It wasn't pretty, it was all about hard work but ultimately it was a point gained rather than two lost as Saints held the Premier League leaders at St Mary's.

Saints have been used to dominating the stats this season, but on Saturday against Liverpool at St Mary's the trend was reversed as Liverpool poured forward for most of the game leaving Saints to try and attack on the break and set pieces.

Liverpool had 65% of the possession, had 15 shots to Saints 3, but crucially they only got 2 on target both of which Fraser Forster dealt with well and that perhaps tells the story of the game where the men in stripes had to dig in work hard and earn a point against the in form side in the Premier League at the moment.

There are perhaps those that will moan about the lack of chances created by Saints, indeed we only had one of note, that came early in the second half where Cedric Soares got down the line and put in a peach of a cross that Charlie Austin headed narrowly wide, but this was a game to look at the good points in the performance and accept that the visitors were rampant and that we earned a point was testament to how well we battled.

Yes we had slices of luck, Liverpool when they did get a sight of goal wasted at least three sitters, but sometimes you have to ride your luck, dig in and grind out a point and this was one of those games.

The truth was this was a Saints side missing key players and with several of those both on the pitch and on the bench not 100% fit, Cedric Soares for instance hasn't kicked a ball in anger in seven weeks through injury and like Soufiane Boufal, Shane Long and Jay Rodriguez is on the road to full match fitness and sharpness rather that in peak condition, none of these four let us down and neither did Ryan Bertrand and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg who were carrying knocks from the international break, even Fraser Forster in goal had been on the treatment table this week, that's over half of those who played not quite 100 %, there is no one questioning the spirit of the squad or it's commitment to Claude Puel after this game.

So overall this was certainly a point gained, yes it was disappointing that we didn't create more, but remember this was a Liverpool side at the top of their game, who had scored 10 goals in their last two league games and had gone to Arsenal and won, gone to Chelsea and won drawn at Spurs and only lost once all season.

Hard to pick a Saints man of the match, there was no one outstanding in that every man did his job and did it well.

Now Saints have a good base to build on going into an important week of fixtures, winning at Sparta Prague will put us on the cusp of winning the Europa League group, beating Everton will not only be satisfying but take us within a couple of points of them and then we go to Arsenal looking to win and go into the semi final draw.

This result is the foundation for that and we have an exciting week ahead, such are our standards these days tenth in the league is seen as a disaster, but the reality is that it is a good place to be given the issues we have had this season, three years ago this was the peak of our ambitions, now we are looking much higher.

Photo: Action Images

corkcitysaint added 14:03 - Nov 20 Prior to the game I would have been happy with a point. Watching the game, I was delighted to come out with a point. For the first time in a long time, we were battered from start to finish. I felt we played a lot better against Chelsea and got nothing from it so to get a point yesterday was a bonus. Especially as L'pool are the "in form" team at the moment. The bad news is we really were woeful trying to keep possession or to go forward. In a game like this, when you have the ball you've got to retain it to take some of the pressure off. I thought our defence really stood up yesterday with VVD getting in a fantastic block on Mane. What we seem to lack in a match like this is a hold -up player like Pelle was. Just to shield the ball upfront and bring in players to the attack. None of our current forwards play like that, all being of a smilier vain. When Austin did get the ball, he was totally isolated. A very frustrating game for a forward. I felt in many ways, we gave L'pool too much respect. Yes, they are dangerous on the attack but we offered no threat to them at all in attack so it just put tremendous pressure on our defensive unit. This time it held up but we need to learn from this game. All in all a point gained but it just makes the result at Hull where we there away 3 points all the more crucial. We can't afford to let that happen again.

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bstokesaint added 14:34 - Nov 20 Just relieved that none of the former Saints scores against us. Not sure I could have handled the forum fallout! Watching the game back I'm amazed we got anything. More class defending from VVD and some typically inept refereeing from Clattenburg saved the day. It's not often I say a point at home is a good one, but this definitely was. Make no mistake, for the first time in a very long time I can see this Liverpool team winning the league.

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PezzaSaint added 14:53 - Nov 20 Only occasionally get to go to St Mary's, but this is certainly the first time I've seen the Saints so up against it, we played as if we were the away team. I do however feel that it was probably the best way to play against Liverpool in their current form. I felt we carried far to many players yesterday to try and match Liverpool and had we played a more expansive game then I think they would have carved us open. Not at all impressed with Redmond and Boufal has got to do a lot more than that! We were better when Shane Long came on, chasing in behind and making their defenders turn around. A point against a very good Liverpool team was an excellent result in the end.

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highfield49 added 15:03 - Nov 20 I'm not bothered about Liverpool's woes, cows backside and banjo day for them, but the game highlighted our, regularly identified, failure to score goals at the other end. The problem is how to rectify the situation because quality finishers are thin on the ground in our price bracket. If only we could attract players like Lacazette, who Arsenal reportedly failed to sign despite an offer of £30m and retain players like Mane. The answer is, of course, we can't and moaning about the owner, board, lack of ambition etc, etc isn't going to alter the situation. I think Boufal can and will start contributing but we clearly missed Tadic, who is probably our most creative asset, and badly need goals from midfield. All of that has been said before and it's frustrating knowing that the team is possibly only one player short of being really competitive. That said I'm convinced that Puel will do everything possible to find the solution and maybe Sam Gallagher will prove to be the next Rickie Lambert.

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saintmark1976 added 15:28 - Nov 20 In the corresponding fixture last year we came from two goals down to win three/two with goals from Pele and Mane.I think we also had a penalty which was missed. This season the manager (through no fault of his own) has no option but to put out a team to play for a draw, which by good defending and poor Liverpool finishing hangs on for a point. Says it all really.

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steve73 added 15:44 - Nov 20 Decent point against a good side. From early on you could tell that 0-0 was the best we could hope for because we were never going to score, weren't even set up to try and win. Given that the strikers only purpose in the game was to chase down long clearances then Shane Long really should have started. With his pace and their high line we could even have nicked it. Quite entertaining for a goalless draw I thought.

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Ali_Diarea added 15:54 - Nov 20 We didn't grind out a draw, we simply benefited from some woeful finishing. This game showed the gulf between our back 5 plus Romeu and the rest of our team. We offered nothing going forward, we don't have the technical players that can keep possession and we didn't have the tactical nous to hit them with speed on the counter through Long and Redmond. Our most expensive ever signing is just back-up to Tadic, we don't have the luxury of having both in the team. What annoyed me about Boufal yesterday was his inability to keep possession and when he gave it away cheaply he simply apologised rather than running back to win it back. Did anyone else see Austin after the game in the service station with 12 Krispy Kremes? No wonder he's so slow!

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law101 added 17:10 - Nov 20 We need a striker, not an over weight Sunday league player!
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Ronnie added 17:12 - Nov 20 At the end of the game I have to say that I was happy with the point, but was very disappointed that all we did was "park the bus" - I have not seen a Saints team play with one idea in mind and that was to get men behind the ball and defend. It was very frustrating to watch as our players backed away until Liverpool players were about 40 yards from goal. On the few occasions that we did break, we either lost the ball or only had one striker on his own against 3 or 4 defenders. Yes, our defence was very good, but that was not the sort of football I want to watch regularly against the top sides. What a difference it was to last season's game. Some comments have been about how Liverpool were rampant, which was true, but it was largely because we allowed them or even encouraged them to be!!

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dirk_doone added 17:14 - Nov 20 Although he's got dodgy knees and was clearly limping and in pain yesterday, Austin was still faster and more skilful than Redmond. He may not be the quickest of players but he's till a lot quicker than Redmond. People confuse the fact that Redmond looks like he should be a good sprinter with his actual pace or lack of it.
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A1079 added 17:23 - Nov 20 Nick. The point would have been a good point, had we not lost at Hull City where we were by far the better team but wasted endless opportunities as per usual. The second point is, you say we have moved forward. How can we have moved forward when last year we went into games such as this believing we had a chance, now we go into them hoping to get a draw! In essence, given recent form by Liverpool, a point does look good and our defence were excellent - Cedric, Fonte, Van Dijk and Bertrand. Romeu worked hard. However, our midfield and attack gave the ball away too cheaply. What little possession we had it lacked pace and forward play. Austin has no pace, Redmond was largely ineffective. Hogbjerg got better as the game went on but took along time to get into the game. Boufal - hardly noticed him. Whether it is someone in the bottom half or the top, it is difficult to see where our goals in the PL are going to come from. Puel will get it right and if we don't mess up next close season again may be he will be allowed to build the team and style to take us to the next level and be able to compete again against the likes of Liverpool etc. Liverpool missed some sitters but our defence was great and at the end of the game we have to be grateful for the point, but if in reality we cannot compete with these teams at the top we certainly need to beat the teams around us, so Hull was a very poor result for us. I am not down by our performance but feel some frustration that again we seem to be spending a season re-building rather than progressing.

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lemmsy added 18:29 - Nov 20 Two important points here methinks, comparing this result with last seasons is irrelevant. This is a different Liverpool side that most people consider to be serious title contenders & it's very early days for boufan, many top players can take at least 1/2 a season to adapt to pl.
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lemmsy added 18:29 - Nov 20 Two important points here methinks, comparing this result with last seasons is irrelevant. This is a different Liverpool side that most people consider to be serious title contenders & it's very early days for boufan, many top players can take at least 1/2 a season to adapt to pl.
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TeamCortese added 18:48 - Nov 20 Last season Liverpool finished 8th and we finished 6th. Since then Liverpool have strengthened their team and convinced a top, top manager to stay for their long-term goals. We lost a quality manager that got us better league finishes year-on-year with no clear reason. Some say he went for money, others say he went due to lack of ambition from Southampton and some go as far as saying he didn't work closely enough with the youth academy. The simple reality is this game shows a huge gulf in quality between us and Liverpool and more importantly that Liverpool will finish above us this season. Why? Well for starters we keep selling our best players to them and haven't invested adequately in previous transfer windows to maintain our position. Do we lack the finances? Well looking at the sponsorship deals; KL's net worth; the revenue made from the selling players, most probably not! Then why are we selling? Because our board have made a reputation of being a selling club and this has created a precedent of us being a stepping stone for players joining us. We can take as many positives from this result as much as we like but it is unacceptable for us to play for a draw at home against a team that we finished above last season. The only reason would be because Liverpool have a huge transfer kitty unmatched by any club in the the world and are able to build a dream team as a result of it. As far as I can remember Liverpool didn't spend more than 70 Million last summer. I knew before we kicked off we were going to get battered and it all the more highlights how good our defence is--especially VVD and Romeu! This is because we lack quality with our attackers to sufficiently threaten Liverpool's defence and it's pretty obvious the game was all about not conceding. This match has solidified my view on Redmond and Austin. Austin's work rate is pathetic and he should be put on the bench until he sorts it out. Redmond simply isn't good enough going forward. He hasn't got the potency required to really threaten top opposition. THE BOARD NEED TO GET OFF THEIR HIGH HORSE AND JUST PAY THE MONEY FOR STURRIDGE IN JANUARY! OR KL SHOULD JUST SELL TO A BUSINESS THAT ACTUALLY WANTS TO INVEST PROPERLY IN OUR FOOTBALL SQUAD.

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SanMarco added 18:51 - Nov 20 I, again, admire the impeccable loyalism of the verdict. It is possibly nearly time to "wake-up and smell the coffee" though. I, of course, echo those who say it was a fine fighting performance from the defence but that is where the good news ends and let's be brutally honest: Liverpool should have won and if they had got the first then at least one more would have followed. We are nowhere near as good as we were and that is because, while our defensive strengths are still there (subject to injury and suspension), we have nothing going forward. Yesterday we could have played until Christmas and not scored. I don't believe it is just not buying a forward. The whole system is malfunctioning. Any side that doesn't make a mistake at the back knows that they have a great chance against us. That will go for the lower sides as well as the big ones. If you lose the ball while attacking you can stop and have a cup of tea on the way back and still be there in time to watch Redmond disappear up his own Rse (that's if we even have the basic ball control and passing to get that far). My fear is that Puel will start to rebuild our pitiful attacking options over the summer only to find that the whole defence departs for places that already have an attack.

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SanMarco added 18:51 - Nov 20 I, again, admire the impeccable loyalism of the verdict. It is possibly nearly time to "wake-up and smell the coffee" though. I, of course, echo those who say it was a fine fighting performance from the defence but that is where the good news ends and let's be brutally honest: Liverpool should have won and if they had got the first then at least one more would have followed. We are nowhere near as good as we were and that is because, while our defensive strengths are still there (subject to injury and suspension), we have nothing going forward. Yesterday we could have played until Christmas and not scored. I don't believe it is just not buying a forward. The whole system is malfunctioning. Any side that doesn't make a mistake at the back knows that they have a great chance against us. That will go for the lower sides as well as the big ones. If you lose the ball while attacking you can stop and have a cup of tea on the way back and still be there in time to watch Redmond disappear up his own Rse (that's if we even have the basic ball control and passing to get that far). My fear is that Puel will start to rebuild our pitiful attacking options over the summer only to find that the whole defence departs for places that already have an attack.

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bstokesaint added 18:57 - Nov 20 Spot on Lemmsy. The simplistic comparison to last season doesn't work. This Liverpool side will not be finishing seventh. It's not a reflection that we're suddenly a poor side. If we had a bang in-form striker then things might feel very different. Last season an in-form Mane was the difference. I've been saying the same thing every game since the summer but we should have signed a quality striker. It's amazing the difference a Mane, Vardy, Defoe up front makes. You always believe there is a goal and a way back if you do go behind. Until we get one I can't help but feel as fans we're going to pick holes in things that aren't necessarily wrong, including not giving some of our new signings enough time to prove themselves. Think we need to stay patient, especially whilst we're still in Europe.

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BarnetSaint added 18:57 - Nov 20 Agree with the above 2 posters. I honestly can't recall us having such a weak forward line since the days of speedie and dixon, woeful though they were, at least we had a game changer in Matt LT . What we have now is mediocraty in depth, certainly up front and our best hope of success is for our superb defence to hold out, in the hope we can nick a goal from somewhere, most likely set piece or penalty. A January delve in to the transfer market is essential.

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Bettwsresident added 20:43 - Nov 20 Some superb posts above. Our success over the past few seasons has been based on a rock solid defense that when counter attcking played out to a fulcrum (Lambert/Pelle) who then laid in on for runners (Mane/Long). This worked a treat, although there were times when it did not fire but that was mostly due to inept finishing. Tadic provided an alternative source of goals and this diversity created problems for other teams and served us well. We have a different attacking model this season, based on Redmond, Boufal and Tadic to use skill and trickery to feed Austin (who is a rubbish target man, but a decent finisher). This is single dimensional but it has been forced on Puel as we no longer have a player who can take on that fulcrum role in the squad.

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BoondockSaint added 00:59 - Nov 21 Glad of the draw. Glad none of our exes scored against us. And glad we can't pick a MOTM, because they would put a bid in with Les over drinks after the game!
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StRipper added 09:58 - Nov 21 Have to agree with A1079 and Lemmsy. We have the basis of a top 6 side still, though in perspective Liverpool have acquired goal scorers like Mane and Wijnaldum and Firmino has settled. Meanwhile Saints are playing way more games than Liverpool and are having to work much harder to balance their squad, which we are doing an admirable job of. I've no doubt Saints tried to sign another striker but if you can't get the preferred targets, theres no point trading second best. Let's not forget that Pellè was a world class striker and there aren't loads of those in our range. I absolutely empathise with everyones frustrations but I also prefer this way to Koemans way. I can see an exciting future for our team with the added bonus from stepping up our youth developments. Yes, it was great to come back from two nil down last year but that was as much a fluke as great play on our part. And this was very much similar to our match away to Arsenal last season when we got battered. We all need to keep perspective. We are a team truly in transition, and yes, there are clearly areas where we could strengthen but our performances are now at a real level of consistency whoever we put out. All this crazy talk about buying an overpaid, unintelligent, injury room skiver like Sturridge is just unrealistic fantasy that would take us down the path to be a Stoke. Inevitably the sort of place where yesterday's men like Schneiderlin, Sturridge, Wiltshire will end up. Clubs happy to always play second fiddle to the big clubs who have no strategy to ever overtake them but will give the big clubs a path to get their expensive failures off of their books. I'd rather be signing prospects with a future even if it means their trajectory is up and away from us. I desperately hope we do have the right striker targeted in January though because our failure to put chances away and attack at pace is undermining the whole philosophy we're trying to implement.

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schatfield added 13:32 - Nov 21 Good hard fought draw against a superb Liverpool side. But I will be very worried next summer, when we will no doubt lose VVD to a big spending side. There is no chance we will keep him sadly.
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TeamCortese added 08:12 - Nov 22 Lemmsy the philosophy of football isn't that important. Look at Arsenal. Aside from Saints and Barcelona I am more than willing to watch Arsenal over any team in the league but fundamentally they haven't won anything significant over the past decade. Yes saints had rough patches last season but ultimately Koeman pulled through. This season we got into the Europa league. Surely that should be enough of an incentive for players to stay. Not to mention additional revenue for the club to spend for the transfer windows. It didn't make sense to sell Mane and Pelle. In fact we should have at least kept Mane and brought Redmond and Boufal anyway to add extra competition. Look at Shane Long since Mane left. No where near the standard he was at last season. If Sturridge is so bad and injury proned then why does he get into the England team? Also tell me of alternatives who can get the ground running?

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LanzaSaint added 19:21 - Nov 22 I know this is a late post. But.........I have been doing some research over the international break. This season, up till before the Liverpool game we had 130 shots at goal (only Man C, Liverpool and Spurs had more). Of those, 68 were on target; which is 52 per cent. That was the 5th most accurate in the PL. Its the 4th highest shots on target. BUT.........we only scored 12 goals, which is equal 13th in the PL. So; our shots to goals ratio was 9.2 per cent which was the lowest in the league. We are creating loads of chances. Of course we need a natural striker, but equally important, we need a couple of midfielders who can give us goals. That is it. Great defence. Lovely in possession. Need a striker and scoring midfielders. End of.

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