Philippe Coutinho scored a magnificent goal
as Liverpool overcame Southampton 2-0 in a
controversial game on Sunday to close to
within two points of the Premier League's top
four.
Coutinho opened the scoring with a stunning
30-yard effort in the third minute and Raheem
Sterling added a second goal towards the end,
but it was the performance of referee Kevin
Friend that was to prove the biggest talking
point on a cold, squally evening at St Mary's.
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The official turned down two strong penalty
appeals from Southampton and was barracked
by their supporters throughout, as Ronald
Koeman's side went a third home game
without finding the net.
The result prevented Southampton from
overtaking fourth-place Manchester United,
who they trail by a point, and Liverpool are
now just a point further back after extending
their unbeaten run to 10 league games.
Brendan Rodgers's in-form side are now
within touching distance of the Champions
League berths ahead of a pivotal week that
sees them take a 1-0 lead to Besiktas in the
Europa League before welcoming champions
Manchester City to Anfield next weekend.
Dejan Lovren, who replaced the injured
Mamadou Sakho, and former Southampton
captain Adam Lallana were both booed on
their returns to St Mary's, but Coutinho sliced
through the home fans' jeers with a
sensational early goal.
Collecting the ball 30 yards from goal, the
Brazilian midfielder shifted it onto his right
foot and let fly with a glorious, dipping shot
towards the top-left corner that cannoned
into the net via the crossbar.
By then, Filip Djuricic, making his first
Southampton start, had already had a penalty
appeal turned down when he went down after
getting goal-side of Emre Can, and he then
saw an even stronger claim waved away.
He was sent sprawling by a sliding challenge
from Joe Allen, but Friend allowed play to
continue and Liverpool goalkeeper Simon
Mignolet had to block from Eljero Elia.
- Sterling punishes Targett slip -
The official further angered the home support
when he failed to penalise Can for up-ending
Nathaniel Clyne on the Southampton right,
but he also allowed Jose Fonte to get away
with a full-blooded sliding block on Sterling
inside the hosts' area.
There were also roars of disapproval when
Mignolet raced from his box to repel an
attempted lob from Elia, but replays showed
the ball had struck the goalkeeper's chest and
then ricocheted against his arm.
Moments before half-time, amid
pandaemonium in the Liverpool box, Mignolet
parried from Djuricic.
Both sides made changes at the break,
Southampton sending on the fit-again Morgan
Schneiderlin and Liverpool introducing Alberto
Moreno for Lazar Markovic, while Sadio Mane
entered the fray for the hosts shortly after.
Graziano Pelle dragged wide and Martin Skrtel
produced a good block to thwart Mane as
Southampton pushed for an equaliser, but
with 17 minutes to play, Liverpool's killer
second arrived.
Slipping on the greasy pitch, Matt Targett
could only steer Moreno's left-wing cross as
far as Sterling, who slammed home before
celebrating jubilantly with the fans behind
Fraser Forster's goal.
It was Sterling's third goal in five games and
validated Rodgers's decision to select the
England forward instead of of Mario Balotelli,
who remained on the bench.
Thereafter, Mignolet saved a skidding free-kick
from substitute Dusan Tadic and an overhead
kick from Schneiderlin, but the game was
already up.

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