Liverpool 3-1 Southampton: Nunez and Salah earn comeback of champions

Liverpool came from behind to seal an emphatic 3-1 win over Southampton which sent them 16 points clear of Arsenal ahead of their trip to Man United.

Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

Premier League (29) | Anfield
March 8, 2025

Goals

Smallbone 45+1′
Nunez 51′ (assist: Diaz)
Salah 54′ (pen)
Salah 87′ (pen)

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Liverpool 3-1 Southampton – Player Ratings

Team News

After the intensity of their win in Paris, Liverpool lined up with three changes for their return to league action with Kostas Tsimikas, Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez coming in.

Nunez replaced Diogo Jota, with the Portuguese joining Federico Chiesa as the attacking options on the bench with Cody Gakpo among those ruled out.

Gakpo (ankle), Conor Bradley (hamstring), Joe Gomez (hamstring) and Tyler Morton (shoulder) were the absentees.

First Half

As expected it was a strong start from Liverpool who were in control from the off, with some sharp one-touch play and an early chance for Jones who fired just wide.

Southampton were forced into an early change after a clash of heads between two of their own players, with Jan Bednarek coming off worst and needing to be withdrawn.

Those expecting a first-half blitz may have been optimistic given the exertions in Paris only days previous, though with 78 percent possession and three big chances missed in the opening 35 minutes, the momentum was in Liverpool’s favour – just not the quality.

The visitors took the lead against the run of play when, on the cusp of half-time, a miscommunication between Alisson and Virgil van Dijk allowed Will Smallbone to finish for 1-0.

Half time: Liverpool 0-1 Southampton

Second Half

With Arne Slot – suspended for the duration of the match – able to join his players in the dressing room at half-time it will have been made clear how frustrating their performance had been.

He made three changes for the start of the second half with Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott sent on for Tsimikas, Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Darwin Nunez turned the game on its head within the space of three minutes as Liverpool got it back to 2-1, first finding the back of the net from Luis Diaz‘s cutback and then winning a penalty converted by Mohamed Salah.

All three of Liverpool’s half-time arrivals made a big impact, particularly Mac Allister, who imposed himself on the midfield battle immediately and provided welcome composure on the ball.

The lead was extended with the end of normal time approaching, as Southampton substitute Yukinari Sugawara deliberately elbowed the ball in the box under pressure from Diaz, ensuring – after VAR review – a penalty again despatched by Salah.

Those two goals put distance between Salah and Gordon Hodgson as the club’s third-highest goalscorer of all time – and the three points stretched Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table to 16 points.

The game in stats

* Stats via FotMob

TIA Man of the Match: Alexis Mac Allister

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Referee: Lewis Smith

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Quansah 89′), Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas (Robertson 46′); Gravenberch (Endo 81′), Szoboszlai (Elliott 46′), Jones (Mac Allister 46′); Salah, Diaz, Nunez (Jota 68′)

Subs not used: Kelleher, McConnell, Chiesa

Southampton: Ramsdale; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek (Bella-Kotchap 19′), Manning (Aribo 83′); Smallbone (Lallana 71′), Gronbaek (Archer 64′), Ugochukwu (Onuachu 83′); Dibling (Sugawara 64′), Fernandes, Sulemana

Subs not used: McCarthy, Stephens, Welington

Next match: Paris Saint-Germain (H) – Champions League – Tuesday, March 11, 8pm (GMT)