Liverpool ended the season with an eight-goal match
No longer a goal in the final round, Southampton and Liverpool together contributed a double match for the audience. The relegated team shot 14 times, while the fifth-placed team shot 16 times.
Liverpool started better. The former champion soon took the initiative and controlled the ball. In the 10th minute, the Southampton defense collapsed under the pressure of the away team. Romeo Lavia failed to pass in the penalty area, inadvertently allowing Diogo Jota to shoot into an empty goal to open the score for Liverpool.
After the first goal, the Southampton defense continued to lose focus. They once again had to pay the price in the 14th minute. Roberto Firmino dribbled comfortably in front of three defenders, then shot "needle" goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
Leading 2-0 easily, it was Liverpool's turn to play subjectively. The away team's defense many times did not include the opponent's striker. In which, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold became the weakest link. In the 19th minute, taking advantage of Alexander-Arnold's moment of neglect, James Ward-Prowse sank to shorten the score to 1-2.
Liverpool's central defenders also lacked concentration. Joel Matip and Joe Gomez don't really work well together, especially the offside traps. In the 28th minute, Theo Walcott poked a slot for Sulemana to press Matip's face, and then shot through goalkeeper Kelleher's hand.
Southampton's two quick equalizers made Liverpool really embarrassed. The former champion deployed less offensively from the end of the first half. Alexander-Arnold and his teammates mainly shoot from long distances, or cross the ball without ideas. Meanwhile, Southampton continued to threaten the away team's goal with counterattacks.
47 minutes, the home team once again surprised. After the ball in the middle, Sulemana cut the right foot to raise the score to 3-2. Kelleher is almost exclusively shadow-watching.
Not stopping at a goal difference, Southampton continued to race with Liverpool's slow defense. In the 64th minute, Adam Armstrong led the ball into the left edge of the penalty area, then sank to raise the score to 4-2.
Liverpool must concede four goals in a game for the first time since the 1-4 defeat to Man City on April 1. At this point, the former champion really woke up. When they found a connection, they showed the same ability to score as well as at the beginning of the game.
In the 72nd minute, Alexander-Arnold made atonement with a sinking cross for Cody Gakpo to cushion the ball, shortening the score to 3-4. And a minute later, from Mohamed Salah's assist, Jota shot into the top corner to equalize 4-4.
Liverpool finished the tournament with 67 points from 38 games. They are four points behind the fourth ranked team Newcastle. Liverpool will join sixth place Brighton in the Europa League next season. With 75 goals, Liverpool is the third highest scoring team in the 2022-2023 Premier League. They are only behind Man City with 94 goals and Arsenal with 88 goals.
Meanwhile, Southampton are at the bottom of the table with 25 points. Coach Ruben Selles' team had to be relegated to the First Division next season along with Leicester City and Leeds United. The last time Southampton played in the First Division was in the 2011-2012 season, when James Ward-Prowse was 17 years old.
