Just home from an enjoyable weekend on Merseyside with the wife. Even managed a 'ferry across the mersey' and a wander round the museum yesterday morning to ease the pre-match nerves.
The reality is that we were beaten quite comfortably by a very good Liverpool team, and their front three really are a handful.
I really hope that I am proved wrong, but I remain to be convinced by Vestergaard (what on earth was he doing at the second goal), I don't think that Targett added anything, and Lemina had an absolute stinker (I felt that he played with the intensity of a training match).
More positively I thought that Shane Long worked hard (if isolated), Armstrong showed some nice touches, and the defence looked more solid after Bednarek came on.
As a footnote I would like to pay tribute to the Saints support, who I thought were brilliant. Living in Scotland I only see maybe half a dozen games a season, mainly in the north but occasionally at St Mary's (or Wembley !). I was proud to be a Saint yesterday. The healthy reaction to Shane Long's substitution and the rousing reception given to the team at the end was heart-warming. Despite the game being dead and buried at half-time the fans stayed with the team throughout. My man of the match goes to the chap with the hat and yellow shirt near the front of section 123 who kept the singing going throughout. His support, humour and wit were infectious. Very well played !