Southampton
Alex McCarthy – 5
Had little chance of stopping either of Liverpool’s goals as his defence left him exposed, produced the odd save but was fortunate to not concede more.
Cedric Soares – 5
Made a few forays forward and when he did he looked decent, but when he was forced back by Liverpool’s fast-paced attacks he didn’t look comfortable.
Jack Stephens – 5
Was left in a whirlwind by Firmino and Salah – the second goal was so simple and easy-on-the-eye that he and his fellow Southampton defenders were simply forgotten about.
Wesley Hoedt – 4
His mistake allowed Liverpool to score their first of the afternoon; he never really recovered and couldn’t stand up to the strength of the opposition attack.
Ryan Bertrand – 6
Produced a couple of good deliveries into the penalty area but they were often unmet – was quite effective in limiting the influence of Oxlade-Chamberlain, and was probably Southampton’s best performer.
Oriol Romeu – 5
Had a fair amount of possession but was unable to do much with it – tried to stop the Liverpool momentum but to no avail.
Mario Lemina – 6
His passing was good and was willing to show his full range – was one of the few Southampton players to get stuck in and put his foot in, but was forced off in the second-half.
Jack Ward-Prowse – 6
His passing and distribution was good but was left with windswept hair as time and time again Liverpool flowed through the midfield like a tornado – should have done better with a chance late in the first-half.
Pierre Hojbjerg – 5
Had a first-half chance that should have resulted in a Saints goal other than that his performance was fairly muted.
Dusan Tadic – 5
Produced some testing deliveries from the left but didn’t offer much more in an attacking sense – wasn’t willing to run back and help his defensive colleagues.
Guido Carillo – 6
Was lively and contributed well in attack – forced Karius to make a decent first-half save but other goalscoring chances were few and far between.
Liverpool
Loris Karius – 8
A good game for the Liverpool goalkeeper – made some excellent saves to deny Hojbjerg and Ward-Prowse and was important with his feet as a sweeper-keeper; probably his most assured performance so far.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7
Had to be alert to the Southampton wingers and their willingness to get in behind but he dealt well with Southampton’s limited attacking, his passing was also very impressive.
Virgil van Dijk – 8
Back in familiar surroundings and dealt well with the crowd and Carillo in equal measure – was commanding defensively and precise with his passing, also attempted a long-range strike from the halfway line.
Joel Matip – 6
Not quite as confident and convincing as his partner but still his performance developed as the game progressed – didn’t have much of a threat to contain but was at his most tested when running back towards goal.
Andrew Robertson – 6
Caught out with a back pass, which Hojbjerg failed to convert in the first-half, and his forward passing and crossing wasn’t at its best, but showed plenty of energy and tried his best.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7
Was involved in the build-up to Liverpool’s opening goal with an excellent ball – did his job well in a functional, if not spectacular, manner.
Emre Can – 7
With the prospect of two weeks off now for the German he gave his all and was always trying to instigate Liverpool attacks with quick passes.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 7
Played an integral part in the midfield and was always involved in Liverpool’s quick counters especially in the first-half.
Mohamed Salah – 8
Linked up with Firmino for Liverpool’s first goal with an assist and then scored his own from a Firmino assist – was always willing to receive the ball, and more often than not, in good positions; could have scored more to extend Liverpool’s lead.
Roberto Firmino – 8
His cute and clever goal means that for only the third time in 17 seasons Liverpool have two players with 20 goals in a season – his work-rate and energy are often cited as his best qualities but his talent and vision match them as shown was again here.
Sadio Mane – 6
Wasn’t at the same level as the two other Liverpool attackers but still produced some good touches – his decision-making and execution in the most promising of positions is what is letting him down at the moment.
