Liverpool extended its lead to a massive 16 points ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League standings with a strong 3-1 victory against a struggling Southampton side on Saturday afternoon.
Despite a surprise goal from Will Smallbone that wasn’t without controversy and stunned Liverpool at the end of the first half, the Reds managed to come back when Darwin Nunez netted an equalizing goal following the break.
Record-breaking Mohamed Salah then put his stamp on the match with two critical penalties to secure the win for Arne Slot’s squad. Naturally, the national media weighed in with its perspectives.
Paul Joyce from The Times reflected: “Here was the full Nunez experience in all its head-shaking-whats-he-doing-now glory. Indeed, one instance saw him awkwardly awaiting the outcome of a red card check for a spiteful reaction to Kyle Walker-Peters, while being taunted by Southampton fans with the chant usually reserved for disappointing strikers, labeling him a ‘s— Andy Carroll’.
“Soon after, the decision having been taken not to upgrade a yellow card, Nunez had conjured an equalizer, gestured to shush his detractors and won a penalty as Liverpool recovered to post another important victory.
“At the point he departed to a standing ovation in the 68th minute, the prospect of him starting the Champions League showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday had been strengthened.”
The Independent ‘s Rich Jolly reflects: “Arne Slot had talked his way into trouble. When an ignominious defeat beckoned for Liverpool, he may have talked them out of it. Confined to the directors’ box for his verbal assault on Michael Oliver after the Merseyside derby, Slot’s touchline ban did not prevent him going to the dressing room at half-time. However angry he was, his words changed the game.
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“Mohamed Salah described his manager’s mood as ‘a bit of frustration’. Slot probably showed a nice line in understatement when he said: ‘I didn’t give them compliments at half-time, I can tell you.’ Three changes came immediately, two goals soon after. Victory followed, just as the title surely will. It may render this a footnote.”
Lewis Steele, of the Daily Mail, mused: “The Liverpool attack was this week compared to ‘three fighter jets’ by Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique. But for 45 languid minutes against lowly Southampton, they resembled more of a run-of-the-mill budget plane with propellers, struggling to take flight.
“They were troubled by turbulence as the worst team in the league took a surprise lead and then they were given a rollicking by boss Arne Slot, watching on from the stands – air traffic control giving them a dressing-down if you want to stick with the analogy. Soon, Liverpool looked like the Red Arrows, zooming through the sky and leaving everything in their wake. Blink and you’ll miss them.”
Chris Bascombe, from The Telegraph, highlighted Nunez’s influence: “Liverpool’s latest victory en route to the promised land of being Premier League champions owed everything to peak Darwin Nunez.
“There have been far better Liverpool footballers than Nunez. There have been a lot worse, too. But none have so consistently delivered moments of exasperation and euphoria in the same game, nor invited such howls of frustration and jubilation in the same breath.
“Just when you think there is no jeopardy left in the title race, the Uruguayan spent the first half of Liverpool’s hard-earned 3-1 win over Southampton saying ‘hold my coat’. At first, Nunez appeared to be on a mission to give Arsenal hope, squandering chances, throwing himself into daft challenges that required VAR checks, and generally looking so out of sync with his teammates it was as if he needed reminding he was wearing a red shirt.
“So dire was Nunez when Liverpool trailed to Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone’s nutmeg on Alisson, few expected him to return for the second. Had the officials taken a dimmer view on Nunez’s challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters in first-half injury time, the decision would have been out of manager Arne Slot’s hands.
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“Instead, Nunez survived a treble substitution and within eight minutes of the restart he had scored and earned the penalty to transform the game. ‘Nunez, Nunez, Nunez,’ sang the Kop.”
And the ECHO ‘s verdict reads: “A 16-point lead now over an Arsenal side who travel to Manchester United on Sunday means the Reds have to collect 18 from their final nine fixtures to guarantee that the real thing nestles inside their trophy cabinet in May, and that’s assuming the Gunners are flawless themselves from here on in.
“The big games keep coming for the Reds as they now turn their attention to the last-16 second leg with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday before Sunday’s showpiece with Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.
“But if this is indeed what a ‘final’ is like for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, as he stressed it was on Friday, then supporters should be expected to go through the full range of emotions at Wembley next week.”
