Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 16 points as Mohamed Salah scored two penalties in a comeback 3-1 win over Southampton.
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With Arne Slot watching from the stands as he serves his touchline ban, Southampton threatened an upset when Will Smallbone took advantage of a mix-up between Virgil van Dijk and Alisson to open the scoring just before half-time.
But Liverpool were a team transformed after half-time. Darwin Nunez equalised in the 51st minute then won a penalty that was converted by Salah three minutes later.
A handball from Southampton substitute Yukinari Sugawara allowed the Egyptian to score another spot-kick two minutes from time, making the points safe.
While Southampton stay bottom on nine points, Liverpool hold a huge advantage over second-placed Arsenal, who face Manchester United and Chelsea in their two games in hand in the next eight days.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
29 | +42 | 70 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
27 | +28 | 54 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
28 | +12 | 51 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
28 | +15 | 47 |
How the match unfolded
Curtis Jones slammed a powerful effort wide six minutes in, but chances were few and far between for Liverpool in a subdued start.
Some excellent footwork from Ryan Gravenberch led to Trent Alexander-Arnold having a shot smothered by Aaron Ramsdale, while Nunez sent an acrobatic effort over.
But that was the sum of Liverpool's first-half efforts, and they fell behind in stoppage time as Smallbone took advantage of some hesitant defending to tuck home.
Nunez survived a VAR check for a possible red card shortly before the break, having kicked through Kyle Walker-Peters, and he flipped the game on its head after the restart.
Nunez got across his man to tap Luis Diaz's low centre home, then was fouled in the area by Smallbone, allowing Salah to find the top-left corner from 12 yards.
Alisson had to remain alert to deny Cameron Archer on the break, but the contest was over when Sugawara was penalised by the referee for a handball following a late VAR review, as Salah scored into the opposite corner.
Liverpool overcome slow start
Amid the ecstasy that followed Liverpool's smash-and-grab Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, Slot sought to keep his players grounded.
"I have to convince my players that we will play three finals", Slot said, putting this match on the same level as Tuesday's return leg against Paris Saint-Germain and next week's EFL Cup final against Newcastle United.
But the leaders came out sluggishly and allowed Southampton to build confidence, and when Van Dijk dawdled on the ball in his own goalmouth, allowing Smallbone in to score, it did seem as though complacency may have played a part.
Slot looked to change things with the half-time introductions of Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott, and it was something of a surprise to see Nunez stay on, after his kick at Walker-Peters was checked for a possible red card and cleared by the VAR.
But Nunez came back with a newfound focus after the interval. He tapped home after Diaz sped to the byline to cross, then got to a loose ball marginally ahead of Smallbone, who cut him down to grant Salah his first penalty of the game.
Having added another from 12 yards late on, Salah now has a combined 44 goal involvements in the Premier League this season, making it his outright best campaign in the competition after he had 42 contributions in 2017/18.
It may not have been a vintage Liverpool performance, but just as they did at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, they got the job done, taking another big step towards the title.
Smallbone goes from hero to villain
Ivan Juric has not been under any illusions regarding Southampton's predicament, admitting the coming weeks are about preparing for next season.
But the Saints boss admitted this week that he "expected much more" from his players, and he made six changes to the team that suffered a meek 4-0 defeat at Chelsea last time out.
Returning captain Jan Bednarek lasted just 17 minutes before a nasty clash of heads with team-mate Ryan Manning led to him being replaced by Armel Bella-Kotchap, but Southampton moved on from that early setback impressively.
Smallbone – one of five players to keep his place in the lineup – was tenacious in midfield throughout the first half, and he showed great awareness to pick Van Dijk's pocket and squeeze his shot home for the opener in stoppage time.
But it was Smallbone's challenge from behind on Nunez that led to Liverpool taking the lead, with that error coming at a vital time when Southampton needed to keep things tight.
While there are certainly positives for Juric to take ahead of back-to-back home games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace, the contest ended with a familiar sinking feeling for Southampton, who ran out of steam in the second half.
Club reports
Liverpool report | Southampton report
What the managers said
Arne Slot: "It's a sign of a good team that you can win in different ways. It was a poor performance first half - not only because of the way we played but also because of the energy we brought. I know these players are capable of doing much, much better. That is what I expect this week. They were not the energy levels I am used to with these players."
Ivan Juric: "They reacted really well. We had really good moments of the first half. I think the [first] penalty was not a penalty and that changed the match. I am satisfied with how we played today. We can lose but we have to fight like we fight today."
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Key facts
Mohamed Salah scored his 242nd and 243rd goals for Liverpool in all competitions, becoming the club’s outright third-highest scorer behind Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285). Indeed, for the Reds he’s only bettered his tally of 32 goals in all competitions this season in 2017/18 (44).
Liverpool are now unbeaten in each of their last 25 Premier League games (W18 D7), with this just the fifth time in the competition’s history a side doing so in a single campaign after Arsenal in 2003/04 (38 games), Chelsea in 2004/05 (29), Manchester United in 2016/17 (25) and Liverpool in 2019/20 (27).
Southampton have lost their sixth Premier League game this season in which they’ve scored the opening goal, only Blackburn Rovers and Southampton in 1992/93 have done so more often (both 7).
Southampton manager Juric has lost 10 of his 11 Premier League games (W1), only Mick McCarthy has reached 10 losses in the competition in fewer games (10).
