Darwin Núñez scored his first Anfield goal since November to help Liverpool come from behind and claim a 3-1 victory over struggling Southampton, extending the Reds’ lead at the top of the Premier League (PL) table to 16 points.
After a hard-fought 1-0 win in Wednesday’s European clash against PSG, Liverpool returned to Anfield expecting a much simpler outing against bottom-of-the-table Southampton. However, the Reds struggled to exploit the vulnerabilities of the PL’s worst defence in the first period. Curtis Jones sent an early effort wide, and Darwin Núñez drew a routine save from Aaron Ramsdale, but there was little to excite the home fans before the break. In fact, Anfield was stunned into silence just before half-time when a defensive mix-up between Virgil van Dijk and midweek hero Alisson Becker gifted Southampton a surprise opener. Will Smallbone capitalised on the miscommunication, slotting the ball in at the near post to net his first top-flight goal.
Arne Slot, serving a touchline ban, was evidently unimpressed with his side’s first-half display and responded with a triple substitution at the break, introducing Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister, and Wednesday’s match-winner Harvey Elliott. However, it was two players who started the contest that combined for Liverpool’s equaliser in the 52nd minute, as Luis Díaz surged to the byline before cutting the ball back for Núñez to guide home. Moments later, the Uruguayan won a penalty after being fouled by Smallbone, allowing Mohamed Salah to convert from the spot and put Liverpool ahead.
As the game neared its conclusion, Salah was given another opportunity from 12 yards when Yukinari Sugawara was penalised for handball. This time, the 32-year-old sent Ramsdale the wrong way, drilling his effort into the top corner to take his tally to 27 PL goals for the season. The result moves Liverpool closer to their 20th top-flight title and provides a perfect warm-up for their return meeting with PSG, while Southampton edge ever closer to relegation, now sitting 13 points adrift of safety.
