This was very much a game of two halves as Saints were woeful in the first and wonderful in the second, well the last 26 minutes !
Saints at one stage in the first half looked like they were going to repeat the debacle in the Capital One Cup earlier in the season as Liverpool seemed to be able to swarm forward at will.
It all started well for Saints though and Shane Long should have had a penalty when Dejan Lovren clearly pushed him in the back, the referee bottled it and it was not the last bad decision he would make in the game.
This is a Liverpool side that is good on the counter attack and Saints played right into their hands, Cuco Martina kept on charging forward and too many times was out of position when Liverpool countered at pace. Match of the Day picked this up in their analysis and it was my view watching the game live, I cannot understand why Soares is suddenly not getting game.
Two goals in five minutes saw Liverpool 2-0 up and barely 20 minutes on the clock, things were looking bleak for Saints at this point especially when they appeared to have scored a third with the linesman's flag staying down until Saints appealed and suddenly it went up, TV replays showed that eventually the officials got it right by disallowing the goal, but it was not very professional from them.
At half time Ronald Koeman made two changes and they would be decisive, off went Clasie and Tadic and on came Wanyama and Mane and both seemed to have a point to prove, I still think Koeman was right to start them on the bench, neither deserved a place in the starting line up based on the past month or so, but they certainly deserve to start the next game.
It looked like the comeback was on when Saints were awarded a penalty for a tug on Graziano Pelle's shirt from Skrtel, Mane wanted the kick and in truth it wasn't a bad one in that it was firmly hit and right in the corner, but Mignolet guessed the right way and made a good save.
Saints were playing better now, but no one could have predicted just how the game would go with half an hour left, yes a Saints goal would make it interesting, but it was hard to see how it would come.
On 64 minutes it did though and it was Sadio Mane scoring his first goal since the last time we played Liverpool, indeed amazingly Mane's last four goals including the two yesterday have all been in the three games we have played Liverpool this season, he last other team he scored against was Chelsea back on the 3rd October.
That gave Saints hope and Ronald Koeman gambled again bringing on James Ward Prowse for Romeu, this would hopefully give us more going forward and someone who could hit a ball into the Liverpool box, Victor wanyama appeared to be capable of controlling the midfield on his own.
Initially though it did not have any impact, when Saints did get forward they appeared unable to deliver that final ball and as hard as he battled nothing was coming off for JWP, but his determination would pay off late on as we found out.
Liverpool were still a threat but after Sturridge went off that threat lessened, Liverpool were still dangerous on the counter attack but Benteke wasted a decent chance and the game was turning.
Then the game went mad, Pelle curled in a great 25 yard shot to bring Saints level and suddenly you sensed that Liverpool were on the back foot that they could not hold on.
The winner owed much to Ward Prowse refusing to give up and scrap for a ball 10 yards from the penalty area, it then went through to Mane who like his earlier goal and unlike virtualy every shot he has had in the last five months was finished wit aplomb to send the crowd wild.
Even Ronald Koeman joined in the celebrations by running down the touchline and joining his celebrating players.
That left only four minutes of normal time and the same in injury time to hold on, Liverpool tried to push forward but were not doing so with much conviction, there was a very late scare with the last action of the game when Fonte clashed with Benteke as the ball went harmlessly for a goal kick, but this ref was never going to give it perhaps atoning for his failure to award Saints a spot kick in the first half.
I said in the pre match preview that Liverpool were a side who were prone to late goals as they found out against us in the league game at Anfield, I said that Saints should go to the final whistle as the Reds always look vunerable, but I did not think the ending would be so enthralling.
Funnily enough at half time I texted a mate of mine down from Liverpool in the away section and said i felt that a repeat of the 2000 game at the Dell when Saints came back from 3-0 down with 17 minutes left to draw 3-3 was on the cards. Not a chance was his reply !
So Saints march on and the dream of a top six place is still on, we should go into the final 7 games with confidence, the likes of Pelle, Sadio Mane and Wanyama look back to their best and we should not forget the return from injury of Charlie Austin and Jay Rodrigues who hit a hat trick against Liverpool U21's yesterday.
If everything now falls into place we have every chance of a top six finish.