How Southampton’s win over Liverpool blows the title race open

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When talking about the Premier League title race, the defending champions Liverpool is probably the first team that you would think about. That is warranted because the Reds have been contenders for a long while now. They also have one of the best starting XIs in the league highlighted by the front three of Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino. 

The Reds also had a great backline heading into the 2020-21 season. However, Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez suffered big injuries which left Fabinho to drop deeper as a centre-back. Their defence was questioned with the loss of their two best defenders. However, Liverpool was ready to prove the doubters wrong as they continue to play well despite the loss of the stars. 

In late 2020, Liverpool started a weird skid as they dropped points to Brighton, West Brom, and Newcastle United which were all draws. This led to teams catching up to them in the standings headlined by their rivals Manchester United. 

However, those draws were not the losses that can blow a title race wide open. In January 2021, there was a change in the air as Liverpool took on Southampton on Matchday 17. Most people favoured the Reds but they were not aware of what the Saints have done this season. They have come back from the brink of relegation in the 2019-20 season to fighting for a top four spot in the 2020-21 season.

This match proved to the world that Southhampton should be favoured in Premier League football betting for their winning streak. Danny Ings would be the star for the Saints as he scored in the 2nd minute of the match.

Of course, people might see that goal as a lucky shot because of how early it was scored. However, that was an excellent play from the Saints with a great pass into the box and then Ings finished it off with a delicate touch over the goalkeeper.

The rest of the match was a masterstroke from the Saints as they stopped Liverpool from scoring countless times. You have to remember that Liverpool is one of the best scoring sides of the modern era and getting a clean sheet over the champions is a big deal for the Saints and their fans. 

Even Ralph Hasenhüttl knew how much this meant as he broke down in tears after the win. Jürgen Klopp was the only manager who is yet to be defeated and taking the win over the German tactician was great news to the Austrian.

After the match, Hasenhüttl was pleased with the win. He said, ‘I cannot say how proud I am of my team. I think the mentality we showed today was the perfect one. The young lads came in and did a good job. We defended well. This is the way we have to go. I like to go this way because they deserve a chance, they’ve been fighting hard’.

With this result, the title race is wide open as Man United and Liverpool face off on Matchday 18 to determine which team is the league’s best. However, they are not the only contenders in this title race as Manchester City is looking to make an impact as well. They will be a favourite for people who participate in Premier League football betting.

You also have to mention a squad like Tottenham Hotspur who have gone under the radar after topping the league at some point in the 2020-21 season. Spurs can surprise a lot of people as they can compete as well.

The stage is set for one of the best title races in the league’s recent history.