Digging Deeper Into Liverpool’s 3-1 Victory Over Southampton

Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images

With a victory over Southampton in the books, we take a closer look at what it all means for the Reds.

Back to Premier League action for Liverpool in their last league match before the international break at the end of the month. Which means it’s a chance to continue to force the issue and maintain a maximum advantage in the Reds’ quest to lift a 20th top-flight title. Coming off of a smash and grab in Paris, along with the reverse fixture against Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday and the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday, this is likely the lowest stakes of the remaining fixtures in this slate. But we know that Arne Slot will want to keep their foot on the gas and a win here against Southampton would accomplish just that.

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Winners

Darwin Nuñez
In truth, at the half I might have put Darwin on the other end of this section; the Uruguayan striker was involved in a foul that was at least a yellow card and my instinct would have been to take him off to ensure he didn’t receive a second. Arne Slot did make changes at the half (more on that in a second) but Darwin coming off wasn’t one of them. And boy, did that roll of the dice come up big. Our favorite ball of chaos slotted home a terrific cutback from Luis Díaz and then drew the first penalty of the match mere minutes after which Mohamed Salah tucked away to put the Reds up for good. All of that approximately 10 minutes after the re-start. When you consider that the yellow card came at the tail-end of the first-half, one must say that it was perhaps the most Darwin Nuñez 20 minutes of football ever played.

Arne Slot’s In-Game Changes
An early feature of the Slot Era at Liverpool was the Dutchman’s almost otherworldly ability to switch things up at the half in order to deliver the result. Aside from a blip over the period in the New Year, where Liverpool have maybe looked a little more pressed as sides might have caught-up to some of the systemic choices Liverpool roll out, Slot’s managed to keep up that impressive run here and in Paris, where all of the subs have once more had a positive impact on the way that second half played out.

Losers

Southampton
Genuinely tough to watch a team that’s already struggling give away a lead. I can only imagine how draining it is to go ahead and then to watch it all fall apart so quickly. Soton have had a history of giving us issues and while I wouldn’t say I felt overly threatened today - their goal really was more a self-inflicted error than them figuring out how to unlock our defense - it definitely wasn’t always comfortable. I don’t know what the Championship will look like when they go down, but I hope they’re able to make it back up.

Dissecting the Narrative

Not saying it’s inevitable but I imagine that some resurgence of Penaltypool talk might have happened due to Liverpool getting their last two goals on the day from the spot. But in perhaps a twist to this section, I would like to offer a more delightful narrative piece: More Mo Magic. With his two goals today, he moves into sole possession at third-place among Liverpool’s all-time goalscorers: 2 clear of Gordon Hodgson and 42 off the pace of Roger Hunt in second. He has also drawn level with both Thierry Henry and Erling Haaland at 44 total goal involvements in a Premier League season, and only 3 off the record shared by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole. Salah still has 9 more matches left and he’s got the ability to not only put that record out so far that it may take another generation to match, but is also standing on the precipice of what could be a massive set of team achievements to boot. He is the best player in the world right now and he plays for Liverpool. What a season and what a moment.

What Happens Next

As mentioned earlier, Liverpool have the reverse fixture in their Champions League tie against PSG on Tuesday at Anfield. Then, on Sunday, Liverpool play Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final. All told, a great result as Liverpool will get to focus on two separate competitions without needing to feel the pressure of the league, as they have the international break looming after the Final. Two big matches, including Slot’s first chance to collect a trophy at the helm of Liverpool. Here’s hoping we see wins in both competitions, allowing the break to be precisely that: a chance to pause and savor what is shaping up to be the type of year we’ll talk about as fans forever.