JURGEN KLOPP WAS denied his first win as Liverpool manager as Sadio Mane’s late equaliser earned Southampton a deserved 1-1 draw at Anfield on Sunday.
Klopp had looked set for his maiden victory when substitute Christian Benteke powered in a header from James Milner’s cross with 13 minutes to play.
But Liverpool, who had drawn each of their new manager’s first two matches in charge, were held once again as Mane bundled in his fifth goal in five matches with four minutes remaining.
The Senegal winger was then sent off late on after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession, the second of which was for a crunching challenge on Alberto Moreno.
Klopp’s team laboured for much of the afternoon and appear to have plenty of work ahead of them if they are to challenge for Champions League qualification this season.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach has been left desperately short of attacking options in his early matches, and will have been pleased to see Benteke and Roberto Firmino continue their recovery from recent injury problems with second-half substitute appearances.
But Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses cost them dearly, with Jose Fonte and Gaston Ramirez able to win headers from the free-kick that led to Mane forcing the equaliser.
United States-based principal owner John W Henry once again watched from the stands, as he had when Klopp’s team were held 1-1 at home by Rubin Kazan in the Europa League on Thursday.
If Henry was hoping for a lively start, he was disappointed, as Liverpool were sluggish.
With Daniel Sturridge missing a third successive match because of a knee problem and neither Benteke nor Firmino fit enough to start, Divock Origi was once again pressed into service as the main striker.
Origi, who has yet to score for Liverpool, looked desperately short of confidence, and touched the ball just 10 times in 45 minutes before he was replaced by Benteke at half-time.
There were few signs of the high-energy pressing game for which Klopp’s teams have become famous.
Philippe Coutinho had an early shot charged down by Southampton right-back Cedric, before Emre Can hooked a James Milner corner into the side-netting at the near post.
But Coutinho, Origi and Adam Lallana struggled after that as the visitors defended solidly.
It was Southampton who had the two clearest chances of the opening half, both of which fell to Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk within seconds of each other.
Van Dijk escaped his marker as he met a Steven Davis free-kick six minutes before the break, but his header down into the turf lacked power and keeper Simon Mignolet clawed the ball away.
From the resulting short corner, Dusan Tadic found Van Dijk unmarked at the far post, and this time his header back across goal was cleared by Lucas Leiva.
Moreno blazed over at the other end as Liverpool looked to impose themselves, but it was only with the half-time introduction of Benteke that they started to pose more of a threat.
The Belgium striker’s goalbound volley from a corner was chested away by Davis, before Moreno fizzed a cross-shot that whizzed across goal.
At the other end, the adventurous Moreno produced a perfectly-timed tackle as Mane burst through for Southampton, before Liverpool struck.
Benteke, making only his second appearance since coming back from a month out with a hamstring injury, rose to head Milner’s right-wing cross into the top corner of the net with 13 minutes to go.
Klopp greeted the goal by leaping into the air and running down the touchline; a celebration that appeared as much a signal of relief as joy.
But his expression turned to a rueful smile as Mane struck late on to leave Liverpool ninth in the Premier League.
Another fella who wasted his talent. Similarly to anthony stokes. Also stephen ireland, those 3 should have backboned the irish team for the last 10 years.
@Gareth Ward: not sure on Stokes i think he might have been found out early in his career that he was below average but the other 2 ya
@Wheresmyjumper: Maybe ya, but he had the talent as a young lad and just didn’t work hard enough at it! The other 2 though, imagine if they were our midfield partnership for the last 12 years!
@Gareth Ward:
We achieved more with wheels in midfield than we ever could of with Gibson or Ireland, Glenn is a pro who wanted to play . Gibson never gave it his all to any team he played for. How Stephen Ireland was treated by both Man City and the FAI is a totally different story . Stephen Ireland could of achieved a lot more in the game and I’ve a lot of sympathy for him and his story . Gibson however I wouldn’t trust him to hand out the jerseys and has never looked like a player who cared about anything except for a gargle.
@Shane Lad: Ya Whelan has been grand like when we’ve had no one else. But what im saying is if Gibson had delivered on his potential he would have been so much better than Whelan
@Gareth Ward:”grand when we had no one else” that’s harsh, whelan a fantastic pro put a few them boys to shame, it’s not as if we never had any other options in midfeild either and we had throw poor Glenn there he was there on merit.
@Gareth Ward: Harsh on Warren. He’s only 21.
@Wheresmyjumper: He wasn’t found out, he was fond of the drink which most young Irish players were back then.
A tented lad on his day but wasted his career I’m afraid
We achieved more with wheels in midfield over the last few years than we ever would of with Ireland or Gibson. Glenn is a pro who wants to play . I’ve a lot of sympathy for Stephen Ireland and his story. The way he was treated by city and the FAI was disgusting and he could of achieved a lot more in the game . As for Gibson, he’s never given his all to any team he’s been in because he doesn’t care.
@Shane Lad: I would say taking everything Stephen Ireland says as gospel truth is very dangerous. There’s a reason his career went the way it did after packing in Ireland and then City- perceived “disgusting” treatment with both can’t have applied.
@Shane Lad: “The way he was treated by city and the FAI was disgusting ”
Yes because what happened with Stephen Ireland was everyone elses fault but him, pull the other one Shane.