Mohamed Salah’s second-half double powered Liverpool to a dramatic 3-2 win over Southampton, leaving the Premier League leaders eight points clear at the top of the table.
The Egyptian star’s late heroics helped salvage the Reds after a scare from the league’s bottom club at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday.
Liverpool started brightly but struggled to find their rhythm in the first half. Dominik Szoboszlai had opened the scoring for the Reds in the 30th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error by Southampton.
After a poor pass from keeper Alex McCarthy was intercepted by Curtis Jones, Szoboszlai calmly slotted past McCarthy to give Liverpool the lead.
However, Southampton’s response was swift, and they found an equalizer just before halftime. A controversial penalty was awarded in the 42nd minute when Virgil van Dijk was dispossessed by Tyler Dibling, leading to a foul by Andrew Robertson on Dibling just outside the box.
Despite protests, referee Sam Barrott pointed to the spot, with VAR upholding the decision. Adam Armstrong’s initial penalty was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, but he reacted quickly to bury the rebound, bringing the score level at 1-1.
The second half saw a continued shift in momentum. Southampton stunned Liverpool with a second goal in the 56th minute. A long ball from Dibling released Adam Armstrong, who passed to an unmarked Mateus Fernandes.
Fernandes coolly finished past Kelleher to put the hosts ahead for the first time in the match, sending shockwaves through the Anfield faithful.
Liverpool, though rattled, responded quickly. Just nine minutes after Southampton’s goal, Salah was on hand to equalize. A defensive blunder from McCarthy allowed Salah to sneak behind the Southampton defense.
The goalkeeper’s rash decision to rush out of his box left Salah with the simple task of meeting Ryan Gravenberch’s pass and placing the ball into the net.
With the match on a knife-edge, Salah completed his brace in dramatic fashion. In the 83rd minute, Liverpool were awarded a penalty after Southampton’s Yukinari Sugawara handled Salah’s cross in the box.
Salah stepped up, sending McCarthy the wrong way to score his 12th goal of the season and his sixth in his last five league appearances.
Liverpool were far from their best on a wet and windy afternoon but showed resilience to take all three points. Thanks to Salah’s heroics, Liverpool extended their lead to eight points, with Manchester City’s heavy 4-0 loss to Tottenham earlier in the weekend leaving the reigning champions trailing in their wake.
Under manager Arne Slot, who has made a remarkable start to life at Anfield, Liverpool have now won 16 of their first 18 games across all competitions.
Despite the team’s slightly underwhelming performance in this match, Slot’s tactical acumen has firmly established Liverpool as strong favorites to claim their first Premier League title since 2020.
The win also comes at a crucial time as the Reds prepare for back-to-back matches against Real Madrid in the Champions League and a home clash with Manchester City next weekend.
Liverpool’s 10 wins from their first 12 league matches have placed them in an enviable position, with only two teams in Premier League history failing to lift the title after reaching such a record.
Liverpool will be looking to build on this gritty victory as they enter a crucial phase of their season.
They face Real Madrid at home on Wednesday before hosting Manchester City at Anfield next Sunday.
