Report: Saints undone by Reds revival

A controlled Saints performance in the opening 45 minutes was rewarded on the stroke of half time when Will Smallbone notched his first Premier League goal, only for control to descend into chaos early in the second half.

Darwin Nũńez drew the Reds level on 51 minutes, winning a penalty just 60 seconds later to allow the mercurial Mohamed Salah to turn the game on its head from 12 yards.

The Egyptian moved joint-fifth in the all-time Premier League scorers list late on, once again netting from the penalty spot to ensure recent form continued at both ends of the table.

Will Smallbone scored his first goal of the season. (Photo: Matt Watson)

Having referred to the need to adapt against the league leaders in his pre-match press conference, Ivan Jurić named a much-changed Saints side on Merseyside.

Switching to a 4-4-2 formation, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jan Bednarek and Ryan Manning came into the back four, with James Bree, out through injury, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Yukinari Sugawara dropping to the bench.

Sitting out the trip to Chelsea last time out, Lesley Ugochukwu came in for Flynn Downes, who dropped from the squad, while Albert Grønbæk made just his second start for the club up front, in for Joe Aribo.

In a final shake up, Tyler Dibling started on the right to leave Paul Onuachu and Cameron Archer as the two primary attacking options amongst the substitutes.

It was one of Liverpool’s alterations from the midweek Champions League win over PSG that almost netted early on, however.

After patient work on the edge of the box, Salah was denied a shot from 12 yards by a last-ditch Bednarek tackle, only for the ball to fall to Curtis Jones whose first-time strike along the floor skipped just wide of the post.

As the echoes of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ settled, so did Saints, sacrificing possession for two solid banks of yellow shirts in front of Aaron Ramsdale’s goal.

The approach resulted in a welcomed uneventful opening 20 minutes, with the only setback being the withdrawal of captain Bednarek after clashing heads with teammate Manning, as Bella-Kotchap made his fourth appearance of the season.

Albert Grønbæk made his second league start at Anfield. (Photo: Matt Watson)

Far from unsettling the visitors, Jurić’s side enjoyed their best spell of the half once play resumed, with a flurry of corners seeing Harwood-Bellis head into the arms of Alisson and Mateus Fernandes test the keeper’s concentration from long range.

Kamaldeen Sulemana was keeping Trent Alexander-Arnold occupied attacking the Kop, but it was the England international who drew the first meaningful save of the half when his effort from a tight angle was blocked by the body of the sprawling Ramsdale.

Saints were more than in the contest, though, as Fernandes almost picked out Grønbæk with an inch-perfect deep cross, as the yellow shirts continued to flood forward on the break.

As the game ticked into first half stoppage time, an encouraging opening 45 minutes got better courtesy of some uncharacteristic defensive indecision.

While Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker looked at each other to deal with Manning’s throw into the box, Fernandes made a menace of himself to keep the ball alive, allowing Smallbone the opportunity to cleverly turn and drill the ball between Alisson’s legs from a tight angle to give the league leaders something to think about at the break.

Arne Slot needed no time to deliberate, however, making a triple change at the halfway stage as Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott were all introduced.

His intentions were clear, and the Reds were equally decisive in turning the game on its head in three second half minutes.

Elliott set the tone when his well-hit effort was superbly turned around the post by Ramsdale just 90 seconds after the restart, but the Reds weren’t to be denied for long.

Tyler Dibling takes on two Liverpool players. (Photo: Matt Watson)

Luis Díaz’s direct run to the byline was met with a composed cutback to Núñez, who did the rest from close range to grab his first goal since January.

With the Kop roused, the stunned Saints were dealt a further setback immediately after when Smallbone’s Anfield delight turned to dismay when he felled Núñez in the box.

As in the reverse fixture at St Mary’s, Salah stepped up from the spot and made no mistake to complete the quickfire comeback.

Steadying from the onslaught, Jurić introduced Sugawara and Archer to end Dibling and Grønbæk’s afternoons just past the hour mark, with the latter testing Alisson with a shot from the right-hand side of the box that had to be parried away.

In control but with the lead still only one, the league leaders looked for a third as the game entered the final 20 minutes, with Salah diverting Díaz's cross wide on the stretch, followed by Elliott blasting a shot from 25 yards just wide of the target.

However, a third was to come, with Sugawara punished after a VAR review for a deliberate handball to give Salah the chance to send Ramsdale the wrong way from the penalty spot to complete his brace and wrap up the points for the runaway league leaders.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold (Quansah 89'), Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas (Robertson 46’), Gravenberch (Endo 81'), Szoboszlai (Mac Allister 46’), Jones (Elliott 46’), Salah, Núñez (Jota 68’), Díaz.

Unused substitutes: Kelleher, McConnell, Chiesa.

Goals: Núñez (51’), Salah (54’ pen, 88' pen).

Booked: Tsimikas, Núñez.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek (c) (Bella-Kotchap 19’), Manning (Aribo 83’), Ugochukwu (Onuachu 83’), Smallbone (Lallana 72’), Fernandes, Grønbæk (Archer 64’), Dibling (Sugawara 64’), Kamaldeen.

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Stephens, Welington, Aribo, Onuachu.

Goals: Smallbone (45+1’).

Referee: Lewis Smith