No Salah, Mane Show In Liverpool Win Against Southampton As Jota, Thiago, Van Dijk Score

By Izuchukwu Okosi

Diogo Jota scored two goals while Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Alcantara grabbed the others Saturday evening in a match that neither Mohamed Salah nor Sadio Mane got on the scoring act as Liverpool thrashed Southampton 4-0 to go second in the Premier League table.

The first goal came as early as the 111th second when Salah and Mane combined beautifully to set up Robert Anderson whose dragback was pounced on by Jota.

Mane had a headed goal correctly ruled out for offside but Jota soon made it 3-0 to end the Saints’ any hopes of a fightback.

Allison Baker saved smartly from an Adam Armstrong shot in one of the Saints’ rare attacking threats.

Thiago killed the game off with the fourth of the evening in the 37th minute thanks to his signature long range strike.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s accurate delivery landed on the foot of center back Virgil van Dijk whose volley from 12 yards squirmed through the hands of Alex McCarthy.

Salah would have claimed Liverpool’s fifth goal but a brilliant defensive header from Mohammed Salisu conspired to deny him that.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.