Darwin Nunez was Liverpool's second-half hero in their 3-1 home win over Southampton after a first-half booking that was checked for a red

Darwin Nunez was Liverpool's second-half hero in their 3-1 home win over Southampton after a first-half booking that was checked for a red

Liverpool and Arsenal have been among the Premier League clubs said to be interested in Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.

Liverpool and Arsenal have been among the Premier League clubs said to be interested in Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean has claimed that Southampton's first goal against Liverpool should not have stood — but not because there was a foul from Matheus Fernandes.

Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk were involved in a mix-up with the goalkeeper claiming he was fouled. But Dean says there might also have been an offside offense that was missed.

"I'm just worried about the goal," he said on Sky Sports. "They've obviously checked it with VAR, but I've looked at it three of four times, and I'm convinced it's offside.

"The Southampton player has gone to challenge the keeper, it's touched his foot and gone forward, and Smallbone's left foot seems to be in front of the defender. Unless there was another defender outside that we can't pick up on the TV... but he looks offside, in my opinion."

In the end, it didn't matter. Liverpool won comfortably and turned the game around inside 10 second half minutes. Darwin Nunez scored and then won a penalty before Mohamed Salah added a second spot kick to seal the points.

Southampton wasn't happy with the first Liverpool penalty that was awarded when Nunez was felled inside the box. It was a soft foul but there was contact, and once the referee pointed to the spot, it was not a clear and obvious enough error for VAR to intervene.

"I think the [first] penalty was not a penalty and that changed the match," he told the BBC. "I am satisfied with how we played today but this cannot be a penalty ever.

Referee Lewis Smith views the VAR monitor, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded for handball for Liverpool against Southampton (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

"I'm sorry it happened because it was 1-1 and it changed the match a little bit. We have lots of young players who want to grow up and improve. We can lose, but we have to fight like we fight today."

Liverpool.com says: While Southampton might have got away with one and then felt hard done by, the Saints wouldn't have expected anything other than a defeat in this game. Liverpool didn't start well but even so, never looked like losing the points. Now, with a 16-point lead at the top of the table, the Reds should be cruising to the title.

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Liverpool eventually ran out 3-1 winners at home to Southampton to move 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League

Liverpool eventually ran out 3-1 winners at home to Southampton to move 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has acknowledged that he might have made an error by selecting Dominik Szoboszlai for the starting line-up in the Reds' dramatic turnaround victory against Southampton.

The win propelled the Premier League frontrunners an impressive 16 points clear at the summit despite being behind at halftime. A swift goal from Darwin Nunez after the interval and a brace of penalties by Mohamed Salah secured the Anfield outfit all three points.

Slot's decisive action at the break, making a triple substitution, was instrumental in the comeback. Dissatisfied with the team's first-half performance, he introduced Harvey Elliott, Alexis Mac Allister, and Andy Robertson to replace Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Kostas Tsimikas.

Post-match, Slot admitted that the changes were necessary to change the course of the game and suggested that starting Szoboszlai might have been a misstep. "Today, if I could do it one more time over, I would have started it differently than I started today," he said.

"But you don't know this in advance. Every time I am sitting here and talking about Dominik, I'm talking about he is a machine. He can keep on going, running and running and running.

"It was maybe the first time this season I saw a different energy from him, which is maybe normal. Maybe I made a mistake by playing him because he gives so much every single game.

"The good news is he only played 45 and is more rested for the upcoming week now than he is if I played him for 90. And the good thing for me is I have more than only one good midfielder in terms of Dominik.

"We have quite a few and Harvey came in really strong and helped the team again after him helping the team against Paris Saint-Germain also."

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, sitting in the stands because of his touchline ban, reacts during the win over Southampton (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images))

Liverpool needed a rocket at halftime with Slot far from mincing his words in the dressing room. "I didn't give them compliments at halftime, I can tell you," he explained. "Maybe it was because I was sitting up there instead of being at the line.

"When you watch a game from there, you always feel that, 'Ah, maybe even I can play in this game'. But when you are on the line, there is always more tempo.

"I don't think I was wrong if I said at halftime that the energy levels were far, far, far too low. That is what had to change and that is why we made three substitutions.

"Apart from bringing in quality, also to create something. Because nine out of 10 times, when you take three out, the other eight are like, woah, something else should happen. That was the only thing I could come up with at halftime to create something different for the second half."

Liverpool.com says: Things didn't go well in the first half, but that can all be forgotten now. The Reds were always likely to come back and score at least twice at some point. In the end, they did that within 10 minutes of the second half kicking off.

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Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez both found the net against Southampton

Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez both found the net against Southampton

Arne Slot admitted his Liverpool team was well below its best during the first half of Saturday's Premier League comeback victory over Southampton at Anfield.

Slot made three changes to the team that lined up against Paris Saint-Germain three days earlier, with Kostas Tsimikas, Curtis Jones, and Darwin Nunez coming into the side for Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Diogo Jota.

While Tsimikas and Jones shouldered no individual blame for a meek first-half display by the team, Slot felt the need to take both of them off, as well as Dominik Szoboszlai, as he made a triple substitution at halftime.

The drastic move worked as Liverpool moved in front within 10 minutes of the restart, with Nunez equalizing before also winning a penalty, which Mohamed Salah dispatched. The Reds were awarded a second penalty in the closing stages, which Salah once more dispatched to make sure of the points.

Slot, who watched the game from the stands as he served a touchline ban, told Sky Sports after the game that he was not impressed with what he had seen from his players in the first half.

"We had to be patient for a goal," Slot said. "It was a very poor performance first half. We were not in the game at all. It didn't come as a surprise to me that we conceded. We found a way to win the game in the second half.

"In the end, I had to make some hard decisions at halftime to create some anger. The three that came in did really well, but I could see from the other eight they were different.

"I am fully aware you cannot play high intensity for 38 games. Sometimes you have to find another way to win. Hopefully the first half was a warning sign. The good thing is we probably didn't run that much [before facing Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday]."

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Darwin Nunez faces an uncertain Liverpool future this summer once the transfer window opens after, by and large, flattering to deceive under Arne Slot this season

Darwin Nunez faces an uncertain Liverpool future this summer once the transfer window opens after, by and large, flattering to deceive under Arne Slot this season

Arne Slot has explained the triple half-time substitution he “had to” make that helped Liverpool come from behind, to beat Southampton 3-1 in the Premier League.

Liverpool may have had 75 percent possession in the first half, but they looked lethargic when the ball turned over.

From up on high, Slot could tell something needed to change, with his team trailing to Will Smallbone’s goal in injury time of the first half.

“I didn’t give them compliments at half-time, I can tell you,” Slot began when asked about his triple substitution.

“Maybe it was because I was sitting up there (in the stands) instead of being at the line, because I know from experience that when you watch a game over there you feel like, ‘Oh, maybe I can even play in this game’.

“If you’re then at the line, it’s always more tempo, but I don’t think I was wrong this time if I said at half-time that energy levels were far, far, far too low.

“And that is what I had to change and that is why we made three substitutions just to, apart from bringing in quality, just to create something, because nine out of 10 times when you take three out, the other eight are like, ‘Ooh, something else should happen’.

“And that’s the only thing I could come up with at half-time to create something different for the second half.”

Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott all came on at the break.

The three players to come off were Kostas Tsimikas, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones. The latter two also played against PSG on Wednesday.

Though Tsimikas didn’t feature in the Champions League first leg, he was also brought off because Slot knew Robertson “always creates something with his energy, with his mentality, not only in the team but also with the fans.”

The Greek left-back was also on a yellow card. Nunez, too, had received a first-half booking, but he remained on the pitch.

After scoring the equaliser and winning the penalty for Mo Salah‘s first goal, the Uruguayan was replaced by Diogo Jota.

Slot commented: “In the end I took him (Nunez) off because he was on yellow, but I always hate the idea [when] we need to score goals to take someone off that can score a goal.

“That’s why it wasn’t in my mind to take him off because I was already planning on after these three, if we don’t score a goal then Jota needs to come in then we have to go even more offensive.

“With Cody (Gakpo) being out, it isn’t like we have that many attacking options, so that’s why I took a certain risk of keeping him – a No. 9 that is on yellow is different than Kostas.”

The head coach then noted that Mac Allister also made a difference in the second half.

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“There is a reason why Macca is a World Cup winner, because he always shows up when you need him in terms of mentality and that’s also definitely what he brought in the second half,” Slot added.

Though the boss did admit he would have started a different side with hindsight, it was pleasing to see him able to clearly affect the match despite not being on the touchline.

Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff will be back in the dugout for the second leg against PSG on Tuesday.

Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

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Arne Slot admitted a rare regret over his starting lineup for Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Southampton, most notably his decision not to start Harvey Elliott.

Slot made three changes for the visit of Southampton but was forced to make three more at half-time as his side went in 1-0 down.

A sluggish first half at Anfield prompted the head coach – who watched from the stands due to suspension – to replace Kostas Tsimikas, Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai with Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Elliott.

Elliott may have been disappointed not to start given his match-winning heroics in midweek and, speaking after the game, Slot suggested in hindsight he felt he should have.

“It’s always a difficult decision not to start Harvey, not to start Wata, not to start all the other ones that I don’t play,” he told reporters.

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“But if someone comes in for five minutes, touches his first ball and scores a goal, then to change your whole idea about all the lineups you made before, that would be a bit weird as well.

“So yeah, he had a good impact on the game [against PSG], today he had again a good impact on the game.

“That’s why he got 45 minutes today as well, because he did so well in Paris.

“There’s also a reason why I play so many times the other ones, and all the time they deserved that trust.

“But today, if I could do it one more time over, I would have started it differently than I started, but you don’t know this in advance.”

Elliott is still yet to start a game in the Premier League this season and has only done so four times in all competitions, with his tally of 552 minutes the fewest of any senior player bar Federico Chiesa (370).

That does a disservice to the 21-year-old’s quality, but Slot was full of praise for his attitude regardless, comparing him to Wataru Endo.

“What it is with him is also with other players, they are in competition with so many good players and that makes it sometimes difficult to make a lineup,” he explained.

“But it always helps to bring in performances like this – and also Wata, he came in 15 minutes before the end and again he showed how important he is for this team.

“[Harvey] trains really well. I said many times about Wata, I can say the same about Harvey, hardly any playing time but just keeps on going.

“And then when your moment comes, then you can show your quality.

“That’s the biggest compliment I can give him, but also the biggest compliment about what he brings to the team is that he just kept on going.

“I’ve experienced more than enough players who, if they are in the same situation as him or Wata, they start to do less and less, and when I played them you would probably not have asked me why I didn’t play them.

“This is the situation we want as a team and it makes it sometimes difficult for me, that’s true.”

Cody Gakpo fitness update

It is certainly true that Elliott’s opportunity was aided by the absence of Cody Gakpo, with Slot asked if his fellow Dutchman had been fit enough to make the squad.

“No, otherwise I would have taken him, because this was the most important game of the week, like I told you. The first of three finals,” he replied.

“So if he would have been able I would definitely have had him on the bench. But unfortunately, he wasn’t.

“But I do hope the two next finals we play a bit better than the first one.”

Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

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Arne Slot reflects on his Liverpool team selection for the ultimately comfortable 3-1 win over Southampton and why he made three changes at half-time

Arne Slot reflects on his Liverpool team selection for the ultimately comfortable 3-1 win over Southampton and why he made three changes at half-time

Arne Slot admitted Liverpool's first-half performance against Southampton was a "warning sign" as he had to "create anger" in the dressing room at the break.

Trailing to Will Smallbone's added-time goal after a misunderstanding between Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Slot - who was watching from the Main Stand as he was serving the last game of his touchline suspension - moved quickly to rectify the situation.

Having issued his players with an order to increase the tempo, he made a triple substitution with Harvey Elliott, Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister coming on and immediately changing the dynamic.

Within the space of five minutes, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, with the first of two penalties, had turned things around as the Premier League leaders stretched their advantage at the top to 16 points ahead of their Champions League second-leg clash with PSG on Tuesday at Anfield.

Slot told Sky Sports: "It was a very poor performance in the first half. Maybe if you see the highlights you would feel there were three or four chances, but we were not in the game at all and it didn't come to a surprise to me that we conceded a goal. Especially if you look at the way we conceded it, it tells you all about our first half.

"We found a way to win the game in the second half.

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Liverpool’s win against Southampton in the Premier League

"In the media, in my meetings, I made clear to them how difficult of a game this was and that we have to play on different intensity levels than we've played against Paris Saint-Germain. Maybe also to get used to that level of intensity that we're going to experience Tuesday again. But in the end I had to make some hard decisions, maybe at half-time, to create a certain anger with the players.

"That triple substitution at the start of the second half seemed to reignite the team. The three that came in did really well. That's the first thing, but I could see from the other eight a different attitude as well.

"So if you look at the first goal, we played the ball to Diaz and all of a sudden he was on tempo trying to create something, where in the first half he kept the ball waiting, waiting, waiting and that was not only for him, but in general.

"And in the second goal you could see Ryan Gravenberch pushing up, winning the second ball which led to the penalty, where in the first half they could every time escape after we crossed the ball.

"I'm fully aware of the fact that if you play a season, you cannot play 38 times in the highest intensity or the best possible football you can play. So sometimes you have to find another way of winning a game.

"But the first half today is hopefully a warning sign because like I said, we've experienced it already in Paris, that the intensity, the way they play, was very high for us on that night. And if I compare it with the intensity we played today, it's not one, two, three, four, five steps, it's probably six or seven or eight steps down towards the intensity levels of Paris Saint-Germain."

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After Liverpool beat Southampton 3-1, Mo Salah revealed how Arne Slot laid into the players at half time when they were trailing at Anfield.

Liverpool ran out relatively comfortable winners in the end on Saturday. However, the game against 20th-place Southampton wasn’t without its difficulties.

Ivan Juric’s team took the lead just before the break, as Will Smallbone capitalised on a rare mix-up between Alisson and Van Dijk.

While the Reds had 75 percent possession in the first half, they failed to create clear-cut chances, leaving Slot frustrated with his team’s performance.

Asked what the coach said at half time, Salah told PL Productions: “[It was] a bit of frustration. The manager was gone. His head was like going for us, but it’s something you need sometimes because I think first half, the game was sloppy.

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“We just were slow and just taking our time, then last minute, they managed to [score before half time].

“But we are now more experienced, we can manage that situation and I’m glad that we did.”

This matched up with what the coach himself recounted.

“I didn’t give them compliments at half time, I can tell you,” Slot explained.

“I don’t think I was wrong this time if I said at half time that energy levels were far, far, far too low, and that is what I had to change and that’s why we made three substitutions.”

Performance of champions

With Harvey Elliott, Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister coming on for Curtis Jones, Kostas Tsimikas and Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool were much improved after the break.

Darwin Nunez prodded home the equaliser in the 51st minute before winning the penalty, three minutes later, to set up Salah for his first of the afternoon.

The Egyptian commented on Nunez’s importance, saying: “He’s a very important player for us. I’m always there talking to him because his head’s sometimes gone, but it’s very important.

“We need him and you saw him also last game against PSG, he was very important also when he came in [to] make a difference. So yeah, good for him.”

Late on, Salah scored again from the spot to seal a type of victory that he believes is a sign Liverpool will win the league.

“It was a tough game. They had a good game plan. It worked well first half for them but I’m glad that we managed to come back in the second half and win the game,” the No. 11 added.

“I don’t think we played good today, I don’t think.

“Maybe second half, we played a bit better but, first half, we didn’t play well at all. But if you want to win the Champions League or the Premier League, you have to win that kind of game.”

Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

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Match verdict from Paul Gorst after Liverpool go 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League