Darwin Nunez is rapidly acquiring the hero status Liverpool fans bestowed on another Uruguayan sharp shooter Luis Suarez.
A brilliantly taken double made it a Premier League baptism of fire for new Saints boss Nathan Jones and a comfortable afternoon for Anfield manager Jurgen Klopp, forced to sit in the stand following a one-match touchline ban.
Klopp confessed that he expected the ban once the FA contested the original punishment but not the timing of it.
“It was not cool that we only got the info yesterday,” he said. “I expected to get the ban of course but when it is Friday afternoon, training done we had to organise a bit but it is cool. We got the messages across.”
Nunez has jumped out of the huge shadow cast by Manchester City's Erling Haaland, the Norwegian claiming the headlines as the £64million former Benfica man struggled to make an immediate impact not helped by a red card against Crystal Palace.
But seven goals in the last 10 games has earned the 22-year-old the Kop seal of approval as he leaves for World Cup duty. He’s even part of a mural at the back of the Anfield Road End stand, which is currently being enlarged.
Klopp added: “In the first half we used the speed of Mo and Darwin and did everything Southampton didn’t want us to do. The second half was Alisson Becker. We were too passive.”
And when Nunez’s day was done to make way for substitute Fabio Carvalho he went off to a standing ovation with cries of ‘Nuno’ ringing around the famous ground.
For Southampton there is the smell of relegation as they remain rooted in the bottom three. Things can only get better for Jones and company.
He insisted: “It would have been easy for me to not take this game today but that’s not my style. In the first half, we gave world-class players too much time and space. It bordered on suicide.”
It had been some introduction for the Welshman who in the space of the opening nine minutes experienced the contrasting emotions of life as an elite boss.
There was absolute despair as his defence crumbled to allow Firmino to ghost in for a well-placed header and then unadulterated joy as Che Adams took advantage of a trademark free-kick from James Ward-Prowse.
With Klopp in the stand alongside one of the club’s analysts with a mouthpiece to communicate to the bench, his side struck. Andy Robertson swung in a left-footed free-kick from the right flank and Firmino reacted the quickest, certainly quicker than Saints keeper Gavin Bazunu finding the corner of the net.
But unbowed and with a new man at the helm following Ralph Hassenhuttl’s demise Saints were soon back in the game following their own successful dead ball move. Ward-Prowse, putting his England World Cup snub to one side, delivered another pin-point free-kick for Adams to nip in ahead of Virgil van Dijk and bury his header beyond Alisson.
Liverpool looking to put their shock home defeat against Leeds United – one which brought a 29-game unbeaten home league run to an end – behind them were back in front in the 21st minute. Saints paid the price for failing to clear their crowded area and Nunez punished them with a neat side-footed volley from a dinked pass from Harvey Elliott.
And before the break it got worse for Jones and his new charges as Firmino, popping up all over the pitch, fed Andy Robertson who never needs a second invitation to spurt forward. The flying Scotsman crossed with precision and Nunez slid in for a natural goal poacher’s strike.
Jones was left rueing a couple of gilt-edged opportunities after the break, first Mohamed Elyounoussi and then substitute Samuel Edozie forcing Alisson into fine saves.
And the Brazilian keeper did magnificently to keep out a close-range forceful header from Adams 13 minutes from time as Saints to their credit refused to throw in the towel.
