Premier League 2021-22: Liverpool beat Southampton, keep title hopes alive
Liverpool edged past Southampton 2-1 to take the fight for the Premier League 2021-22 title to the last gameweek on Sunday. After leaders Manchester City dropped valuable points, the Reds made sure they reduced the gap to one point. There is everything to play for now as both City and Liverpool will need to handle their nerves well. Here are further details.
How did the match pan out?
Nathan Redmond gave Southampton a 13th-minute lead with a curling right-foot shot. A second-string Liverpool side showed resilience as Takumi Minamino leveled before half-time. The visitors took a deserved lead after 67 minutes when defender Joel Matip placed his header over Saints' keeper Alex McCarthy. The Reds dominated possession and had 24 shots. Notably, five of them were on target.
A look at City and Liverpool's situation
Manchester City are top of the Premier League 2021-22 standings. Having played 37 games, City have notched 28 wins, six draws, and 3 losses (90 points). They have scored 96 goals, besides conceding 24. Liverpool are placed second, having won 27, drawn eight, and losing twice. They have 89 points from 37 games. They have scored 91 goals, besides conceding 25.
Unique record for Joel Matip
As per Opta, Matip has ended on the winning side in all eight Premier League matches when he's scored. Notably, he's only lost 10 of his 125 Premier League appearances (8%), the lowest ratio of any of the 1,081 players to appear at least 100 times in the competition's history.
Crucial numbers for the Reds
The Reds are the only side yet to lose a Premier League match in 2022. Jurgen Klopp's men remain unbeaten in their first 18 matches this year (W15 D3). Minamino has become the fifth Liverpool player to score 10-plus goals in all competitions for Liverpool this season after Mohamed Salah (30), Sadio Mane (22), Diogo Jota (21), and Roberto Firmino (11).
