Premier League leader Liverpool defeated Southampton 3-2 and opened an eight-point gap with second-place Manchester City. Super Sunday St. Mary’s Thriller.
Goals from Adam Armstrong and Matheus Fernandes saw Saints cancel out Dominik Szoboszlai’s opener, but two goals from Mohamed Salah did the trick for Arne Slot’s side in wet and windy conditions on the south coast.
It was an almost perfect start for Southampton. With seven minutes left on the clock, Armstrong attacked inside Ibrahima Konate and went down inside the box. Home fans were furious that a penalty should have been awarded, but neither referee Sam Barrott nor VAR Michael Oliver agreed.
Liverpool started poorly but tested Saints goalkeeper Alex McCarthy – making his first Premier League start in three months – on several occasions and eventually took the lead.
McCarthy rolled the ball to Fernandes under intense pressure and Flynn Downes tried but failed to clear the ball, allowing Szoboszlai to fire into the top left corner. It was the seventh error leading to Russell Martin’s goal this season, the most in the Premier League.
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Dominik Szoboszlai took advantage of Saints’ terrible decision-making to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead against Southampton.
But just before the break the Saints were level. A lengthy VAR review confirmed Tyler Dibling was rattled by Andy Robertson just inside the box, and although Caoimhin Kelleher blocked Armstrong’s initial effort, the forward saved the rebound.
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Adam Armstrong brings Southampton level after a dubious penalty decision!
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Matheus Fernandes puts Southampton ahead against Liverpool.
The comeback was completed before an hour had passed. Dibling won the ball in a tight space near the halfway line and placed a stunning pass into Armstrong’s path. He picked up the ball and deflected it for Fernandes to bounce and sweep home.
Then the momentum broke again. Ryan Gravenberch brought the ball forward for Salah, whose indifferent finish caught McCarthy. McCarthy got the message to jump off his line.
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Mohamed Salah scored in Liverpool’s 2-2 win over Southampton. But where did Alex McCarthy go?
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Salah switches positions to lead Liverpool back into the lead
And there was no going back for the hosts when Salah slotted a penalty past McCarthy after Yukinari Sugawara misread a cross destined for the back post. This confirmed that the team will maintain their respective positions at the top and bottom of the Premier League table. .
Should Lallana have seen red?
Before being substituted, Southampton’s Adam Lallana was booked for a foul on Gravenberch.
“He has no control and doesn’t even look at the ball.” sky sports‘Roy Keane.
“They looked at the player’s character and he’s not a very bad type. Southampton got one thing there. The more I look at it, the worse it gets.”
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Roy Keane was adamant Adam Lallana should have been sent off for a foul on Ryan Gravenberch, but Lallana escaped with a yellow card.
Analysis: Liverpool Cement ‘winning title’ tag
Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter:
Slott won 10 of the 12 Premier League games he took charge of Liverpool, which is the fastest record for a manager to achieve double-digit wins. And after measuring once again his team’s ability to overcome adversity, all signs remain rosy.
An error occurred, but the scoreline was only briefly damaged. Liverpool have been in commanding form thanks to the majesty of Salah and are now eight points adrift of the top spot.
It’s hard to see Manchester City losing 4-0 to Spurs this weekend. While challenges are needed at the moment, Arsenal have also made mistakes in recent weeks. Liverpool keeps winning.
Slot steam locomotives are moving at incredible speeds and they should now be considered the favorites for the title. Of course, there is a risk of complacency with such sentiments being whispered outside the Kirkby training base, but we are all on the same page.
Apparently Slot “wins without romanticizing”. If they keep going at this pace, Liverpool will be in line to win the biggest prize of them all.
MARTIN: Saints will have to break records again in race for survival
southampton manager Russell Martin:
“My biggest feeling right now is frustration and disappointment with the goal we conceded. That goal was so poor. We were playing against a team of that caliber and if they could produce a magical moment or score a brilliant team goal, maybe Take it a little further, but the quality of the goals we conceded is so bad.
“We looked a lot more dangerous in the final third and in terms of attacking threat than we did at Wolves. A lot of times we played against the best team in the league. We limited them a lot with shots taken outside the box.
“I asked the players to play as fast and forward as possible, but it was the wrong time to do that because Liverpool had too many players in the final third. We needed to take the pressure off the game and manage it. But that was me. It’s up to you and you need to be clearer about when and where to do it.
“There is no lack of competition, no lack of fight, no lack of will and desire to run for each other. Players who were in the Premier League last time feel very differently about this feeling, even after Manchester City left. Arsenal away, Liverpool home, players are too friendly. I feel like that and we need to eradicate such moments.
“The team broke all kinds of records last year, so we’re going to have to do it again.”
Slot: Liverpool refuse to be swept despite healthy lead
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot:
“Of course we are really happy, especially because we were down 2-1 after an hour. It probably didn’t reflect how the first hour went, because we dominated the whole game. It’s not easy. I think Southampton We’ve seen a lot of matches where this one is dominated.
“At the end of the day, if you’re down 2-1 after an hour, it would be really nice to win 3-2.
“We always know we can count on him (Salah) when the going gets tough. After we were 2-1 down, we never felt like we had the moment to score after Ryan Gravenberg’s fantastic pass of the run. The timing and the way Mo finished it was special and it really helped us get back in the game.
“Last season Arsenal were eight points up and Manchester City came back, so it was the same in the second half of the season when Arsenal, Chelsea, City and all the other teams were able to win so many games in a row. I’m really happy about that, but we will certainly not be swayed by this position.”
