Liverpool scored twice in the final ten minutes to deny Saints a famous point at St Mary’s.

Shane Long became the first Saints player to score against Liverpool since the striker netted the winner in the League Cup semi-final at Anfield in January 2017 to give his team a shock early lead.

Saints conceded before half time to Naby Keita but were highly competitive throughout the game.

However, they ended up on the end of a harsh 3-1 defeat as Mo Salah and Jordan Henderson scored in the closing stages to send the Reds back to the top of the Premier League table.

Hasenhuttl ditched the 4-2-2-2 formation that served Saints well at Brighton to change to five at the back and it was doing a good containing job in the opening stages.

Saints looked really well organised and compact and were not about to be drawn out and leave themselves exposed in behind.

As well as drafting in Jannik Vestergaard for Stuart Armstrong to enable the change of shape, Hasenhuttl handed Shane Long the responsibility up front with Danny Ings unable to play against his parent club.

And that decision paid off in dramatic fashion as Saints took the lead after nine minutes.

Ryan Bertrand clipped in a cross from the left that was flicked on by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Liverpool were all over the place defensively and the ball went over Andy Robertson and found its way to Long in time and space eight yards out.

He brought it down calmly and then lashed a right footed half volley into the bottom corner to send St Mary’s wild.

Angus Gunn produced a brilliant save to keep the scores level on 16 minutes as Mo Salah’s cross gave Sadio Mane a free header six yards out. It wasn’t a great finish straight down the middle but still a decent save at point blank range from Gunn with Naby Keita putting the follow-up into the side netting.

Long should have had another three minutes later but made barely any connection to Bertrand’s cross when in a great position seven yards out.

Saints managed to steady themselves and were looking very competitive in all areas before they got stung by a Liverpool equaliser on 36 minutes.

They had some reason to feel aggrieved with suggestions that Salah may have been marginally offside in the build-up but were ultimately undone by the fact nobody tracked Keita’s run into the box.

Trent Alexander-Arnold played in a dangerous cross from the right by-line that found the head of the arriving Liverpool midfielder with Jan Bednarek unable to clear it. Gunn managed half a block down at his near post but couldn’t quite keep it out.

After the disappointment of losing their lead there was a fear that Saints would be simply overwhelmed in the second period.

However, they came out after half time not only again looking competitive but on the front foot and causing Liverpool plenty of problems, forcing their opponents to have to defend rather than simply attacking.

Liverpool had appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Paul Tierney as Keita came crashing to earth under the sliding challenge of Maya Yoshida. Keita perhaps went down a little easily, but Yoshida missed the ball and there was contact with the man.

Jurgen Klopp tried to increase his side’s influence in the game by bringing on both James Milner and Jordan Henderson before Josh Sims replaced Long for Saints with Redmond going up front.

Having done so well Saints were left reeling with ten minutes remaining as they left themselves exposed for the first time in the match and paid the price.

Saints had a corner and lost a couple of challenges on the edge of the Liverpool box with one simple header from Henderson finding Salah inside his own half but one-on-one with Bertrand.

Salah pressed forward running half the length of the pitch at speed. Bertrand backed off as reinforcements tried to get back but they weren’t fast enough and Salah wasn’t to be denied as he buried a shot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner.

Saints had to commit men forward and were picked off again on 86 minutes as Liverpool sealed the win.

A long ball into the path of Roberto Firmino down the right saw him able to get past Bednarek too easily and cross for the arriving Henderson to complete a simple finish from close range to complete what was a harsh scoreline on Saints.