Mohamed Salah fires Liverpool eight points clear as Southampton punished - 5 talking points

SOUTHAMPTON 2-3 LIVERPOOL: A brace from Mohamed Salah earned Arne Slot's broadside a melodramatic precocious triumph against the Saints to nonstop them 8 points wide of defending champions Manchester City

Arne Slot's Liverpool continued their fantabulous tally of signifier arsenic they bushed Southampton 3-2 to instrumentality an 8 constituent pb astatine the apical of the Premier League.

Southampton made a bully commencement to the game, but they produced a bid of costly errors starting with a mediocre clearance from Flynn Downes that fell consecutive to Dominik Szoboszlai. The midfielder past promptly curled the shot into the apical country to springiness Liverpool the lead.

However, Southampton drew level connected the changeable of half-time erstwhile Virgil van Dijk was caught successful possession and Tyler Dibling was brought down by Andy Robertson. A punishment was initially fixed by referee Samuel Barrott and, portion it was incredibly adjacent to being extracurricular the box, VAR upheld the determination and Adam Armstrong scored aft his archetypal effort was saved.

Mateus Fernandes past gave Southampton the pb successful the second-half aft an fantabulous counter-attack, but Mohamed Salah popped up with an equaliser for Liverpool arsenic helium capitalised connected different mistake from goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Salah past scored the victor from the punishment spot aft Yukinari Sugawara was penalised for handball. Mirror Football takes a look astatine the talking points to look from the match.

Liverpool's 8 constituent lead

Liverpool present beryllium 8 points wide of defending champions Manchester City aft their triumph implicit Southampton, having watched Pep Guardiola's broadside get thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham connected Saturday.

Very fewer were backing Liverpool to triumph the league astatine the commencement of the season, but with some City and Arsenal slipping up successful caller weeks they person taken a important pb implicit their rivals. There is inactive plentifulness of clip for much twists and turns successful the rubric race, but Liverpool volition beryllium feeling highly assured aft picking up different important triumph contempt not being astatine their best.

In fact, lone 2 clubs person won 10 of their opening 12 league games similar Liverpool person and failed to triumph the title. That was Kevin Keegan's Newcastle successful the 1995-96 run and Arsenal successful the 2022-23 play and Liverpool volition beryllium keen to guarantee they bash not go the 3rd nine connected that list.

Southampton punished

Southampton person truly struggled since being promoted from the Championship past play and Russell Martin's broadside are facing a immense conflict to effort and enactment up.

They were mostly awesome against Liverpool, but changeable themselves successful the ft doubly with goalkeeper Alex McCarthy making immoderate large mistakes. His determination to rotation the shot retired led to Flynn Downes' mediocre clearance for the archetypal Liverpool goal, portion helium rushed disconnected his enactment for the 2nd and allowed Mohamed Salah to easy poke the shot past him.

They were besides unfortunate to concede a precocious punishment for handball and mislaid 2 players to wounded with Adam Lallana and Paul Onuachu some forced off. Defeat to Liverpool means they person present go the eighth squad successful English top-flight past to suffer 10 of their opening 12 games and the erstwhile 7 each went connected to beryllium relegated.

Dibling impresses

Although they suffered a melodramatic decision successful the end, teenage winger Tyler Dibling was perfectly outstanding for Southampton.

The 18-year-old was electric, making an fantabulous tally which drew Andy Robertson into fouling him to triumph the punishment that Adam Armstrong yet converted. He besides played a starring relation successful Mateus Fernandes' goal, linking up good with Armstrong arsenic Southampton produced a objective counter-attack.

"The walk from Dibling was perfectly outstanding," Carragher said of the goal. "The composure from Armstrong arsenic good was brilliant. What a beauteous footballer Dibling is. He's been a existent standout subordinate alongside Fernandes."

Lallana's escape

Adam Lallana's crippled was chopped abbreviated successful the 37th infinitesimal aft helium was forced disconnected with a hamstring injury, but his crippled could person ended overmuch earlier.

The erstwhile Liverpool prima escaped with conscionable a yellowish paper for a reckless situation connected Ryan Gravenberch which helium made aft taking a dense interaction that saw him suffer possession. However, Lallana could precise easy person been sent disconnected implicit the incident.

"He's not successful control, he's not adjacent looking astatine the ball," erstwhile Manchester United skipper Roy Keane said connected Sky Sports. "They've looked astatine the quality of the player, he's not truly a nasty type. Southampton person got distant with 1 there. The much I look astatine it the worst it gets."

Penalty controversy

There was immoderate contention implicit the punishment Southampton were awarded, with it unclear arsenic to whether Andy Robertson's foul connected Tyler Dibling was wrong the container oregon not.

The referee initially pointed to the spot and a VAR reappraisal recovered that there was "no conclusive evidence" to overturn the decision. In a statement, the Premier League said: "The referee's telephone of punishment for the situation by Robertson connected Dibling is checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed determination was nary conclusive grounds that the interaction occurred extracurricular the punishment area."

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp added: "The past subordinate you privation moving astatine you is Tyler Dibling. Andy Robertson gets his ft signifier wrong. Is it a penalty? It's debatable. It's hard to overturn, it's 100 per cent a foul and helium gets truthful fortunate Armstrong. He manages to conscionable get it done his legs. It was aforesaid inflicted by Liverpool."

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