SOCCER/English FA Premiership: Southampton - 2: Liverpool - 0: With every game Liverpool look less like champions and if their stuttering form indicates how badly they need Gérard Houllier, results like this do little to help the manager's convalescence. Defeat last night means they have taken six points from 21 and they will hardly go to Arsenal on Sunday in high spirits.
Victory would have taken Liverpool level at the top of the table but instead they were undone by Southampton's rousing second-half display and two self-inflicted wounds. Sami Hyypia conceded a penalty with a clumsy tackle to allow James Beattie the first and, nine minutes later, substitute John Arne Riise headed an own goal with his first touch. A blazing touchline row involving Phil Thompson and a Southampton coach summed up the visitors' frustration.
After a run of one win in six Premiership matches, Liverpool needed a strong showing here to quell growing doubts about their ability to deliver the championship to Anfield for the first time since 1990.
But Southampton's confidence was high after a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge in their previous match and they had won three of their previous four home games, losing narrowly to Leeds.
This was also an examination of Liverpool's potency without Michael Owen. The club's leading goalscorer was absent with an ankle injury, paving the way for Jari Litmanen and Nicolas Anelka to start up front together for the first time.
The pair had little chance to combine or impress initially, with Southampton denying Liverpool time with the sort of harrying and quick tackles which are typical of a Gordon Strachan side. When Litmanen did send an offside-looking Anelka through, Paul Williams used excellent pace to deny the sluggish Frenchman a shooting chance.
Yet with Dietmar Hamann sitting deep in midfield and the impressive Litmanen dropping off the front to play plenty of neat passes, Liverpool exerted a growing control without creating anything of note until the 20th minute, when Danny Murphy might have scored.
Litmanen's excellent reverse pass set Vladimir Smicer away and his cross fell for Murphy, whose shot was blocked by the lunging Claus Lundekvam.
For all their possession, though, Liverpool could not afford to relax at the back. Beattie and Marian Pahars had ripped Chelsea to pieces during 20 scintillating minutes on New Year's Day and they occasionally sparkled, with Pahars in particular causing periodic problems with his pace.
A good covering tackle by Jamie Carragher and a block by Hyypia denied the Latvian, and a couple of bursts by Wayne Bridge highlighted his potential as a future England left-back.
Southampton were working hard and some of their football was neat, with their players looking to move the ball wide and preferring to play to feet rather than constantly looking to the head of Beattie. But they did not force Jerzy Dudek into a testing save before the interval. Instead Liverpool twice went close again.
Anelka, looking below his pacy best, was involved in both chances, suddenly troubling Southampton with his movement and speed.
First he accelerated on to a pass into the right channel, outwitted Williams and crossed for Litmanen, whose shot was deflected over. Then the striker burst on to a cushioned header from the ever-influential Litmanen and forced Paul Jones to make an excellent save.
After the break Southampton resumed on the front foot, maintaining their tenacity and work-rate in a stadium almost full to capacity.
They were increasingly dominant in midfield, with the substitute Matt Oakley getting forward well and Liverpool's Murphy below his form of earlier in the season. Southampton's problem remained carving out chances, but then two came in three minutes.
Dudek produced a good close-range save to deny Chris Marsden when the ball fell loose from a corner and then Oakley, who had pushed forward, was fouled by Hyypia and won a penalty which was calmly converted by Beattie. It was the striker's 11th goal of the season and fourth in the last four matches.
By that stage Thompson had introduced Emile Heskey for Smicer, who had faded desperately. Murphy soon had a shot deflected wide, but Southampton's second was not long in coming. Pahars broke down the left and his cross was met by Riise, who sent a looping header over Dudek from all 18 yards.
There was further embarrassment for the visitors as Thompson had to be separated from Southampton coach Dennis Rofe by the fourth official in a touchline bust-up over a bad tackle on home substitute Brett Ormerod.
SOUTHAMPTON: Jones, Dodd, Lundekvam, Williams, Bridge, Telfer, Delap (Oakley 35), Svensson, Marsden, Beattie, Pahars (Ormerod 76). Subs Not Used: Moss, Monk, Fernandes. Goals: Beattie 63 pen, Riise 71 og.
LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Wright (Riise 69), Hyypia, Henchoz, Carragher, Murphy (Berger 77), Hamann, Gerrard, Smicer (Heskey 57), Anelka, Litmanen. Subs Not Used: Kirkland, McAllister. Booked: Carragher.
Referee: G Poll (Tring).
