KB Sport: Diogo Horta scored two goals in the first half and Liverpool beat Southampton 4-0 at Anfield on Saturday. The Portuguese striker grabbed his first in less than two minutes of the game, turning Andy Robertson's low ball in and then adding a second from close range after being set up by Mohammed Salah half an hour later.
Thiago Alcantara fired in the deflected third quarter to give the Red Devils a lead at halftime before Virgil van Dijk drove the corner shortly after restarting to equalize the score. The victory allowed Liverpool to continue to put pressure on league leaders Chelsea to pull the score within one point of the Blues – even though the Reds had already played one more game. Liverpool got off to a good start, with Sadio Mane and Robertson joining forces on the left, followed by a low cross in the middle and Jota switching as he stretched. After that, Southampton were given a few chances but Liverpool remained in the lead and doubled their lead in the 32nd minute, with Salah scoring his second goal for Jota after a 1-2 tie with Jordan Henderson on the right.
Just five minutes later, United scored 3-0 when the ball landed on Thiago on the edge of the penalty area, the midfielder pushed into the box and then fired a left-footed shot into the top left corner, with Reinco's knee heavily deflected. Van Dijk extended Liverpool's advantage further in the 52nd minute, with Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner volley under Alex McCarthy – he probably should have done better. Jota turned down a golden opportunity to grab his hat-trick, and Robertson's cross was off target when Jurgen Klopp's players easily made it to the final whistle.
Liverpool's victory puts them just one point away from Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea, with the Blues set to play a heavyweight game against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Salah is now directly involved in 150 Premier League goals (108 goals, 42 assists) in 171 games – only Alain Shearer (148 games) and Thierry Henry (163 games) have scored as many goals in the games as the Egyptian star. Salah has also been directly involved in 25 goals (17 goals, 8 assists) in all competitions this season, twice as many as any other Premier League player, and has now scored 32 Premier League goals, drawing equals between Wolves and Liverpool (16 each). However, he reached the Reds' record in 36 appearances (Wolves 67 and Liverpool 31) and had a higher turnover rate of shots (12.6% for Wolves and 21.9% for Liverpool).
Liverpool have now scored more than two goals in 17 consecutive games in all competitions, becoming the second top Club in England to achieve this feat after Sunderland (17 games) in 1927.
- Southampton lost more away games (14) and conceded away (47) than any other team in the Premier League this calendar year. - Liverpool have scored 39 goals in 13 Premier League games this season, the highest total of goals they have scored at this stage in the top flight.
Six of van Dijk's 11 Premier League goals for Liverpool were assisted by Alexander Arnold.
Only Wayne Rooney (22y 200d) and Cesc FAbregas (21y 188d) have 40 Premier League assists when they were younger than Alexander-Arnold (23 years and 51 days). Liverpool's next match is Wednesday's Merseyside derby with Everton at Goodison Park, while Southampton will host Leicester City on the same day.