Liverpool staged a second-half comeback to secure a 3-1 victory over Southampton, extending their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 16 points. Despite a sluggish first-half performance and a rare defensive error involving Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, the Reds turned the game around with goals from Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah, moving them closer to clinching the league title.
Ahead of the match, manager Arne Slot urged his team to treat the game as “the first of three finals in the next week,” with crucial fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final on the horizon. Slot, serving the second game of a touchline ban, also cautioned against underestimating a Southampton side rooted to the bottom of the table.
Liverpool made three changes to the lineup that faced PSG midweek, but the first half saw the hosts struggle to find their rhythm. Key players like Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Luis Díaz were below par, while Curtis Jones squandered two early chances. Southampton grew into the game, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Mateus Fernandes testing Alisson, before Will Smallbone capitalized on a defensive mix-up between Van Dijk and Alisson to give the Saints a shock lead just before halftime.
Slot responded with a triple substitution at the break, and the changes paid off quickly. Núñez ended his 10-game goal drought by pouncing on Díaz’s cross to equalize in the 55th minute. The Uruguayan striker then won a penalty after being fouled by Smallbone, allowing Salah to convert calmly and put Liverpool ahead. The Egyptian’s goal marked his 242nd for the club, making him Liverpool’s outright third-highest scorer of all time.
Alisson made a crucial save to deny Cameron Archer, but Salah sealed the win late in the game, converting another penalty after Yukinari Sugawara handled the ball in the box. While the match was far from the straightforward victory many expected, Liverpool’s resilience shone through as they took another step toward reclaiming the Premier League title. With a 16-point lead, albeit having played two more games than Arsenal, the Reds are inching closer to glory.