Saturday 13 December 2003 15:00 FA Barclays Premier League
"Liverpool"	1 - 2	"Southampton"
	(0-1)
GOAL
Heskey 75		Ormerod 2, M Svensson 64
22  Chris Kirkland  25  Igor Biscan  36  Jon Otsemobor   4  Sami Hyypia  18  John Arne Riise  11  Vladimir Smicer  13  Danny Murphy  16  Dietmar Hamann  17  Steven Gerrard (c)   8  Emile Heskey   9  El Hadji Diouf  Subs:  29  Patrice Luzi  15  Salif Diao  28  Bruno Cheyrou  20  Anthony Le Tallec  24  Florent Sinama-Pongolle		14  Antti Niemi   2  Jason Dodd (c)  11  Michael Svensson   5  Claus Lundekvam  19  Danny Higginbotham  33  Paul Telfer  18  Rory Delap  20  David Prutton   9  James Beattie  17  Marian Pahars  36  Brett Ormerod  Subs:   1  Paul Jones   4  Chris Marsden  29  Fabrice Fernandes   7  Kevin Phillips  34  Agustin Delgado
SUBSTITUTIONS
Hamann (Sinama-Pongolle 57)  Diouf (Le Tallec 57)		Lundekvam (Marsden 41)  Pahars (Fernandes 63)  Beattie (Delgado 81)
OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS
Referee: Paul Durkin (Dorset)
Booked:		Booked:
VENUE		MANAGERS
Anfield (capacity 45,362) Attendance: 41,762		Gerard Houllier (Liverpool) Gordon Strachan (Southampton)

 Price: J3,00

  SAINTS STUN THE KOP WITH A WIN

  Liverpool's hopes of return to the Champions League next season suffered a severe setback at Anfield this afternoon as Southampton deservedly took the points in a game every Liverpudlian will want to forget.

  Emile Heskey's late consolation was not enough as goals from Brett Ormerod and Michael Svensson earned the Saints a shock 2-1 victory, which was only their fourth ever win over the Reds on Merseyside.

  In light of the impressive point gained last weekend at Newcastle, Liverpool went into this game with a place in next season's Champions League again looking within realistic reach.

  But they knew that failure to build on that 1-1 draw at St James Park would seriously hamper those aspirations, especially with fellow challengers for fourth place Southampton visiting Anfield today.

  Florent Sinama-Pongolle was a surprise omission in the starting eleven named by Gerard Houllier. His place went to Vladimir Smicer but it was to be a frustrating afternoon for him and strike partner Emile Heskey.

  The game was only just over a minute old when The Kop was stunned into silence. Possession from a corner was carelessly conceded and the Saints broke swiftly to capitalise on Liverpool's lack of numbers at the back. Lundekvam sent a high ball into the Reds half and Brett Ormerod easily outpaced the sluggish Dietmar Hamann before finishing neatly past the advancing Kirkland.

  The Liverpool players looked equally as stunned as the fans but they responded positively and Smicer went close with a long-range drive that was deflected wide for a corner before an impressive surging run by the ever-improving Jon Otsemobor was wasted when Diouf headed disappointingly wide from the resulting cross.

  As the half progressed though attempts on Anti Niemi's goal became fewer and further between. Without Owen, Kewell, Baros or Pongolle the Reds attack showed no real sign of mustering an equaliser and, despite Steven Gerrard's best efforts to drag Liverpool back into the game, frustration slowly began to rear its head in the stands.

  Booing greeted Paul Durkin's half-time whistle and as we reflected on what had been an abysmal first half showing the omens did not look good. Not since May 1999 had the Reds fought back from an interval deficit to take the points and the opening stages of the second half did not suggest that this remarkable statistic was going to change.

  Within six minutes of the restart the Saints almost caught Liverpool cold again. James Beattie forced his way past Biscan down the left and from his cut back Marian Pahars should have netted. The visitors seemed in control and moments later the Reds defence was found wanting again. Marsden delivered the cross and only a fine diving save from Kirkland denied Beattie with a free header on the edge of the six-yard box.

  French gems Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Anthony Le Tallec were quickly summonsed from the bench in a bid to freshen things up and their introduction seemed to have the desired effect initially. Pongolle forced Niemi into his first real save of the match and from the subsequent corner Jason Dodd had to clear a Sami Hyypia header off the line.

  This ray of hope however was just a brief one. At the opposite end Dodd floated a corner into the heart of the Liverpool penalty box and Michael Svensson rose highest to crash a bullet header past the despairing reach of Kirkland and into the roof of the Kop net.

  The shock of conceding a second goal stung Liverpool into action once again and following a sustained period of pressure they deservedly pulled one back. Gerrard, continuing to lead by example as skipper, drilled a low shot at Niemi. The Finn failed to hold it and Emile Heskey had the easy job of converting the rebound from close-range.

  With the full backing now of a vociferous Anfield crowd the Reds pressed forward frantically in search of an equaliser and Pongolle went close again, this time with a shot that beat Niemi but not Higginbotham,who desperately hacked the ball clear on the goal line.

  It was the last meaningful attempt on goal and the fans were soon heading for the Anfield exits at the end of another miserable afternoon.

  Teams

  Liverpool: Kirkland, Otsemobor, Riise, Hyypia, Biscan, Hamann, Gerrard (captain), Murphy, Diouf, Heskey. Subs - Luzi, Diao, Le Tallec, Pongolle, Cheyrou.

  Southampton: Niemi, Dodd (captain), Higginbotham, Lundekvam, Telfer, Svensson, Delap, Prutton, Pahars, Ormerod, Beattie. Subs - Jones, Marsden, Phillips, Fernandes, Delgado.

  Referee: Paul Durkin.

  Conditions: Bright but cold

  Attendance: 41,762

  Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Jon Otsemobor

  Breakdown

15:02 GMT: Match Starts
1 mins: Liverpool kick-off attacking the Kop
2 mins: GOAL! Brett Ormerod: breaks free of the Reds defence and keeps his composure to finish neatly past the advancing Kirkland
7 mins: Smicer's long-range drive is deflected wide for a corner
8 mins: Riise shoots hopelessly over on the volley
10 mins: The Saints force two corners in quicck succession but fail to trouble Kirkland
13 mins: Good running by Otsemobor down the right is tempered by a poor header in front of goal by Diouf
14 mins: Diouf shoots tamely at the Southampton goal
20 mins: Murphy's intended centre floats aimlessly into the Kop, muh to the crowds frustration
23 mins: Prutton loses his marker and heads narrowly over from a Pahars cross
26 mins: Diouf is caught offside as another Reds attack breaks down
29 mins: Smicer iss bundled to the floor inside the box but Durkin waves away Liverpool's appeals for a penalty
35 mins: Heskey heads over from Diouf cross as the Reds struggle to force their way back into this game
36 mins: Beattie blasts a low free-kick directly into the arms of Kirkland
37 mins: Gerrard is doing his best to draw Liverpool level and he goes close with an angled drive in front of the Kop
41 mins: Murphy volley's high over the bar on the turn following a great ball by Otsemobor41 mins: Substitution: Chris Marsden for Claus Lundekvam:
15:50 GMT: Half Time Reached

16:06 GMT: Second Half Begins
46 mins: Southampton kick off towards the Kop
48 mins: Good break by Southampton but it comes to nothing
48 mins: Steven Gerrard breaks up a Southampton move and instigates another LFC attack
51 mins: Excellent chance for Southampton to double their lead when Beattie finds Pahars in space in the area but his shot is off target
52 mins: Poor cross from Otsemobor is too high for Heskey
53 mins: Diouf goes down in the area as Pongolle strips off his tracksuit to come on
54 mins: Clear header on goal for Beattie but Kirkland pulls off a great save
56 mins: Substitution: Florent Sinama Pongolle for Dietmar Hamann:
56 mins: Substitution: Anthony Le Tallec for El-Hadji Diouf:
58 mins: Murphy gets treatrment for a clash of heads
59 mins: Amazing save denies Heskey a goal and then Reds have a header cleared off the line
60 mins: Reds looking a far greater goal threat now
62 mins: Beattie wins a corner off Biscan
63 mins: Substitution: Fabrice Fernandes for Marian Pahars:
64 mins: GOAL! Michael Svensson: Header into the roff of the net from corner
65 mins: Biscan has a long-range effort well saved
67 mins: Reds win a corner
69 mins: Saints break up an attack led by Smicer
70 mins: Good cross from Gerrard to Pongolle is cut out inside the box
71 mins: Murphy shoots high and wide after le Tallec has a shot blocked
72 mins: Good defending by Hyypia as Saints threatened with two men at the back post unmarked
73 mins: Otsemobor shot well saved by Niemi
75 mins: GOAL! Emile Heskey: Easy finish after Gerrard shot was first saved
76 mins: Reds win another corner as pressure on Saints mounts
79 mins: Pongolle shot cleared off the line after beating the keeper
80 mins: Scramble in the Saints box as Reds push for equaliser
80 mins: Substitution: Agustin Delgado for James Beattie:
82 mins: Yet another corner for the Reds
82 mins: Heske

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