Liverpool closing in on EPL leaders Chelsea

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Liverpool turned up the unit connected English Premier League person Chelsea by coasting to a 2nd successive 4-0 triumph astatine Anfield, with Southampton the overpowered squad this time.

Southampton was dispatched connected Saturday arsenic comfortably arsenic Arsenal was a week agone arsenic Jurgen Klopp's broadside moved wrong a constituent of Chelsea, successful the process becoming the archetypal top-flight squad to people 2 oregon much goals for 17 consecutive matches successful each competitions since Sunderland successful 1927.

Liverpool has scored 39 times successful 13 matches and nary subordinate has much Premier League goals individually this play than immoderate of the starting beforehand 3 — Mohamed Salah (11), Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota (both seven).

Jota added a mates to his tally from a combined region of 7 yards, midfielder Thiago Alcantara made it 2 successful 2 games soon earlier halftime disconnected a deflected strike, and Virgil van Dijk killed disconnected immoderate fanciful hopes of a Southampton comeback conscionable aft the break.

It was the cleanable mentation heading into a midweek Merseyside derby against Everton astatine Goodison Park, which marks a reunion with erstwhile Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

The inclination for Southampton, however, remains a downward 1 aft past week's nonaccomplishment astatine Norwich.

Only 3 league wins each play leaves the squad 5 points supra the bottommost three.

Southampton had not won astatine Anfield since 2013 oregon scored connected its past 5 visits truthful the omens were not good, but conceding the fastest extremity of the Premier League play — aft conscionable 97 seconds — was the worst imaginable start.

The returning Andy Robertson, who was 1 of six changes from the midweek Champions League triumph implicit Porto, resumed his marauding near backmost relation aft not starting the past 2 matches due to the fact that of injury.

He combined with Mane down the near to get to the byline and propulsion backmost a transverse for Jota to people from adjacent range.

Mane's header from Robertson's escaped footwear was ruled retired for offside portion Salah curled a changeable wide of the acold station aft robbing Mohammed Salisu connected the borderline of the area.

After Jordan Henderson ballooned implicit a bully chance, Jota doubled his tally successful the 32nd infinitesimal with the 700th extremity of Klopp's tenure aft Southampton was chopped unfastened down its close broadside this time.

Thiago's ambitious cross-field walk was recovered by Trent Alexander-Arnold, who fed Salah. He collected a clever instrumentality walk from Henderson and slid a debased transverse which Jota could not miss.

The Portugal planetary was denied a archetypal fractional chapeau instrumentality by a artifact from Lyanco but the Southampton defender could lone deflect successful the shot erstwhile Thiago blasted a changeable from conscionable wrong the country moments aboriginal aft a delicious driblet of the enarthrosis opened up the space.

But for each its superiority successful the last third, Klopp's broadside was inactive leaving the backmost doorway open, and had the visitors been sharper they would person had thing to amusement for their first-half efforts.

Armando Broja was denied by Alisson Becker aft nipping successful beforehand of, and outpacing, Ibrahima Konate portion Liverpool's goalkeeper saved good down to his close to contradict the unmarked Adam Armstrong, who looked definite to score.

Mane's disposable annoyance erstwhile Salah failed to find neither him nor Jota successful a three-on-two interruption indicated determination would beryllium nary letting up. And soon aft halftime, the 4th extremity duly arrived courtesy of a debased volley by Van Dijk from Alexander-Arnold's right-wing corner.

Konate's sliding artifact and betterment to contradict Armstrong, unneurotic with Alisson, from a Saints counterattack preserved a 3rd successive cleanable sheet.

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