Saints didn't play badly, but Liverpool showed a clinical edge to do the right things at the right times and win the game.

Did Saints deserve to lose 3-0 ? The answer to that is definitely not, but they were always chasing the game as Liverpool did just what they do well and that is using the pace of Suarez and Sturridge, not to mention Sterling.

For long period of this game we competed with Liverpool and were in it, but the truth is we were too rigid, we were unable to change our game, when you look at the league table and consider that out of the top ten clubs our only win in 13 games was against Liverpool earlier in the season it is telling us something and that is a good side know how to deal with our system and as Liverpool did on Saturday how to deal with it and do it efficiently and clinically.

Once again we had the lions share of the possession with 57% but as I feared Liverpool were content to sit back let us have that possession and then hit us quickly, that was the case with the opener, for the first 15 minutes Saints had dominated, but suddenly Liverpool switched to attack mode, we didn't react quick enough to a situation we should really have dealt with and before we knew it Liverpool had exchanged passes and Suarez had an easy chance in front of goal.

The next 40 minutes or so went to the same pattern, we had plenty of possession, created a few chances, didn't take them and then suddenly Liverpool struck again and the game was slipping away fast..

In the preview I warned of how Liverpool would be looking to play it and why we needed to adapt to make sure that they didn't, sadly we couldn't or wouldn't adapt, Liverpool knew exactly how we would play and were focused on the fact that this would be playing right into their hands.

The bench was a strong one, but Ramirez apart it wasn't on that would change the game, it was good to see Pochettino willing to try and do that, bravely putting on Ramirez at half time, but that was his only real tactical change, as the game entered its final stages he made two substitutions that were predictable, Gallagher for Lambert was obvious, Lambert was again a passenger for large parts of the game, yes he had his moments, but this is the Premier League, you need to be contributing a lot more.

I was a little baffled by his final one, bringing on Wanyama when you are 2-0 up is a no brainer, he is just the man you want tocome on and close out a game, however he is going to offer you little going forward, given we were 2-0 down with a little over ten minutes to play, we could have been a little more inventive, take off Fonte and put Wanyama on, let be blunt, Liverpool weren't getting forward in numbers, they were passing from deep and looking to get one man on the ball, we could have tried something different but we didn't.

The watching Roy Hodgson would have learn't little about his four current England Saints, Lallana would have shown him he is ready, Rodriguez would have shown him he has the potential but needs to be more clinical, Shaw would have confirmed his potential but would have raised thoughts about his failure to deliver when attacking on a consistent basis and Rickie to be honest did his England prospects no favours, although in his defence perhaps he will be playing in an England system more suited to his style.

But perhaps Hodgson will be looking beyond those four, Callum Chambers had another superb game at right back and Jack Cork had another busy game in the midfield that laid the foundations for Saints to have their usual domination.

What this game proved was that Saints are still a work in progress, we lack attacking options and we are still short of another central defender, we need to now see the season out by winning a few games and getting that top ten finish, then in the close season we need to fine tune again, replace Osvaldo with a decent striker, someone who has a bit of pace and can finish as Liverpool have and we can continue our progress.

In fact that was the difference between the two sides, they had Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard and we didnt.

Photo: Action Images

montecristo added 11:13 - Mar 2 right on the money, Im afraid Lambert is looking at his own end game at this point he will always be a legend, but the lights have gone out for him. Saints need to plan for next season hang on to their youngsters no matter what, and buy big. A couple of top strikers are needed a cental midfielder, lookat young Rafa at Braga, young, huge potential but wont be cheap, and yes a central defender. In short we are four players short of a top four contender.

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slynch added 11:30 - Mar 2 The team played well for 80% of the game but Liverpool and Chelsea earlier showed the Saint's players are not all top 6 players. In order to make the top six next year, I think, Fonte, Spiderman, Lambert, JRod have to become the back up players.
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forallthesaints added 11:51 - Mar 2 Agreed. We need to shoot for goodness sake - remember the FA Cup goals against Burnley? We also need to get a bit more street wise. Liverpool managed the game very well with just enough time-wasting to annoy us but not enough to earn a booking - although one card in the first half would have knocked it on the head. They also got the free kicks (and penalty) that we never get. I'd hate to see our players start cheating like Chelsea but we do need to get more from the refs who seem to find it easy to ignore the fouls against us but pick us up for every touch. Also Sturridge should have been booked for two outrageous dives yesterday. As for Lambert, he is a bit off the pace at the moment but the dummy for Rodriguez's shot and a couple of cross-field passes were superb. If Gerrard had made one of them in particular the MOTD pundits would have purred for hours but that aspect of his game is rarely mentioned. He's playing a different game now than even at the stat of this season. Just a bit behind JRod. Unfortunately it means we too often don't have someone for the poacher's goals.

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NorwegianSaint added 12:15 - Mar 2 Liverpool are the kings at getting away with little pushes here, little dives there. How some of there guys didn't get booked was beyond me. BUT, the main difference was the same old story, we didn't have the luck or the quality in shots. Shaw played his worst game until they scored Lambert looks tired Chambers was great Cork and J- Rod worked hard Lallana is class but loses the ball to easy when tackled My biggest concern was taking off one of our unsung heroes when we looked like scoring and changing the system at Half-Time, why? Davis was playing well, we were on top. Then we go 2-0 down and the immediate changes... no... nothing for 20 minutes. So, although I hate to put our top manager down, he got that wrong. Still, it has been a great season... although it could have been unbelievable with our luck and taking chances.

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LesVivian added 13:21 - Mar 2 Tactical error 1: replacing Steven Davis with Ramires - 1st half Morgan was up on Gerrard, leaving Cork and Davis to do the protection job. Davis going off meant Morgan had to go back and 'sit', freeing Gerrard to effectively remove Lallana from the game! Lovren did not look ready, and was caught out by the pace of their forwards. Tactical error 2: bringing on Wanyama, at best a destroyer for closing down a game to protect a lead, when we needed to score! His first touch gave away possession! Cork went off, and that was the end of our 'sitting' wall. Lambert was getting no service, having to come out and try to create something, so bringing on Gallagher at this stage was silly - he was going to get no service either! Perhaps Ramires should have come on for Lambert, and then later Gallagher for J-Rod? The ref let the game flow, but he missed Flanagan barging Lallana in the back!

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BoondockSaint added 16:22 - Mar 2 Same old, same old. OK, I got the score wrong, but my prediction last week unfortunately was spot on including the dive (actually the old dragging leg trick) by the cannibal at the end-wait until you see him in action against England in the summer! Wanyama should have stepped into him earlier to get in his head. We just weren't physical enough with them. Can't tell you how much I hate losing to that bunch of smug wingers! More than any other! J-Rod needs to be sat down. Let me join the chorus: we need quality strikers. If we win next week 1-0 we'll all be happy with the win and finally breaking the 40 barrier. But lost in that will be the fact that we only scored one goal against a crap team.

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BoondockSaint added 16:27 - Mar 2 Correction: I know Wanyama was a sub-what I meant was he should have started in order to intimidate them-'course it probably would have just led to them rolling around on the pitch more than usual!
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ExiledSupporter added 19:02 - Mar 2 Deja vu or should that be groundhog day yet again. Lambert well below par (actually knackered, can't see him performing in the humidity of Brazil) and only occasionally threatening, J Rod too profligate with his chances and Lallana full of invention but somehow underwhelming in final execution. Ramirez looked a class apart for 15mins, (he can drift past players effortlessly) and then Liverpool took control of midfield and the supply of passes to Gaston dried up. Although I applaud the club for dumping him back to Italy I sense that Osvaldo and Ramirez would have produced a much sharper attack than we currently or previously have enjoyed. Ramirez is by far the best player to play the ball into the channels and Osvaldo the best to turn on the shoulder of the defender and expose their lack of pace. OK neither of these guys consistently showed their potential for us, but in Osvaldo's case this had much to do with trying to play him at the same time as Lambert was on the pitch and in Ramirez case he lacks match practice and has rather suspect motivation. Yes we need an Osvaldo type striker (without the attitude) and Rickie becomes an impact sub, a No.10 who plays with his head up, is athletic like Gaston can be with the precision of pass that he is capable of delivering, a robust defender to partner Lovren (but keeping Fonte who has played pretty well for us all season) and a winger who can play either side of the pitch with real pace and the ability to cross the ball accurately. Liverpool won yesterday not least because they moved the ball forward rapidly and accurately and had mobile strikers in sync with one another who had a more ruthless approach to their job.

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saintmark1976 added 19:59 - Mar 2 Mo Po has been rumbled. He now gives every indication of being a one trick pony. West Ham let us play keep ball in the middle of the pitch and hit us on the break and Liverpool did the same yesterday.One win all season against a top half team says it all for me. If he had any involvement in the summer signing you also have to query his judgement. £15 million for a bundle of trouble and £12 million for a player who to use a Brian Clough expression "could not trap a bag of cement". I give him credit for getting us to safety "early doors" but is he the answer going forward to the next level? I personally doubt it unless he can change his tactics. There is no pressure on us now so why not give something or somebody else a go Mo Po ? Drop Lambert or Jay Rod and give the kid a go at centre forward. Who knows he may just be the next Alan Shearer.Quite simply "if you are good enough you are old enough" just ask Steve Moran who I think I am correct in saying was playing regularly at nineteen years of age.

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aceofthebase added 20:13 - Mar 2 Last sea son we started with some really tough games against top teams and naturally we did not gain many points. This season an easier start and we have reached safety,just. I haven't got the details in front of me but I wonder how many points we have gained this season against the same first dozen games we had last season. My feelings are the points would be about the same, and if so perhaps we haven't progressed as much as some would have us believe.

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halftimeorange added 20:23 - Mar 2 Completely agree that withdrawing Davis was a tactical error and Rodriguez should've been the one to go. Lambert does look tired but, once again, had no service. Neither did Gallagher when he came on. Shaw was positively nervous for the first half-hour. I counted twelve occasions when he gave the ball away. The stand-out Saints players were Cork (again) and Chambers. I'm convinced he (Chambers) has more potential as a defender long-term than Shaw. Whether any of these players will be at St Mary's this time next year is questionable. I hope so but I consider Pochettino has got to his zenith and will be off and them with him.

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rjh added 20:25 - Mar 2 This is so much to do with the shambles that was the FA Cup game at Sunderland. The heart has gone out of our season there is absolutely nothing to play for. I think it has created bad feeling amongst the fans and I might even suspect in the dressing room, MP got it sooooo wrong.
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davepid added 20:57 - Mar 2 The table doesn't lie, we are better than the worst 8 or 9 and by some distance, but we are the same distance behind the top 7/8 . Question is, has MP got the skill to do the work that's ended to get us to the next level. I don't think he has - nothing on his CV to suggest he's done that elsewhere and nothing ,since Nov when we started to have set backs, that he can problem solve the deficiencies we have.

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trampslykeus added 22:46 - Mar 2 Not sure I agree about Ramirez. The game turned on the substitution Ramirez for Davis. We lost control of midfield then. Gaston played well for 5-10 minutes and then disappeared. Has he actually played for longer? And as for Victor replacing Jack Cork?? What was worrying was that there was no heart for the fight after Liverpool went 2-0
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simmo400 added 06:24 - Mar 3 Must agree with 90% of the posts here. Little errrors cost as dear. The main difference was the finishing. Goals change games and our missed chances gave them the condidence to go on and win. Unless we can find the net possession win mean nothing.
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WestSussexSaint added 07:55 - Mar 4 The positives for me were that there wasn't much difference in the general play between the two sides and we were playing against genuine title contenders. The negatives was the lack of a genuine goal threat at the moment is worrying. This must be now the biggest priority in the transfer window rather than another central defender.
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