Southampton 3 Liverpool 2

What a stirring comeback by Southampton. And what a damning collapse by Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp’s team appeared set to continue their late charge for Champions League qualification when Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge shot them into a two-goal lead here, but Ronald Koeman’s side, despite missing a penalty just after half-time, hit back with three goals in the second period to bolster their own hopes of gatecrashing the top four.

Southampton had come into the match level on points with the visitors but ultimately deserved to pull clear of them. Indeed, they had been a tad unfortunate to fall behind in the first place.

A bottleneck on the roads around St Mary’s had forced Liverpool to arrive at the ground later than planned, and within minutes of kick-off Dejan Lovren found himself in another jam. The Croat’s improved performances have been one of the features of Liverpool’s resurgence but here, faced with relentless harassment by Shane Long, he lapsed back into the sloppy form of his early Liverpool days. In the eighth minute he misjudged the flight of the ball in the eighth minute to allow it to run to Long. The Irishman collected it and scampered into the box before cutting across the retreating defender and collapsing to the ground. Southampton demanded a penalty but the referee, Roger East, seemingly concluded that Long had tried too hard to turn contact into a foul so signalled for play to continue.

Angered but undeterred, Southampton continued to alarm Liverpool’s defence, which the hosts cut apart with panache in the 10th minute. But following a splendid exchange between Steven Davis and Dusan Tadic, Graziano Pellè volleyed just over from 15 yards.

Long continued to pester the visiting defence but Lovren foiled him with a superb sliding tackle in the 16th minute.

Liverpool’s only effort up to that point had been a banal long shot by Sturridge, which Fraser Forster saved easily. But after the impressive Adam Lallana won possession in midfield the goalkeeper was taken by surprise two minutes later when Coutinho curled a sumptuous shot past him from 25 yards.

Forster seemed to react to the shot a little late, as if stunned not so much by the fact that the Brazilian would try to put him from so far out but by his decision to aim for the side of the goal that the goalkeeper appeared to have covered.

The goal was like a turbocharge to Liverpool, who threatened to zoom well out the hosts’ reach. Divock Origi set up a second goal five minutes after the first by loping 40 yards forward and passing to Sturridge, who used Cuco Martina as a shield as he fired a low left-footed shot beyond Forster from the right.

Southampton enjoyed plenty of possession but could not match the sharpness of Liverpool, who continued to attack in dangerous spurts. Joe Allen led one such burst in the 26th minute and should have finished it, too, but the midfielder shot too close to Forster after excellent interplay with Lallana and Emre Can. Sturridge also finished weakly following a similar move before the break. Ronald Koeman had spoken beforehand of his determination to avenge December’s 6-1 victory here in the Capital One Cup but he must have been beginning to fear a repeat embarrassment.

The Dutchman sought to avert that by making a double-substitution at half-time, introducing Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mané for Jordy Clasie and Tadic. Klopp, meanwhile, used the interval to replace Lovren with Martin Skrtel, presumably because the Croat’s ongoing problems with Long – who he was booked for fouling mid-way through the first period – looking liable to give the hosts a route back into the game with a costly second foul. But if Skrtel’s mission was to ensure that Liverpool calmly navigated their way to victory, he scuppered the plan within five minutes because he perpetrated a foul more oafish than anything produced by Lovren, conceding a penalty in the 50th minute for tugging Pelle’s shirt. But Simon Mignolet reprieved the defender by saving Mané’s spotkick.

But Southampton were encouraged, nonetheless, and Liverpool’s defence remained rickety. Despite his penalty save Mignolet was exacerbating the jitters, his attempts to clear crosses anything but convincing. Southampton caused another scare on the hour when Virgil Van Dijk got his head to a free-kick and nodded the ball across the face of goal, but Mané could not reach it to apply the tap in. In the 64th minute, however, the Senegalese was not to be denied. After Southampton won possession in midfield, Mané received the ball and skipped past Sakho before planting the ball past Mignolet from eight yards.

Liverpool may have been creaking defensively but they continued to threaten at the other end. Christian Benteke should have reopened a two-goal gap shortly after replacing Sturridge in the 70th minute, but after being sent clear by Lallana, the Belgian dragged his shot badly wide. For Liverpool that attempted finish contrasted painfully with the one produced by Pellè seven minutes from full-time, the Italian lashing the ball into the visitors’ net from 20 yards.

Liverpool could not even hold on for a point. And Southampton were not about to settle for one. Three minutes after conceding the equaliser, Mignolet triggered renewed panic at the back with a weak kick. Skrtel and Allen confused each other as they attempted to tidy up, and Mané made the most of the mess by collecting the ball, holding off Sakho and firing in the winning goal.

(Guardian service)