In a thrilling contest, Liverpool fought back to beat a struggling Southampton as Arne Slot’s side went eight points clear of Manchester City.
It was a rusty start from the Reds but a Southampton error after 30 minutes gifted an opportunity for Dominik Szoboszlai, who converted in style wrapping his shot into the top corner for his first Premier League goal of the season.
However, a few minutes before halftime, Andrew Robertson conceded a penalty bringing down Tyler Dibling just in the box. Despite Caoimhin Kelleher saving the initial penalty Adam Armstrong saved his blushes by turning in the rebound from his poor penalty.
In the 56th minute, Adam Armstrong turned provider for Mateus Fernandes as Southampton turned it around at Saint Mary’s.
However, their lead didn’t last as Mohamed Salah punished another Southampton, error to equalise emphatically.
It was Mohamed Salah to the rescue again for the Reds as he converted his penalty to complete the turnaround with less than 10 minutes to go as Liverpool held on for the three points.
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Are Liverpool title favourites?
Liverpool now sit eight points clear after the victory over Southampton at the top of the Premier League table following Manchester City’s lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad on Saturday evening. This leaves Liverpool in a brilliant position, with the opportunity to extend their lead over the champions next weekend at Anfield to 11 points.
This is thanks to Arne Slot's brilliant start to life as Liverpool manager, as he's become the joint-fastest manager to reach double figures in wins from the start of their Premier League career, alongside Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti after 12 Premier League games.
With more than two-thirds of the season to go it does seem premature to call Liverpool title favourites, but with Manchester City and Arsenal not at the level they have previously been capable of gives a real sense of opportunity for Liverpool to go all the way. There is also a sense of deja vu for the Reds, as after 12 games of the 2019/20 season Liverpool had an eight-point lead at the top and went on to win the title in emphatic fashion.
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A turning point for Dominik Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai scored his first Premier League goal of the season in fantastic fashion, curling in a left-footed shot into the top left-hand corner, which capped off a solid performance from the 24-year-old. The talent has always been there, but as all Liverpool fans know, he has yet to show this consistently apart from his early few months for the Reds last season.
Liverpool fans will hope this will give the Hungarian the confidence he needs as he has only scored four Premier League goals in 45 matches for the Reds, a stat that has led to his criticism in recent times after arriving from RB Leipzig for 70 million euros in 2023.
However, this is now back-to-back games the midfielder has scored in, which includes his last-minute penalty against Germany in the Nations League with that confidence certainly shown on the pitch against Southampton. With the busy period coming up for the Reds his performances will be integral to the success of Arne Slot’s side.
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Mohamed Salah does it again
Mohamed Salah was yet again the match winner for Liverpool as his two second-half goals turned the game around for Liverpool and he has now reached 10 Premier League goals for the season.
The importance of Mohamed Salah will be critical if Liverpool are to achieve the Premier League title once again with him arguably playing his best football in a Liverpool shirt, with 16 goals and assists so far in the league.
This begs the question of whether Liverpool will offer him a new contract with January looming when he can explore options from other clubs.
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Ryan Gravenberch continues to shine
In what was a below-average performance from Liverpool, Ryan Gravenberch showed his class once again as he remained integral in turn around at Saint Mary's.
The midfielder was everywhere on the pitch, controlling possession and breaking up play for Liverpool with 93% pass accuracy and winning 71 % of his ground duels (Fotmob).
The Dutchman was also influential in Liverpool's equaliser setting up Salah with a beautiful pass over the top to register his first assist of the season.
Ryan Gravenberch has started all 12 Premier League games for Slot this season, with him being the only ever present in the Liverpool midfield highlighting the importance he has had to Liverpool's early success.
