Liverpool needed a late brace from Mohamed Salah to extend its lead at the top of the Premier League table to eight points. Southampton proved a difficult opponent for Arne Slot’s side despite being bottom of the standings.
The Egyptian forward netted an equalizer when he raced onto a long pass to beat the outrushing Alex McCarthy, and then scored from the penalty spot when Yuki Suguwara handled the ball as he attempted to chest it back to his goalkeeper. Salah held his nerve to ensure the Reds didn’t fail to capitalize on Manchester City’s 4-0 home defeat against Spurs earlier in the weekend.
“[The goals] were very important, especially after being down 2-1,” Salah said live on Sky Sports post-match. “It’s the most important thing to have won the game.
“Each game is different. They had a game plan and played very well. We managed to come back and win the game. I think we have a good game plan, we played our game and I was confident we would create chances.
“It’s great. Hopefully, we keep going in that direction. We have a game against them so hopefully, we win it and go 11 points clear. Man City is Man City. They have a bad time now but they have great players.”
Salah took the match by the scruff of the neck when others had toiled. Liverpool didn’t play well defensively and Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez were limited in their threat. Ultimately, though, the Reds were able to get over the line. Sometimes, the sign of a champion is winning when it doesn’t perform at its best. You could definitely argue that was the case here.
