“I would have started it differently…” – Arne Slot admits he made a ‘mistake’ starting one player in Liverpool’s win over Southampton

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Published 11:35 9 Mar 2025 GMT

Liverpool came from behind to beat Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Arne Slot admitted he made a selection mistake after Liverpool’s win over Southampton in the Premier League.

On Saturday afternoon, Liverpool continued their charge for the Premier League title as they welcomed Southampton to Anfield.

In what was billed as a routine victory for the table-topping Reds, Southampton stunned the crowd as they went into the break 1-0 up.

Will Smallbone capitalised on a rare mix-up between Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk to give the visitors the lead.

However, Liverpool woke up in the second half, and goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah made it 2-1 within 10 minutes of the restart.

Salah added a third from the spot to seal a 3-1 win for the Reds, stretching their lead to 16 points before Arsenal take on Manchester United on Sunday.

Arne Slot admits making selection mistake for Liverpool vs Southampton

Speaking after the match, Slot admitted he might have made a mistake by starting Dominik Szoboszlai, who was taken off at half-time.

The Dutchman explained, via TeamTalk: “Today, if I could do it one more time over, I would have started it differently than I started today – 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.”

Slot continued: “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.”

Dominik Szoboszlai was taken off at half-time. Image: Getty

Despite having a 16-point lead at the top of the table, Slot is not getting carried away.

He added: “It’s 16 for now but that can be down to seven by the time we play Everton in a few weeks [Arsenal have three Premier League games before Liverpool next play in the top-flight].”

Liverpool are back in action on Tuesday night when they take on Paris Saint Germain in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.

The Reds currently hold a narrow lead after Harvey Elliott’s late goal at the Parc des Princes secured a 1-0 victory.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Arne Slot, Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai, Football, Southampton, Champions League, Premier League

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