Match reportLiverpool record comeback victory over Southampton at Anfield

Will Smallbone capitalised on a mix-up in the Reds defence to put Saints ahead in first-half stoppage time.

However, the hosts seized control of the contest with an early second-half surge. Darwin Nunez levelled, slamming home from Luis Diaz’s cut-back, before winning a penalty that was clinically dispatched by Mohamed Salah.

Salah then successfully converted a second spot-kick in the 88th minute to eradicate any doubt about the outcome.

With Arsenal not in action until Sunday when they travel to Manchester United, the victory extended Liverpool’s gap at the summit to 16 points with nine games remaining for Arne Slot’s side.

Team

Liverpool made three changes from the midweek win over Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Curtis Jones, Nunez and Kostas Tsimikas came back into the starting line-up, replacing Diogo Jota, Alexis Mac Allister and Andy Robertson.

Liverpool: Alisson, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Szoboszlai (Mac Allister, 46), Nunez (Jota, 68), Salah, Jones (Elliott, 46), Tsimikas (Robertson, 46), Gravenberch (Endo, 81), Alexander-Arnold (Quansah, 90).

Unused substitutes: Kelleher, Chiesa, McConnell.

First half

Liverpool set about asserting themselves from the outset – and there had been only 48 seconds played when Jones found space on the left of the area, but had a near-post shot crash against a defender in front of Aaron Ramsdale’s goal.

The midfielder would go even closer just moments later, sweeping a shot a foot wide of the upright from 10 yards out after the ball had deflected to him from Tyler Harwood-Bellis’ attempts to clear a Ryan Gravenberch delivery.

A clash of heads between Jan Bednarek and Ryan Manning halted play – and resulted in the former needing to be substituted – before Harwood-Bellis’ glance goalwards from a corner required Alisson Becker to claim.

Mateus Fernandes then tested Liverpool’s goalkeeper from distance, though again it was a fairly routine take for the No.1.

Then, on 26 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold was thwarted by a sprawling stop from Ramsdale at his boots after he was presented with a shooting opportunity at close range.

Nunez headed over and had a snap-shot grasped by Ramsdale as the Reds exerted pressure on their visitors once more.

Nevertheless, Southampton were proving a stubborn opponent as the game progressed and took the lead in first-half stoppage time.

Fernandes got a toe to a ball Virgil van Dijk was attempting to shepherd back to Alisson, diverting it back to Smallbone, who rolled it into the unguarded net from a tight angle.

Second half

Liverpool made a triple change at the break – Harvey Elliott, Robertson and Mac Allister coming on for Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Tsimikas.

It was one of those substitutes – Elliott – who almost made an immediate impact when his drive across goal from Salah’s lay-off was kept out by a save from Ramsdale at full stretch.

But, with the hosts’ intensity levels increased significantly and Anfield responding in kind, the game would be turned on its head in the space of just three minutes soon after.

First, the Reds drew level. Diaz ran at Kyle Walker-Peters and got to the byline before cutting it back, where Nunez bulleted in a first-time finish from close range.

Then, a mere matter of seconds later, Nunez was felled inside the area by Smallbone, enabling Salah the chance to put Slot’s men into the lead. The forward did so with aplomb, emphatically dispatching the ball beyond Ramsdale and into the left of the goal.

Alisson was required to keep out a near-post blast from Cameron Archer, but it was Liverpool who were looking more likely to make a further impression on the scoresheet.

Elliott went close with a drive from just outside the area before a handball by Yukinari Sugawara gave the home team the chance to close out the game in the final moments.

Salah was successful once more, driving the ball into the opposite corner to put the outcome beyond doubt and help Liverpool extend their lead at the top to 16 points.

Attendance: 60,399