Unstoppable Mohamed Salah saves Liverpool's skin as record books offer good title omen

SOUTHAMPTON 2-3 LIVERPOOL: Mo Salah's brace hauled the Premier League leaders from down astatine St Mary's to gain different triumph arsenic they capitalised connected Manchester City's latest slip-up

Eight points wide - spell on, number them. Mo Salah and Liverpool are going to instrumentality immoderate stopping now.

Only 2 sides - Newcastle successful 1995 and Arsenal 2 years agone - person won 10 of their archetypal 12 games and not gone connected to triumph the Premier League title. They sphinx it’s each over? It’s excessively soon to publication an open-topped treble decker from the autobus depot, but erstwhile Liverpool were successful occupation astatine storm-tossed St Mary’s, inevitably it was their Egyptian king who came to the rescue.

That’s 13 goals for Salah this season. Both his goals present were gifts, but he’s irrepressible, irresistible, unstoppable. And for manager Arne Slot, fastest retired of the blocks to 30 points on with Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti among Premier League managers, a white-knuckle thrust was worthy each the twists and drama.

Don’t autumn for the hogwash that Slot’s softly measured attack is little breathtaking than predecessor Jurgen Klopp’s dense metallic football. Pragmatic? Efficient? Dull? You indispensable beryllium joking - this was a thriller which astir turned the array connected its head.

And the lone predictable portion was that Salah - 223 goals and counting for the nine - would person the last say. After fractional an hr of being camped astir the Saints container similar Just Stop Oil protesters picketing a refinery, they seized connected the location side’s archetypal superior enactment of charity.

Flynn Downes’ atrocious clearance from wrong his ain six-yard container went consecutive to Dominik Szoboszlai, who needed nary 2nd invitations to marque him pay, the Hungarian midfielder’s left-foot decorativeness kissing the station connected its formation way beyond Alex McCarthy.

If Saints spent arsenic overmuch clip trying to weave intricate passes successful the attacking 3rd arsenic they discarded successful their ain box, they would beryllium tremendous to watch. Pretty patterns are for Laura Ashley catalogues, not relegation battles, but manager Russell Martin is determined to instrumentality to his doctrine due to the fact that helium believes it’s “brave” to play retired of your ain container wherever galore onlookers fearfulness it’s suicide.

Take your prime - but astir the archetypal clip Southampton ran astatine Liverpool’s backmost four, they equalised 4 minutes earlier the break. Andy Robertson was adjudged to person tripped the fantabulous Tyler Dibling connected the borderline of the box, VAR Michael Oliver upholding ref Sam Barrott’s borderline determination to grant a penalty.

Adam Armstrong potted the rebound aft Caoimhin Kelleher had beaten retired his spot-kick, and worse was to travel for Slot 11 minutes aft the interval. Dibling appeared to beryllium hemmed successful connected the touchline successful beforehand of the dugouts, but erstwhile his superb reverse walk released Armstrong, Mateus Fernandes arrived successful the container to expanse an assured left-foot decorativeness beyond the statuesque Kelleher,

But if Saints were successful dreamland, their reverie lasted lone 8 minutes. Ryan Gravenberch’s agelong shot down the transmission looked optimistic astatine best, but arsenic it dropped retired of the entity Downes was playing Salah onside and the Egyptian king prodded it beyond the advancing McCarthy, who had wandered into nary man’s land.

Injured first-choice Saints keeper Aaron Ramsdale, nursing a breached digit successful the posh seats, looked connected with a look similar thunder. As driving rainfall swept successful connected the backmost of howling Storm Bert, conditions were progressively hard to justice immoderate bounce, and definite capable Southampton sub Yuki Sugawara panicked arsenic helium misjudged Salah’s transverse towards the acold station and handled it.

The Egyptian king buried his punishment precocious and handsome beyond McCarthy - and adjacent had capable clip to travel wrong a whisker of a hat-trick erstwhile his volley rattled a post. So the Slot instrumentality is inactive producing pennies from eden for the Kop - but for Saints, the omens work similar a threatening letter.

In 7 erstwhile instances of a nine losing 10 of their archetypal 12 games successful top-flight history, each 7 person been relegated.

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