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BORIS JOHNSON hadn’t even finished announcing the new national lockdown when Liverpool’s patched defense gave Danny Ings the freedom of the south coast.
The Prime Minister was starting to tell the country about the latest increase in Covid restrictions just as this game started at 8pm.
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He barely had time to get his opening words out when Reds old man Ings beat the offside trap to throw Alisson in two minutes.
And while the levels were wiped out by a stay-at-home message for everyone, there were tears at the Southampton home full time when Chief Ralph Hasenhuttl fell to his knees and WEPT.
Ings’ goal was England’s 50th in the Premier League and was recorded in exactly 1 minute 51 seconds, the fastest in its history.
He dealt a painful blow to his former team’s attempt to retain the league crown and added more weight to the argument that they need a new central defender this month.
Joel Matip’s recent return to the bench has left Jurgen Klopp desperately short behind, following long-lasting injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
Klopp has hinted that he will stay in lieu of touring this month in the transfer market and has shown faith in youngsters Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips at times this season.
However, neither of them were chosen here and it was captain Jordan Henderson who lined up with Fabinho, himself also a professional midfielder.
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Southampton capitalized on that unfamiliarity with their early goal and could have had more, before putting up with a determined defensive display after the break.
With the chasing group constantly losing points, many expected champion Liverpool to clinch the title this season.
But an unlikely quartet of draws to weaker teams that started with Brighton and ended the week in Newcastle has stunted their progress.
All those teams parked the bus, but there was no way Hasenhuttl was letting his pressure junkies do that, which you thought could have played into the hands of Liverpool.
But Klopp’s men made the worst possible start when free-throw expert James Ward-Prowse launched a play at an angle over the Reds’ backline to sideline Ings.
The 28-year-old still had a long way to go as he brilliantly lifted the ball over Alisson with his weaker left foot and into the net.
His celebrations were low-key, out of respect for his former club, with whom he spent three injury-devastated seasons from 2015-18.
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While Henderson’s selection as a central defender was the most notable tactical choice of the two coaches, there were several others that drew attention.
Among them was Thiago Alcantara on his first outing since being injured in the Merseyside derby, the match in which Van Dijk was also attended by Jordan Pickford.
That knee problem has hampered Thiago’s ambitions to adapt to the Premier League, and despite his top-class pedigree, he looked off the beat here.
The Brazilian picked up a yellow card a minute after the opener with a rash challenge on Ibrahima Diallo, while his passing was surprisingly sloppy.
Klopp was livid with his side for his lackluster start and roared “awake” furiously on the touchline.
Andy Robertson then drew the ire of the German after attacking his Scottish teammate Stuart Armstrong, for which he was rightly signed.
Fraser Forster, who made his first appearance for the Saints in 612 days due to Alex McCarthy’s positive Covid test, expected a serious reaction from the champions.
However, it was the hosts who posed the biggest threat and should have had more.
Moussa Djenepo exploded well after being hit by Ings’s impressive heist play.
And when the Malian was forced to retire due to a knee injury, his young replacement Nathan Tella was one step away from the net with a curling effort from the edge of the box.
Liverpool looked like they had a Klopp rocket at halftime and it was one way traffic ever since.
They wanted a penalty within five minutes when Gini Wijnaldum’s shot hit Jack Stephens’s hand, but it was denied.
Sadio Mane, once from St Mary’s, was their biggest threat, but no matter what he and his teammates did, they just couldn’t take down the stubborn Southampton who put up block after block.
The sheer relief of the final whistle elicited Hasenhuttl’s extraordinary emotions as he cried on his knees.
Despite the defeat, Liverpool remain at the top of the tree, barely.
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Man United is tied on points and now has a game in hand. Southampton, surprisingly, is only four points away.
What happens next in this unpredictable season is anyone’s guess.
But that’s part of the course of life right now, as Boris’s latest blockade underscored.
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