Will Rooney reports from Anfield as Liverpool take another step closer to the Premier League title.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Full-time here at Anfield, where Liverpool have taken another step closer to being crowned champions of the Premier League.
00:0816 points clear at the top of the table, albeit having two games on Arsenal.
00:13After a 3-1 win over Southampton, but it wasn't as straightforward as many expect us.
00:19The runaway Premier League leaders, the champions elect, playing a Southampton side doomed for relegation, nine points all season.
00:27The first half, Liverpool were bereft of energy.
00:31Even Arne Slott admitted that at his post-match press conference that Liverpool were well short of the usual standards.
00:38You could see it on the performance. It looked like that game against PSG in the Champions League.
00:44The last 16 first leg, the 1-0 win, the smashing grab 1-0 win in Paris really took a lot out of the players because they were well short of ideas.
00:52Liverpool in the first half couldn't create anything real clear.
00:56Kurt Casey-Jones flashed an effort past the post, Alan Nunez had a shot on the spin.
01:01Southampton looked dangerous a couple of times and they took the lead in added time.
01:08Defensive mix-up, Virgil van Dijk trying to shepherd the ball, Alisson was slow out.
01:15There was a mix-up and Will Small going to Southampton.
01:20Certainly Arne Slott wouldn't have been happy watching from the stands.
01:25It looked like he gave them a rocket at half-time.
01:28He brought on three players, Andy Robertson, Alexis McAlister and Harvey Ellis, who all made big differences.
01:34They added energy, they added impetus, which was needed.
01:38Not just those three, but they gave them to the other players as well.
01:43Nine minutes into the second half, Liverpool were ahead.
01:46They played much better football, it was quicker, it was more precise.
01:51Darwin Nunez, who survived a VAR check in the first half for a potentially red card.
01:56He was booked for a foul, it was Kyle Walker-Peters.
02:01VAR checked for a red card, it wasn't.
02:04Nunez, who has been in the headlines a lot lately.
02:07He hasn't been playing a lot lately, but he took his goal really well.
02:10Great work from Luis Diaz, who was excellent in the second half.
02:13He drove to the byline, cut it back.
02:15There was Nunez to stab home.
02:17Nunez again involved in the second goal, because he was fouled in the penalty area by Will Smallbone.
02:24The referee awarded the penalty, Mo Salah stepped up.
02:28He did what Mo Salah did, a real clinical penalty.
02:35Now he moved third on the all-time top goalscorer list in Liverpool history.
02:41From there, Liverpool were pretty dominant.
02:43They had to wait until the closing stages to put the game to rest.
02:47Another penalty, handball inside the box after a VAR review, and Salah again.
02:52Tucked home with a plump.
02:54I would have been nervous at half-time.
02:57But now Liverpool are another step close to being crowned champions.
03:01And a massive week ahead.
03:03That PSG game is going to be really, really tough.
03:06Liverpool taking a slender 1-0 lead into it.
03:09They are the favourites, but how impressive were PSG in that first leg?
03:15You cannot expect Alison Becker to produce an upward performance like that.
03:19You cannot expect PSG to be as weightful as they were.
03:24And if Liverpool produce a performance like this in the first half, in the open 45 minutes against PSG,
03:31they'll get blown away.
03:32PSG winning 4-1 away from home today.
03:36It's a massive game.
03:38And then, of course, Liverpool after that have got the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.
03:42Improvements need to be made.
03:44There are some worries about energy levels.
03:46Arnaslott seems to think that won't be the case on Tuesday night.
03:51But certainly, he looked short of it when playing up Dominic de Boslai,
03:55who's always full of energy and bigger.
03:58He was really short of it today.
04:00But Liverpool got the job done.
04:02Another step closer to being crowned Premier League champions.
04:06Ends at 2-3.
04:07Southampton won.