Jürgen Klopp’s side lacked efficiency at Southampton and their early-season injury crisis may be catching up with them
A few minutes from the end of this game, with Liverpool chasing an equaliser, James Milner fell over in possession. Centre-half Jack Stephens recovered the ball and, with no Southampton teammate prepared to make a run, ended up reluctantly dribbling the ball out of defence, as if being forced to do so at gunpoint.
Eventually Stephens punted a hopeful long ball over the top to for Yan Valery to chase. At which point, enter Alisson: sprinting heroically out his goal to clear. Except, as Alisson quickly discovered to his horror, he was not going to reach the ball first. And so, having advanced 45 yards, the Liverpool goalkeeper now simply stopped dead in his tracks, like a man who has just stepped forward to receive communion only to remember that he is not a Catholic.
