Liverpool 3-1 Southampton: Player Ratings

Henry Jackson

@HenryJackson87

March 8, 2025

Liverpool beat Southampton 3-1 at Anfield, with a number of players improving after poor first-half performances. Subs, though, proved highly effective.

Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

Premier League (29), Anfield
March 8, 2025

Goals: Smallbone 45+1′; Nunez 51′, Salah pens 54′, 87′

Alisson – 6 (out of 10)

After a legendary performance against Paris Saint-Germain, Alisson was part of a horrible mix-up that led to Southampton opening the scoring.

Virgil van Dijk was arguably more at fault, but the Brazilian didn’t cover himself in glory, not dealing with the situation at all.

Otherwise, he was his usual reliable self.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8 (Man of the Match)

In the first half, Alexander-Arnold was one of the few who could hold his head high.

Granted, he wasn’t at his world-class best, but he tried to bring pace and quality to the attack, seeing a couple of shots blocked.

A good display overall, as Liverpool’s vice-captain continued to shine after the break, with no player winning more duels (seven), per FotMob.

Ibrahima Konate – 7

Konate was never going to be as busy as he was against PSG, but he was good while others struggled.

There was nothing eye-catching about his performance, but he used the ball well and was reliable in his defensive work.

Even came marauding forward in stoppage time for good measure!

Virgil van Dijk – 6

Van Dijk has been colossal all season long, but he was awful for Will Smallbone’s opener, simply not clearing the danger.

It was a sloppy, lethargic moment that summed Liverpool’s opening 45 minutes.

Like Alisson, the skipper was otherwise dependable, but he wasn’t tested a huge amount.

Kostas Tsimikas – 5

Brought in for Andy Robertson, Tsimikas didn’t do enough to justify his selection.

The Greek was booked in the first half, while his crossing was inconsistent, at times failing to beat the first man.

Replaced at the break.

Ryan Gravenberch – 6

Gravenberch’s level has dipped in recent weeks, with fatigue seemingly beginning to catch up with him.

There was good and bad on show against Southampton, with one mazy run inside the box catching the eye, but his influence was sometimes lacking.

Gravenberch covered so much ground, making some important defensive contributions, but he could do with a breather soon.

Curtis Jones – 5

Jones played deeper alongside Gravenberch, but like so many, he failed to have the desired influence.

The 24-year-old fired wide early on and should probably have scored, and was guilty of holding onto the ball for too long.

Substituted at half-time.

Dominik Szoboszlai – 5

Szobsoszlai has been superb of late, but this was one of his more forgettable displays of the season.

Liverpool’s No. 8 worked hard, as he always does, but there was a lack of guile in the final third.

Like Tsimikas and Jones, hooked at the interval.

Mohamed Salah – 7

After a poor outing at PSG in midweek, Salah was again short of his best here.

But then he goes and scores twice!

Salah found himself on the periphery of the action to begin with, but he was much better in the second half, going third in Liverpool’s all-time list of goalscorers.

The penalties did mask an average display, but he was still the match-winner.

Luis Diaz – 6

Diaz is a frustrating player to watch, always giving his all, but too often lacking a killer instinct.

The Colombian was a mixed bag at Anfield, with one shot missing the target by an embarrassing distance, before teeing up Darwin Nunez for the equaliser.

Like so many, much better after half-time.

Darwin Nunez – 7

Nunez led the line for Liverpool, and for a while, it appeared to be another afternoon that showed why he isn’t the long-term answer.

He headed over and hit the target in the early exchanges, before picking up a stupid yellow card for a petulant foul, but he made it 1-1 with a good finish.

Nunez also won the penalty that Salah converted, ultimately having a big influence on the result.