Saints 1 Liverpool 0 - Meltdown Thread

Clasie was good tonight in his usual way but its mad that despite a year and half of targetted training and adaptation to English football he still can't last anywhere near 90mins in a vaguely up tempo match.

Can't remember watching a Saints player in 30 years who gets cramp as often as him!

Good win. Pity it was not worth 3 points

You'll have to excuse me for ignoring the doom laden predictions for the second leg from all the people who didn't give us a hope in this game.

We're more than capable of going through. This was the sort of really good, disciplined performance that could see it happen. Have to regret the missed chances but they rarely looked like scoring.

Romeu man of the match followed by Yoshida. Redmond was really lively in the first half and parts of the second, making stuff happen but getting nervy when it came to the big moments...except for the goal of course!

It's games such as that where you can easily see why some people can make the correlation between referees and brown paper envelopes.

 

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Yep. People would argue that there weren't any "howlers" from the ref but it's the little ones that add up and make the difference. A push here, a throw in decision there, booking Rodriguez for a tired shirt pull and yet not booking Lucas for clattering Romeu and stopping us breaking. So frustrating, but obviously won't be scrutinised by the media because it all fits in with their agenda of getting a United-Liverpool final.

Clasie was good tonight in his usual way but its mad that despite a year and half of targetted training and adaptation to English football he still can't last anywhere near 90mins in a vaguely up tempo match.

 

Can't remember watching a Saints player in 30 years who gets cramp as often as him!

It is mad. It kind of hampers him from ever really pushing on if we cant get consistent 90 minute performances out of him.

Forgot to add Clasie to my list of players who are often criticised but were fantastic tonight, i've never been convinced by him myself but tonight he was everywhere, top performance

Cracking performance and night.

Only moans are we didn't score more, just one more goal would have made a huge difference, also thought we were quiet considering the game.

Romeu and Van Dijk were excellent, sometimes try to do too much though and cover everything.

Clasie was good tonight in his usual way but its mad that despite a year and half of targetted training and adaptation to English football he still can't last anywhere near 90mins in a vaguely up tempo match.

 

Can't remember watching a Saints player in 30 years who gets cramp as often as him!

Luke Shaw.

Great win tonight, frustrating it wasn't more when it so easily could have been.

Clasie was good tonight in his usual way but its mad that despite a year and half of targetted training and adaptation to English football he still can't last anywhere near 90mins in a vaguely up tempo match.

 

Can't remember watching a Saints player in 30 years who gets cramp as often as him!

Not sure, but it seemed like he injured himself a bit after that terrible miss kick. He never got up from that.

Thought Yoshida, Clasie, VVD and Romeu we're outstanding. Can't believe I am disappointed with a 1 nil win we deserved more.

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Strange that a lot of the usual melts are conspicuous by their absence here tonight.

There's always a chance! Great result and a brilliant performance. Thought Romeu was motm and Jay looking better every minute. Clasie also had a very good game and Yoshia once again made his critics look foolish. Should have been 3 or 4 goals, but we're 1-0 up at half time in a cup semi final against Liverpool so happy days!

Once again Lallana bottles it on his return to St Mary's

1 goal probably won't be enough but we're in a good position

Proud of that display from us tonight, were the better team for the final 70 minutes, and it really should be at least 3-0 which wouldn't have flattered us in the slightest.

 

Only negatives were the chances we missed, and the referee. Once again we are treated to one of the most inept displays of refereeing at St Mary's this season. Are these clueless ****s accountable to anyone? Even Liverpool fans admit how biased he was.

 

As long as we don't go to Anfield intending to protect the 1-0 lead we could really do this. Be nice to have another striker in the team by the time we head up there. How vital that away goal could be for us!

Away goal?

A draw will see us through or a loss by not more than one goal.

In my opinion, Fonte decision totally correct, doesn't want to play for us so jog on, Yosihida very good tonight, now on to Burnley.

So we beat one of the strongest teams in the Premiership and keep a clean sheet even though some so called supporters were tipping us to lose 1-3 and it still isn't good enough for some. Perhaps they would be good enough to tell us how often a team scores from every chance they make. It was a brilliant result and we should be celebrating instead of all this if only crap!

Enjoyed tonight and we certainly played well.

I can't help feeling that we need that Cortinho bloke to be injured for the 2nd leg.

Looks too dangerous and we all know he can score cracking goals against us.

Got hardly any voice left, chuffed with the result, should have scored more, Ref was rubbish, and Judas La Rat barely a touch (not enough boos for him I might add, that was me in block 42).

Which meltdown was our best?

Summer 2014, Winter 2015/16, Summer 2016 or Winter 2016/7?

Quite a few people saying how good Clasie was today, I didn't see it. A few neat passes but I find he never seems to win the ball in tackles (unlike Romeu and Schneiderlin who have/had a knack of always getting a foot on the ball). He also doesn't seem to be very quick off the mark to pick up loose balls. Maybe I'm missing something, especially if he did his good work in second half as it was further from where I was sitting and harder to notice! But I'm still unconvinced.

Enjoyed tonight and we certainly played well.

I can't help feeling that we need that Cortinho bloke to be injured for the 2nd leg.

Looks too dangerous and we all know he can score cracking goals against us.

Should have brought Stephens on in injury time to absolutely wallop him. Worth hanging on with 10 men for the last 30 seconds to put him out of the second leg.

I've never been a betting man but 'Liverpool to win by 2 goals' seems like a license to print money right now.

Superb performance. Let's go and finish the job at Anfield.

Away goal?

 

A draw will see us through or a loss by not more than one goal.

A loss by not more than one goal is fine if it's 2-1 or 3-2, if they win 1-0 though it goes to ET and Pens and I'd rather avoid that!

Shout out for Yoshida.

He has been an excellent professional for us.

If he was starting CB for the rest of the season, would that be so bad?

Shout out for Yoshida.

 

He has been an excellent professional for us.

 

If he was starting CB for the rest of the season, would that be so bad?

+1. Did one dodgy pass tonight and that was about it.

Just a draw in anfield pleaaaase

Should have brought Stephens on in injury time to absolutely wallop him. Worth hanging on with 10 men for the last 30 seconds to put him out of the second leg.

 

I've never been a betting man but 'Liverpool to win by 2 goals' seems like a license to print money right now.

Love your thinking and I totally agree we should of done it.

So we beat Liverpool managed by one of the best managers in World football, we kept one of the most dynamic forward lines in the Premier League quiet and even stopped Coutinho scoring his trademark St Marys usual, collecting the ball on the left, move in field on his right and hit a worldly from 30 yards.

 

So 90 mins from our major final in years sitting 10th in the best and most competitive league in the world football all with a xxit team, xxit players, xxit manager and xxit board.

 

Well done Saints some of us till believe.

 

What a great way to mark the young lad passing away bang on 20mins, its as if Mr Liebherr was just letting us know, what a gift for the family.

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Quite a few people saying how good Clasie was today, I didn't see it. A few neat passes but I find he never seems to win the ball in tackles (unlike Romeu and Schneiderlin who have/had a knack of always getting a foot on the ball). He also doesn't seem to be very quick off the mark to pick up loose balls. Maybe I'm missing something, especially if he did his good work in second half as it was further from where I was sitting and harder to notice! But I'm still unconvinced.

You missed all the interceptions, blocks , foot ins, destroying of attacks he did tonight.

He isn't a ping it 40 yards but a disrupt. Read pass it simple player.

Was very good alongside Romeu

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Well done Claud Puel, two clean sheets against the team that everyone is raving about.

We were superbly set up tonight, ten players behind the ball condensing any space for Liverpool to exploit and we looked a real threat on the counter attack. We got the ball forward quickly, and pressed their defence into errors.

Well done too for Puel resting our first choice midfield and strikers on Saturday at Norwich, we looked fresh and his decision was vindicated

A great performance from the whole team.

Not a bad result. They now have to score two to beat us, and couldn't score one tonight. And if we speak an.away goal, the pressure's really on

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Saints fans,

Congrats on the win tonight - written up some thoughts on the game as a neutral. Felt Van Dijk and Romeu were excellent - http://www.TheFootbalLab.co.uk/2017/southampton-1-0-liverpool-four-things-we-learnt/

Good luck for the rest of the season.

Yep. People would argue that there weren't any "howlers" from the ref but it's the little ones that add up and make the difference. A push here, a throw in decision there, booking Rodriguez for a tired shirt pull and yet not booking Lucas for clattering Romeu and stopping us breaking. So frustrating, but obviously won't be scrutinised by the media because it all fits in with their agenda of getting a United-Liverpool final.

How Lucas got away with that is beyond me. Worst decision of the night, and there were plenty of bad ones, almost all against us.Great night though, and one in the eye for the doom mongers.

To be fair, I actually fancy Puel to be able to do a job on them up there. 0-0 would just be perfect.

Trying not to get excited by the prospect of Wembley, but it's hard tonight.

Great performance

Best that Yoshida and Romeu have played in a Saints shirt in mY view

Solid display from Forster

Great all round display and everyone that came on from the bench did their bit

Best display from the players in a very long time in terms of togetherness and playing as a unit. A real shame we didn't get a second goal, but we can use the exact same game plan again at Anfield and we are going to be very difficult to beat

Should have brought Stephens on in injury time to absolutely wallop him. Worth hanging on with 10 men for the last 30 seconds to put him out of the second leg.

 

I've never been a betting man but 'Liverpool to win by 2 goals' seems like a license to print money right now.

Should have been Crock him for the 1st Yellow then get an early shower for wiping out that spawny git Sturridge. 2 games down the Saints and not had to see that stupid dance of his.

Just back from the game. Excellent performance from the whole team, maybe Tadic the only player below par.

Difficult to pick a MotM, but I'll give my vote to Redmond. Yes, he missed a few chances but he ran himself into the ground for the team today and his chipped effort that hit the bar was sublime.

Special mention for JRod who is starting to look like his pre-injury self and for Yoshida who filled Fonte's boots with aplomb.

And a final mention for the ref who was absolutely dire.

Can see us finishing the job at Anfield, especially if the players are as psyched up for it as they were tonight.

That's more like it. There seemed much more of an intensity with and without the ball tonight. Van Dijk, Romeu and Yoshida were top class. A shoutout to Jay Rod as well - he put in one hell of a shift up top and thought his link up play was pretty decent. Lets go and get something at Burnley now, with a similar looking line up.

What a performance Saints. Did not see that coming at all. Well played Claude that was spot on. More of the same going forward please.

One nil up with ten minutes to go in a semi final and still people are leaving early in their hundreds. Nice one bus mongs.

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You missed all the interceptions, blocks , foot ins, destroying of attacks he did tonight.

He isn't a ping it 40 yards but a disrupt. Read pass it simple player.

Was very good alongside Romeu

 

 

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Agreed, Clasie was immense tonight as were Davis and Romeu. Together they bossed the midfield for a large part of the match.

Played a lot better tonight. Shame Redmond did'nt take more chances as I don't think a one goal cushion is enough.

And that basically is the cogent summary. In isolation, we beat Liverpool 1-0, but over 2 legs we have missed the chance tonight to put it beyond them. Sadly Redmond was right to acknowlege he should have scored 2 or more of those.

A loss by not more than one goal is fine if it's 2-1 or 3-2, if they win 1-0 though it goes to ET and Pens and I'd rather avoid that!

No, it works on aggregate. The away goals only break an aggregate draw after extra time. In other words, 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 to them (etc.) sends it into extra time (30 more minutes). If it's still a draw at the end of extra time, Saints win on the away goals rule (away goals counting double).

Clasie was brilliant tonight tbh. Daring to dream but not sure 1 is enough. So unlucky with Redmond in second half off bar. Ref was awful.

One nil up with ten minutes to go in a semi final and still people are leaving early in their hundreds. Nice one bus mongs.

 

 

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It just boggles the mind!

I voted Romeu as MOTD but surprised Davis and Bertrand aren't close 2nds with VVD and Yoshida.

Redmond really wasn't that good overall but at least he scored his first chance.

Well done Saints. Great effort. Yes, we could have had more, but let's be honest, we would all have taken 1-0 at kick off!

Key in second leg must be to look to score, play for 0-0 and we will lose. We counter attacked well today at times though and that gives hope for us to grab a goal at Anfield.

Hope we can be more positive now for Burnley and carry some confidence into that game, especially Redmond. Would like to see minimal changes, then rest them in Norwich game.

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Really good performance , especially the clean sheet. I'd have taken 0-0 at the start. I've said all along that our only chance of winning is their complacency . Had we won 3-0 tonight (as we should have) they'd have no no option but to come at us all guns blazing from minute one with a full side. They are at their best when they play like that. Hopefully this result will make them think they've just got to turn up to win and we can do a Beer Shavar on them.

OR was my mom, closely followed by JRod. FF looked good and of course VvD was excellent .

Special mention for Yoshida , under a lot of pressure tonight and did well. I listened to talk sport on the way up and fans ringing in saying Fonte this & Fonte that. Turned to Solent and Merrington doing the same. Yoshida has been as good as him this season and for wanting to stay here, deserves the nod over someone who wants out.

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Great performance and now they need to show that level of commitment week in week out.

Really interested to see if the togetherness on show tonight was as a result of Fonte being exiled (media saying club and Puel want nothing to to do with him after a big falling out). Certainly they seemed far more together than for some time.

We got a result at Arsenal and we can get a result at Anfield. A draw will be enough and we are capable of that if we play like tonight.

One nil up with ten minutes to go in a semi final and still people are leaving early in their hundreds. Nice one bus mongs.

 

 

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Incredible wasn't it?

I've vented my frustration recently about how we play, but puel' s tactics are perfect against a side that has more possession and tries to attack.

Outwitted klopp as far as I'm concerned, and, after the goal, saw an intensity and level that we've struggled to reach in recent times.

To a man, they played their frickin socks off.

Not picking anyone out tonight.

The pessimist in me says those missed chances will cost us. If we stop em from turning us over in the 2nd leg I'll be amazed. And elated!

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