Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Southampton2 - 3Liverpool

sportsmole.co.uk, 24 November 2024, 17:03
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has joined an exclusive Premier League managers' club thanks to the Reds' thrilling 3-2 fightback win over Southampton at St Mary's.

The Merseyside giants travelled down to the South Coast knowing that victory would take them eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table after the champions' shock 4-0 home loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool's quest for success at St Mary's started off well, as Dominik Szoboszlai capitalised on a defensive error from Russell Martin's men to draw first blood, but Slot's side were lackadaisical and lethargic at times.

The Reds were punished for such uninspiring play when Adam Armstrong tapped home the rebound from his saved penalty, before teeing up Mateus Fernandes to give the hosts the lead at the start of the second period.

However, another piece of questionable goalkeeping from Alex McCarthy allowed Mohamed Salah to prod home the equaliser, before the Egypt international netted his 100th away goal in a Liverpool kit from 12 yards to complete a terrific turnaround.

Slot matches Carlo Ancelotti, Guus Hiddink feat

Liverpool's victory was their 10th in just 12 Premier League games this season, and Slot has now matched the record for the fewest amount of games a manager has taken to win 10 Premier League matches.

Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti also needed just 12 matches to earn 10 Premier League victories during their time in charge of Chelsea, with the former's only aberrations in his opening 13 matches being a draw with Everton and a loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

After Hiddink vacated the Chelsea chair to Ancelotti in 2009, the now-Real Madrid boss won 12 of his first 14 matches in the top flight, only being beaten by Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa in that sequence.

Sunday's five-goal spectacular was also a momentous day for Salah, who registered his 100th goal on the road for the Merseyside giants, and the Egyptian now boasts an exceptional 10 goals and six assists from 12 Premier League matches in 2023-24.

However, even though the Reds have now increased their insurmountable lead at the top of the table, Salah is refusing to get carried away, warning that a wounded Man City are capable of flipping a switch at any point.

Salah issues Man City warning before Premier League clash

"They were very important, especially after being down 2-1. It's the most important thing to have won the game," the former Chelsea attacker told Sky Sports at full time.

"Each game is different. They had a game plan and played very well. We managed to come back and win the game. I think we have a good game plan, we played our game and I was confident we would create chances.

"It's great. Hopefully, we keep going in that direction. We have a game against them so hopefully, we win it and go 11 points clear. Man City is Man City. They have a bad time now but they have great players."

Liverpool's next Premier League game comes against none other than Man City at Anfield next Sunday, but before that mouthwatering battle, the Reds have the small matter of a Champions League blockbuster against Real Madrid to navigate on Wednesday.

Top News

22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Gaziantep vs. Antalyaspor (Sunday, 10.30am) After their Turkish Cup victory in midweek, Gaziantep will now turn their attention to the Turkish Super Lig, with Antalyaspor visiting the Kalyon Stadyumu in Sunday's gameweek 17 encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Santa Clara vs. Braga (Sunday, 5.00pm) Still reeling from crashing out of the Taca de Portugal, Santa Clara return to action in the Primeira Liga when they play host to Braga at the Estadio de Sao Miguel on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sparta vs. Ajax (Sunday, 11.15am) Ajax will be looking to end the year on a high when they travel to Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel to take on a stuttering Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Valencia vs. Alaves (Sunday, 1.00pm) Valencia will attempt to claim their third league when they welcome relegation rivals Alaves to Mestalla for Sunday's crucial La Liga encounter. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma vs. Parma (Sunday, 11.30am) Both struggling in the bottom half of the Serie A standings, Roma and Parma will hope for an early Christmas gift when they meet at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk VfL Bochum vs. Heidenheim (Sunday, 2.30pm) In a relegation six-pointer, VfL Bochum will hope to defeat Heidenheim when they welcome them to Vonovia Ruhrstadion on Sunday in their 15th Bundesliga game of the season. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee Utd vs. Celtic (Sunday, 12.00pm) Celtic, looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the Scottish Premiership, will travel to Tannadice Park on Sunday afternoon to face Dundee United. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton vs. Chelsea (Sunday, 2.00pm) Chelsea have the chance to go top of the Premier League for a brief time at least when they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk South American giants Palmeiras have reportedly sent an 'initial proposal' to Fulham for midfielder Andreas Pereira. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Nuno Espirito Santo will rival Arne Slot to win the Premier League's Manager of the Year award. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona want to sever ties with attacker Ansu Fati at the earliest opportunity in the January transfer window but the player is rebelling against a move, according to a report. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has confirmed that he wants to remain at the Allianz Arena despite links with a return to the Premier League next year. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A powerhouses Napoli have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Manchester United defender Harry Maguire on a free transfer next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Sorloth scored a last-gasp winner as Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to go top of the La Liga table. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka has been seen leaving Selhurst Park on crutches after sustaining a suspected hamstring problem in Saturday's 5-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have written a new page of English football history thanks to their 5-1 destruction of London rivals Crystal Palace in Saturday's Premier League derby. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 17 of the 2024-25 Turkish Super Lig will be wrapped up with a clash between two sides from the Marmara region, as Istanbul Basaksehir welcome Kasimpasa to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadyumu on Monday evening. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Leicester loan star Facundo Buonanotte wants to see a Tottenham forward join him so they can rekindle their partnership. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal's rivals will hate it but they can definitely claim London is red after their 5-1 win over Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus continued his resurgence with two goals as the Gunners demolished Crystal Palace 5-1 in the Premier League at Selhurst Park. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Arsenal fans' worst fears have been realised with Bukayo Saka substituted early with a suspected hamstring injury. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have suffered a worrying injury blow over Bukayo Saka, who appeared to pick up a hamstring problem in Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona and Arsenal are reportedly both interested in signing Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, with the France Under-21s international potentially leaving Estadio Ramon next summer. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have welcomed Ferland Mendy back into their squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Sevilla. 21 December 2024 talksport.com Mykhailo Mudryk will be sat ringside at Oleksandr Usyk's rematch with Tyson Fury days after being suspended from football. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have confirmed the appointment of former Roma head coach Ivan Juric as their new manager following the departure of Russell Martin. 21 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United's 4-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon at Portman Road ensured that they followed up their qualification for the EFL Cup semi-final with an important three points in the Premier League.