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Liverpool continued their free-scoring ways in the Premier League on Saturday. They beat Southampton 4-0 at home just a week after sending Arsenal packing with the same scoreline.
Diogo Jota bagged a first-half brace, including the opener after 97 seconds. Thiago Alcantara scored for the second game running, in the 37th minute. Virgil Van Dijk then added a fourth in the 52nd minute to end the game as a contest.
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Jota scored from the first chance of the game, connecting well with Andrew Robertson's low cross. He epitomised the direct attacking game The Reds have been playing this season. He added his second of the game in the 32nd minute before Alcantara's deflected shot made it 3-0 five minutes later.
Van Dijk was on the scoresheet for the first time since the opening fixture of the campaign, thanks to a well-taken corner by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Southampton also had their chances, but nothing fruitful came out of them.
Jota missed a couple of chances to bag his hat-trick. Meanwhile, Liverpool custodian Alisson thwarted Adam Armstrong's attempts to pull back the arrears for Southampton. With the win, Liverpool have moved to within one point of league leaders Chelsea, who play Manchester United tonight.
On that note, here's a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Diogo Jota regains his form for Liverpool
Roberto Firmino's injury has been unfortunate for Liverpool. But that has allowed Diogo Jota to start in a false-nine role, a position where he has shown great promise. Against Southampton, Jota again delivered an amazing performance from the position.
His movement on and off the ball was good, while his pace allowed him to get the better of his opponents. He was very sharp in the box, and seldom missed his chances from close range.
Jota had more shots than anyone else on the pitch, scoring with both his shots on target. He is now joint-second with Sadio Mane and Jamie Vardy in the Premier League's goalscoring starts, with seven goals.
#4 Southampton's defence lets them down
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl made three changes to his lineup for the game against Liverpool. That included handing a first Premier League start to centre-back Lyanco.
He also opted for a three-at-the-back formation against one of the free-scoring teams in the division. Unfortunately for him, Southampton couldn't handle Liverpool's pacy wingers, and were afraid of conceding fouls in dangerous positions.
#3 Liverpool are much more than Mohamed Salah
Liverpool's talisman and top-scorer for the campaign, Mohamed Salah, failed to score against Southampton. However, The Reds had other players who stepped up to do the job up front.
Salah did not manage a single shot on target in the game, but he did bag an assist. In the process, he became the third-quickest player to rack up 150 Premier League goal contributions.
Jota was impressive in the final third, and is looking sharp in front of goal. Meanwhile, Alcantara has also gained some confidence and is looking comfortable with his role under Jurgen Klopp.
The full-back duo of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson picked up an assist apiece. That suggests Liverpool aren't over-reliant on Salah for their goals, which augurs well for their title hopes.
#2 Ibrahima Konate has a nervy outing against Southampton
Ibrahima Konate has great potential to be a success at Liverpool lineup. His physical attributes allow him to be at ease in the centre-back position, but he needs to play better under pressure.
There were some positives for him to take from the game. Konate won more aerial duels (seven) than any player on the pitch. He also led Liverpool players in terms of interceptions (three).
However, there were some instances where his reading of the game and decisiveness looked a bit shoddy. He lost possession nine times in the game. That could be due to Konate being low on confidence, as he has only been intermittently used by Klopp this season. With more game time, Ibrahima Konate's performances will likely improve.
#1 Liverpool are scoring goals at a scorching pace
Liverpool have scored goals galore (39) in the Premier League this season. Only Bayern Munich (42) have scored more league goals than The Reds across Europe's top five leagues this campaign.
Klopp's men have scored at least twice in 17 games across all competitions, becoming the first English team to do so since Sunderland in 1927. The Reds have scored nine more times than league leaders Chelsea. It's the most Liverpool have scored at this stage of a league campaign (13 games).
If they continue their scorching scoring ways, The Reds could achieve many more landmarks this season. Manchester City's record of 106 goals in the 2017-18 campaign could be achievable too.
