English Premier League: Rodgers has Arsenal, United in his sights

Liverpool manager plots top-four assault after side’s win at Southampton.

LONDON: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said he had Arsenal and Manchester United in his sights after his team closed on a Champions League spot with a 2-0 success at Southampton.

A glorious 30-yard strike by Philippe Coutinho put Liverpool ahead in the third minute of Sunday’s game at St Mary’s and after a number of vain Southampton penalty appeals, Raheem Sterling sealed victory late on.

Liverpool play second-placed Manchester City next weekend before tackling fourth-placed United and third-placed Arsenal over the next six weeks, and Rodgers is confident they can close the two-point gap separating them from the Premier League’s top four.

Asked if he was apprehensive about Liverpool’s fixture list, which also includes a trip to Besiktas in the Europa League on Thursday, Rodgers replied, “Not at all. We might have been at the beginning of the season because of how we were playing. But when the team’s in the condition it has been for these last two and a half, three months, then we relish every game we play.”

While there was much for Rodgers to savour in Liverpool’s smash-and-grab win, he was dismayed by the reception afforded to his former Southampton players Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, who moved to Anfield last year.

Meanwhile, Southampton were aggravated during a few instances in the game starting with Filip Djuricic, who had penalty appeals waved away by referee Kevin Friend either side of Coutinho’s goal and manager Ronald Koeman felt that the second, when the on-loan Serbian forward appeared to be felled by Joe Allen, merited a spot-kick.

Southampton were also distressed when Simon Mignolet raced out of his box to repel an attempted lob by Eljero Elia shortly before half-time, in an incident that saw the ball strike the Liverpool goalkeeper on the chest before bouncing up and hitting his arm.

In another match, West Ham and Tottenham played out a dramatic 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2015.

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