Mohamed Salah once again showed his class to give Liverpool a win despite a poor performance against bottom-placed Southampton.
Southampton 2-3 Liverpool
Premier League (12) | St Mary’s Stadium
November 24, 2024
target: Armstrong 42′ Matheus Fernández 56′; Szoboszlai 30′, Salah 65′, 83′ (pen).
1. World-class Salah gives Liverpool an advantage in the title race… at last
When Man City loses again This was Liverpool’s chance to gain an upper hand in the title race, but for a while it looked like they would fail.
Put up Mohamed Salah. Despite a general lack of recognition of his qualities, he is now undoubtedly the best player in the English Premier League.
With Liverpool trailing 2-1, a brilliant pass from Ryan Gravenberg, Liverpool’s most consistent midfielder this season, gave Salah a chance.
Alex McCarthy raced in to create more chances, but the goalkeeper’s decisions changed the type of finish required and it wasn’t as easy as Salah thought.
A perfect first touch was needed to get the ball into the net, the Egyptian delivered and followed to get the ball back for a quicker restart. Despite contract chatter elsewhere, victory is all that’s on Salah’s mind.
Then came the opportunity to win the game. The penalty win has given Liverpool hope, but penalties still need to be scored and the pressure on potentially game-winning spot kicks is greater than on others. But Salah has been hiding this.
In fact, he did more than just put it in. McCarthy was even more convincing as he found the side netting with precision and power when diving in the right direction.
It was another case of world-class Salah winning for Liverpool, stepping up at a moment that makes a difference in the development of such players.
2. Left-back question
This match showed why Kostas Tsimikas has sneaked ahead of Andy Robertson at left-back.
One of the world’s best in his prime, Robertson now appears to be struggling, which was evident when Tyler Dibling lunged at him before the foul that led to Southampton’s penalty.
Whether he was inside or outside the box had to be felt and judged, but regardless, Robertson was at a loss as to what to do with the 18-year-old, and could have predicted what was going to happen at that moment.
He wasn’t the only defender with that problem. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk have also been left out a few times, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the team can improve in this area.
Tsimikas is a good backup player, but maybe he could be the first choice now. This shows why slots and the recruiting team are in a position to address this as quickly as possible.
3. No problem with the green, but you win anyway.
The game certainly didn’t feature a convincing performance on Arne Slot’s part, plus a few issues beyond their control went against them.
Adam Lallana was lucky enough to remain on the pitch to make a stud tackle over Gravenberch’s ankles.
As Liverpool themselves have experienced, this was the type of challenge that would normally result in a red card, but Lallana got away with a yellow card.
Robertson’s penalty for the challenge was less controversial, but on another day the referee might have deemed it a free kick outside the area and VAR would not have been able to overturn that decision.
Surely if a call is this close, the referee should award a free kick and use VAR to check, rather than something as big and potentially game-changing as a penalty.
At that time, Caoimhin Kelleher saved the penalty kick, and on another day he took a risk and rebounded, but penalty kick taker Adam Armstrong followed up and scored the rebound, but Kelleher blocked it again.
All of this combined set the stage for Southampton when they appeared to be slipping in the game, particularly when they were struggling to build from the back.
Liverpool were flawless and the performance was poor, but a few decisions here and there and a few bounces of the ball can make the difference. None of them followed Liverpool’s path.
4. Need for improvement
Liverpool won’t always be able to rely on Salah in this way.
There was plenty of room for improvement across the team, and it would be unfair to single out Robertson in this regard.
Up front, Darwin Nunez worked hard as usual but was lacking in other areas before creating a good opportunity for Luis Diaz. Maybe he needs to drift more often.
Diaz himself has looked a little lethargic after a good start to the season, and similarly Alexis McAllister has not been at his best in recent weeks.
Having won 10 of their 12 league games, conceding just eight goals, it seems ridiculous to criticize a group of players who have been leading the way, especially this season.
If a few things improve and the players start to flex their muscles at the same time, Liverpool could take a more convincing lead at the top of the Premier League by beating City next week.
5. The Champions League has just become a reality, but City must be prioritized
Liverpool are comfortably positioned in the Champions League standings but face a brief reversal between this Sunday’s game and Europe’s biggest test against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
They are well placed to progress straight to the round of 16, but Real will be even more desperate for a win as they are currently looking to qualify for the knockout stage play-offs.
Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones left this game early, so it seems certain that he will start against Real.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold injured, Conor Bradley looks set to take over at right-back, but could Joe Gomez slot into the backline instead?
A bit of rotation will be needed as this is a City game where the chance to clear 11 points on December 1 should be a priority.
Southampton 2-3 Liverpool
