Mac Allister’s Control Key to Liverpool’s Comeback Victory | OneFootball

Liverpool 3 – 1 Southampton- Premier League Man of the Match

Alexis Mac Allister

Liverpool FC

The opportunity to move sixteen points ahead of second-placed Arsenal was always the priority for this Premier League match, as Southhampton arrived at Anfield with their top-flight survival all but determined and a season in next year’s Championship close to guaranteed. A sprinkling of mild rotation was incorporated by the Red’s Dutch head coach, Arne Slot, who would have been keen to keep his player’s attentions fixed on this domestic encounter as the arrival of PSG and their Champions League second leg tie loomed.

Within such a pressurised and frenetic period, decision-making in rotation is always a balancing act that can disrupt momentum and the balance of any side, let alone a team that is primed to compete for all major silverware this season. Ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Parisians, some rotation was employed to engineer both rest and continuity, however, key components are still often needed to ensure fruition in footballing teams on pitch endeavour. Mohamed Salah did Egyptian King things and scored two penalties, Darwin Nunez emerged from the half time team talk a re-energised entity who allowed a quick two-goal salvo for his team, as Trent Alexander Arnold produced another mature all-round performance.

All the above elements were elevated by the introduction of three half-time substitutes, as Arne Slot took away the tired and ineffective and threw in the bodies that could add desire and control. The first two can get you back into the fight, however, the controlling aspect is that which won this game for Liverpool and was enabled by the Argentina World Cup winner, Alexis Mac Allister.  The former Brighton man is perhaps the world’s best central midfielder right now, as he continues to assert the control of Toni Kroos and the bite of Javier Mascherano. If not for this spectacular second-half showing, the Reds may have struggled to truly impact the game and shut down a Southampton team who had nothing to lose.

As one of the players of Liverpool’s season, Mac is quickly becoming the most vital part of the Anfield engine room. Today when character and control were needed to mount a comeback, the powerful maestro was able to deliver for his manager and is deserving of the man of the match award.

Next up is PSG, where a full 90 minutes of character and performance is a Merseyside must.

Steven Smith’s Pre-match Prediction:

Liverpool 4 – 0 Southampton