A look at how the national media reacted to Liverpool going 16 points clear at the summit of the Premier League with a 3-1 win at home to Southampton
Liverpool moved a whopping 16 points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League title race courtesy of a 3-1 win against rock-bottom Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
After Will Smallbone had shocked the leaders at the end of the first half, Darwin Nunez equalised shortly after the restart before two Mohamed Salah penalties secured the result for Arne Slot’s men.
The ECHO, as ever, was on hand to provide our usual match-day mix of player ratings, verdict, analysis and live blog alongside the reaction from Slot himself in his post-match press conference.
Our colleagues from the national media were also on hand to give their own considered takes. Here’s what they made of it as the Reds moved to within six wins of a 20th league title.
Paul Joyce, of The Times, writes: “When the time comes to review Darwin Nunez’s Liverpool career, the eight minutes which stretched from the end of the opening half and into the second period would serve as the perfect sample size
“Here was the full Nunez experience in all its head-shaking-whats-he-doing-now glory.
“One moment he had stood sheepishly awaiting the verdict of a red card check after cynically kicking out at Kyle Walker-Peters, the Southampton supporters berating him with the usual chant of being a ‘s*** Andy Carroll’ as he did so.
“Soon after, the decision having been taken not to upgrade a yellow card, Nunez had conjured an equaliser, 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. Perhaps the tag of ‘psychologist’ can be added to head coach Arne Slot’s list of qualities given it is only a couple of weeks since he publicly rebuked the Uruguayan striker for a lack of effort.
“His assist for the winning goal in the Parc des Princes and now this contribution suggest the admonishment was taken on board.”
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.
“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.
“Yet at half-time, it had the makings of potentially the biggest shock in Premier League history, the side who may end up with the tag of its worst-ever team winning away at the putative champions. For Liverpool, however, there was not the unlikely double of an away victory over Paris Saint-Germain and a home defeat to Southampton in the same week.
“Instead, they extended their unbeaten run to 25 league games, their lead to 16 points. If Arsenal were encouraged by Will Smallbone’s opener, they ended up deflated. If Salah was quiet before the break, he ended up with a double that took him level with Sergio Aguero in the division’s all-time scoring chart, with 184.”
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.
“Three substitutions at half-time then two goals in two minutes just afterwards turned the game on its head and opened up a 16-point lead atop the Premier League table. Darwin Nunez continued his redemption arc to score and then win a penalty which Mohamed Salah converted.
“The Egyptian put the icing on the cake in the 88th minute with another spot-kick to make it 32 goals for him in a breathtaking campaign that is firing Liverpool to supremacy and who knows how many individual accolades to go with it.”
Chris Bascombe, of The Telegraph, was another who detailed the performance of Nunez. He writes: “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.