Liverpool moved 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 3-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday evening.
Premier League
Result: Liverpool 3-1 Southampton
Date: 08 March 2025
Venue: Anfield
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones were restored to the Reds' starting line-up after the midweek wwin over Paris Saint-Germain, as match-winner Harvey Ellitot remained on the bench.
Arne Slot's charges dominated possession in the early stages of the first half but were finding it tough to carve out ant clear-cut chances in the Southampton box.
The Saints, however, did get a little joy out on the flanks at times but there crosses were dealt with by Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
The visitors then silenced the home supporters on the stroke of halftime when they took the lead as Will Smallbone took advantage of a mix-up between Van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson to slot into the back of the net.
Slot responded with three changes at the start of the second half as Andrew Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Elliott replaced Kostas Tsimikas, Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Parity was restored six minutes after the restart as Luis Diaz skipped past Kyle-Walker Peters before pulling the ball back for Nunez, who found the back of the net with a first-time finish.
It got better for the Reds on 54 minutes after being awarded a penalty for Smallbone's clumsy challenge on Nunez in the box. Salah duly stepped up and converted the spot-kick for his 26th goal of the league season.
In doing so, Salah beat Luis Suarez's record (42) for most goals and assists in Premier League season for a Liverpool player with 43.
The Reds were awarded a second penalty in the 88th minute after Yukinari Sugawara's handball in the box, which saw Salah step and rifle the ball into top corner to complete his brace and seal maximum points for the hosts.
