Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Southampton.
Arne Slot’s side took the lead when Dominik Szoboszlai curled the ball home on the half hour mark before Adam Armstrong pounced to finish from close-range after his penalty was saved three minutes before the break.
Southampton took the lead against the run of play in the 56th minute through Mateus Fernandes before Mohamed Salah levelled the game nine minutes later.
The Egyptian converted from the penalty spot for the winning goal after a handball by Saints defender Yukinari Sugawara.
Mail Sport’s LEWIS STEELE was at St Mary’s to bring you our player ratings.
SOUTHAMPTON (5-3-2)
Alex McCarthy – 7.5
Was the best player on the pitch in the first half with smart stops to deny the likes of Salah, Gakpo and Szoboszlai. Veteran keeper has been a great servant for Saints over the years. Outstanding acrobatic save to deny Diaz in the second half.
Kyle Walker-Peters – 6.5
Started on the right but moved to the left to deal with Salah and Bradley. Did a good job overall.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis – 7.5
Playing with confidence after his first-team England debut and goal.
Flynn Downes – 6.5
Played in the centre of a back three and was at fault for Liverpool’s equaliser. Instead of clearing the ball, he passed straight to scorer Szoboszlai who was unmarked on the edge of the penalty area. Careless, negligent mistake – but from then onwards he was outstanding.
Jack Stephens – 6.5
Dealt with Nunez well for most of the match. Made some important blocks in the second half especially as Liverpool started to pile on the pressure.
Ryan Fraser – 7
Played in an unorthodox wing back position but barely put a foot wrong. Contributed well in an attacking sense, too.
Tyler Dibling – 8
A Star in the making. Dibling was Saints’ brightest spark with several driving runs from midfield. One, in the first half, led to the penalty which Armstrong converted. The 18-year-old continued to cause problems after the break and contributed to their second.
Adam Lallana – 5 (Booked)
Nasty tackle on Gravenberch was the only notable contribution before he went off injured and received applause from every fan at St Mary’s – including those of his former employers Liverpool.
Mateus Fernandes – 7
Took his goal excellently after a bursting run from midfield. Would have been easier to let nerves get the better of him but a fantastic finish.
Paul Onuachu – 6
Big striker caused problems for Liverpool’s back line and held the ball up reasonably well. Went off injured early in the second half.
Adam Armstrong – 7.5
An energetic presence even when service was limited. Wanted a penalty when he was felled by Konate but did not get it, then converted a spot-kick of his own at the end of the first half with confidence.
Substitutes
Joe Aribo (for Lallana, 37min) – 6, Lesley Ugochukwu (for Onuachu, 52) – 6, Cameron Archer (for Armstrong, 77), Yuki Sugawara (for Fraser, 77)
Not used: Joe Lumley, Ryan Manning, James Bree, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Ben Brereton-Diaz.
LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1)
Caoimhin Kelleher – 7
Very unlucky with the Armstrong penalty after he saved the first effort – but could not parry it away from the striker’s path for the rebound. Kelleher made a top save minutes earlier to deny Downes, and his distribution was good in the bad conditions.
Conor Bradley – 5.5
Got forward well and overall won his defensive duels down the right-hand side. Could have helped more for Saints’ second goal, though.
Ibrahima Konate – 5 (Booked)
Captained France in the international break but this was not his best afternoon. Gave the ball away easily on several occasions and was also skipped past by attackers a couple of times.
Virgil van Dijk – 5
Cheap loss of possession for Southampton’s equaliser, giving the ball away in the move that led to the penalty being awarded.
Andy Robertson – 5
Facing questions for the first time in his Liverpool career as his form has not been near his blistering best in recent weeks. It was Robertson who gave the foul away for Southampton’s first-half equaliser with a badly-timed tackle. Was brilliant in the second half, though.
Ryan Gravenberch – 7
Some silky touches and passes in deep-lying midfield and topped an assured performance off with a beautiful assist for Salah.
Curtis Jones – 5.5
Had some nice moments but could not replicate the blistering displays of recent weeks that have seen him thrive for club and country.
Mohamed Salah – 8 (MOTM)
Running out of superlatives for Salah, who again contributed with a fine brace to win the game. Before that, he was quiet – aside from a few half-chances here and there – but he came up trumps when it mattered, which says a lot about the Egyptian’s quality.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 7.5
Looked sharp in the opening stages with some shots, darting runs and nice passes. Got his reward to open the scoring on 30 minutes with a well-taken curling effort. Probably Liverpool’s best player.
Cody Gakpo – 6
Quiet in the first half but came close when cutting in from the left and forcing a good save from McCarthy.
Darwin Nunez – 6
Was getting an earful from the home fans – ‘you’re just a s*** Andy Carroll’ – after misplacing a few attempted passes and shots. Tracked back for Saints’ second goal but seemed to give up running back and lost his man, scorer Fernandes.
Substitutes
Alexis Mac Allister (for Jones, 62min) – 6, Luis Diaz (for Gakpo, 62) – 6, Wataru Endo (for Nunez, 89)
Not used: Harvey Davies, Viteszlaw Jaros, Harvey Elliott, Joe Gomez, Tyler Morton, Jarell Quansah.
Referee: Sam Barrott 6.
Attendance: 31, 278.
