Southampton v Liverpool: Premier League – live

21 min: Good save by McCarthy! A very similar cross from Gakpo is missed by Fraser and reaches Salah beyond the far post. He controls the ball on his thigh and hits an early shot that is beaten away by McCarthy. The angle was pretty tight but McCarthy did well nonetheless.

19 min Gakpo’s dangerous inswinging cross is really well defended by Fraser, who had Salah waiting behind him.

17 min Onuachu bulldozes past Konate, who shoves him over and is booked. The attack stemmed from Salah losing the ball cheaply in the Southampton half. “Liverpool are not at the races here,” says Jamie Carragher on Sky.

15 min Bradley makes an excellent underlapping run and clips a cross that is pushed away by the diving McCarthy. Szoboszlai wallops the loose ball over the bar from 25 yards.

13 min Bradley is booked for a cynical foul on Lallana, who turned him beautifully on the halfway line. He really is a lovely footballer.

12 min Onuachu gets a loud cheer after some nice hold-up play, only to flick a nonchalant pass out of play. Even so, he has started well, as has Adam Lallana in midfield.

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10 min Southampton have done okay in the first 10 minutes. They have looked vulnerable on the counter-attack but are playing some decent, optimistic football.

9 min Robertson’s deep, chipped cross is volleyed over by Salah, who couldn’t sort his feet. The angle was really tight anyway.

7 min Southampton appeal for a penalty when Armstrong goes over after a clumsy challenge from Konate. The referee gives a corner. I think it probably was a foul – but it took place just outside the box.

What I think is irrelevant: the VAR, Michael Oliver, has cleared it.

6 min Liverpool break four on three with Szoboszlai on the ball. He runs 40 yards and pushes the ball out to Salah, whose first-time shot takes a deflection and is pushed round the near post by McCarthy. Decent save.

5 min Southampton play out nicely from the back, with Harwood-Bellis finding Fernandes in a bit of space. He cuts across a shot from 25 yards that is comfortably held by Kelleher.

4 min Liverpool have made a relaxed, confident start, with the first few minutes taking place almost exclusively in the Southampton half.

2 min This is the revised Southampton formation.

Southampton (5-2-3) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Downes, Stephens, Fraser; Fernandes, Lallana; Dibling, Onuachu, Armstrong.

1 min Liverpool kick off from right to left as we watch. Southampton have started with a back five: Flynn Downes is playing at centre-half.

The weather doesn’t look too bad at St Mary’s, certainly compared to some parts of the country. Even so, it’s not exactly an idyllic winter’s day.

A reminder of the teams, who are about to take the field

Southampton (possible 4-2-3-1) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Fraser; Downes, Lallana; Dibling, Armstrong, Fernandes; Onuachu.Substitutes: Lumley, Manning, Bree, Sugawara, Aribo, Sulemana, Ugochukwu, Brereton, Archer.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Quansah, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, Morton, Diaz.

Referee Samuel Barrott.

And read Arne Slot on Russell Martin

If you’re a manager, you have to believe in something and you have to stick to that plan. Russell has his own style and he believes in it. There is no one that knows for sure that if he or the club wants to change the playing style, that that would lead to much more points.

He brought them back up and he makes it really hard for every team to play against them. Normally, these teams that go up, they need some time to adapt to the new league. If you then have a good idea about football and a good gameplan, then results will come.

Read Jonathan Wilson on Russell Martin

The way in which the relationship between players and coach maps on to religious language is itself significant, a means by which the discourse subtly shapes expectation. Modern managers are expected to have philosophies, and to evangelise them in their dealings with the media. Pep Guardiola, say, has spoken of how Johan Cruyff “built the cathedral” at Barcelona and it being the job of subsequent coaches to maintain it.

Both teams are without a number of first-choice players. Alex McCarthy replaces the injured Aaron Ramsdale in goal for Southampton, one of five changes from the defeat at Wolves a fortnight ago. Ryan Fraser, Tyler Dibling, Paul Onuachu and Flynn Downes replace Ryan Manning, Joe Aribo, Cameron Archer and the injured Jan Bednarek.

Liverpool make three changes from the 2-0 win over Aston VIlla. Conor Bradley covers for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back; Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai are preferred to Luis Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister.

Southampton (possible 4-2-3-1) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Fraser; Downes, Lallana; Dibling, Armstrong, Fernandes; Onuachu.Substitutes: Lumley, Manning, Bree, Sugawara, Aribo, Sulemana, Ugochukwu, Brereton, Archer.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.Substitutes: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Quansah, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, Morton, Diaz.

Referee Samuel Barrott.

Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Southampton v Liverpool at St Mary’s. Arne Slot’s side will go eight points clear if they, a helluvan advantage even with 26 games to go.

The match is bottom v top and will stay that way regardless of the result as Southampton are four points adrift. They are chasing a rare feat: it’s 13 years since bottm beat top in the Premier League.

Kick off 2pm.