A few more jitters in the Liverpool defence as you'd expect, Alisson plays it straight to Theo Walcott but the boys in green just about clear it out.

It's a very watchable start.

Image source, Getty Images

They've got to sort this offside flag stuff out - Mo Salah runs in on goal, Fraser Forster comes out and makes an all or nothing sort of challenge on him.

He gets it all.

Good goalkeeping - but either man could have been hurt there and the linesman eventually flags when the ball has been cleared.

Andy Robertson joins Thiago in picking up an early booking as the Saints give Liverpool a taste of their own gegenpressing medicine.

Stuart Armstrong nicks the ball off his Scotland captain, who gives him a kick in the calf for his trouble.

Oooohhh that's almost the leveller! What a ball in by TAA, dipping to the far post and Kyle Walker-Peters does brilliantly to get his body across and stop Sadio Mane from heading home.

Great ball in. Liverpool turning the screw.

Neither manager looks too happy at the minute, striding up and down their technical areas barking out orders. Liverpool's makeshift defence is caught square by the run of Stuart Armstrong is it? No, they got the line right, the Scot is miles offside.

Karen Carney
Former England and Chelsea winger on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

What a start. Absolutely brilliant. James Ward-Prowse gets a free-kick and you think he will dink it but he doesn't.

It was not dealt with by Trent Alexander-Arnold but Danny Ings lobs the goalkeeper.

Ings knows where the goal is so does not need to do anything silly. He just dinked it over and he knew as soon as it left his foot that it was going into the net.

Fraser Forster is back in the Southampton goal, his first game at St Mary's since December 2017 amazingly. And he nearly has a nightmare trying to play out, almost passing the ball straight to Sadio Mane.

Good response from the champions though, Mo Salah finding Roberto Firmino and he slams a shot wide.

That's 50 PL goals for Danny Ings by the way.

That wasn't great defending from Liverpool. Maybe centre-backs are worth having after all...

Just to 100% confirm it, Jordan Henderson is playing in defence, on the right of Fabinho.

We're off!

If Southampton don't try and play Danny Ings in over the top of Jordan Henderson straight away I give up...

Here they come. Liverpool out first in their spearmint kit, Southampton just behind. A lot of gloves being worn for those of you who get annoyed about such things.

IT'S WINTER.

Almost game time. Martin Tyler has just done his warm-up exercises. Queen's One Vision hits the speakers...

James Milner is 35 today, and he's been a Premier League player for 18 of those years already. Can't be many people to have that ratio.

Liverpool are wearing their minty green away kit tonight. Thiago cannons a half-volleyed pass zinging away across the park as the players head back in for a brew and some motivational chat.

Probably.

Southampton

Image source, BBC Sport

Shaun Forster: Cannot believe Hendo starting at centre half before Milner...how many years has he got left to tick off centre half and goalkeeper from his list? Probably another 20 to be fair...