Liverpool scored when they wanted, Southampton were relieved to avoid another 9-0 hiding. The Premier League cliche of any team being able to beat another looked fanciful given the extreme one-sided nature of events at Anfield.
Saints resistance was broken by Diogo Jota after just one minute and 51 seconds. By the time he and Thiago Alcantara had added goals before half-time, it was game over.
Southampton, whose experimental three-man defence was a disaster, must have feared a repeat of drubbings against Leicester and Manchester United when their former player Virgil van Dijk made it 4-0 after 52 minutes.
Fortunately for them, Liverpool declared after that with Jurgen Klopp removing the influential Jordan Henderson and Thiago with a midweek Merseyside derby against Everton in mind.
