times at the back.

Ryan Bertrand – 6 – Likes Cedric on the opposite flank, Bertrand found himself in some advanced positions, but he was unable to craft anything meaningful from them.

Oriol Romeu – 5 – Made several hard challenges, but struggled to contain Shaquiri in midfield. Booked.

Nathan Redmond – 6 – Delivered a few incisive crosses in the first half, but was completely contained in the second, as he and his team mates failed to break down Liverpool this afternoon.

Pierre-Emile Hojberg – 6 – Missed a clear chance in the first half, but didn’t manage to get into a similar position this afternoon. He distributed the ball well to his team mates, switching the play adroitly in the second half, but he couldn’t get his side on the front foot.

Mario Lemina – 6 – Like his other colleagues in the midfield, Lemina did nothing of note with the ball.

Matt Targett – 6 – Was unable to make a significant impact on the left flank, but occasionally got into some good positions.

Shane Long – 4 – Looked completely isolated up front and didn’t even come close to bothering Liverpool’s defence.

Substitutes

Jan Bednarek (Romeu 54) – 5 – Made no impact on proceedings.

Stuart Armstrong (Targett 54) – 5 –  Was ineffective from the bench.

Charlie Austin (for Long 79) – 5 – Late sub, but made Southampton’s first and only shot on target in the 91st minute.

The post Every player rated from Liverpool 3-0 Southampton as Shaqiri turns heads in cameo role appeared first on Squawka News.



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