DARWIN Nunez and VAR were the controversial heroes as Liverpool moved 16 points clear at the top of the table.
The fiery Uruguayan striker escaped a red card by the skin of his teeth in first-half stoppage time shortly after Alisson and Virgil Van Dijk had gifted Southampton the lead.
AFPDarwin Nunez sparked Liverpool’s comeback against Southampton[/caption]
ReutersHe was lucky not to be sent off in the first half[/caption]
PAWill Smallbone gave Southampton an unlikely lead at Anfield[/caption]
PAArne Slot had to watch on from the stands due to his pitchside ban[/caption]
GettyMohamed Salah netted a penalty to put Liverpool ahead[/caption]
RexHe then struck again from the spot to seal the win[/caption]
Just as in Paris on Wednesday night, when Ibrahima Konate was lucky not to be sent off before the Reds stole victory, VAR gave Arne Slot’s men a mighty let-off – and then a final helping hand.
Wthin nine minutes of the restart Nunez had completely turned the game.
First he turned in Luis Diaz’s cross, then he tempted Saints goalscorer Will Smallbone into a rash challenge in the box.
Mo Salah, Mr Reliable to Nunez’s Captain Chaos, scored from the spot.
And Salah stepped up to convert another penalty when VAR Matt Donohoe told referee Lewis Smith to look at Southampton substitute Yukinai Sugawara’s handball in the box.
Kop boss Arne Slot was watching from the stands again as he served the second-match of his ban for his comments to referee Michael Oliver after the Merseyside derby.
After warning the experienced Oliver that he would blame him if his side failed to win the title, Slot had cause to be grateful to rookie officials.
Smith was refereeing his first Premier League game and Donohue had only taken charge of two top-flight games himself.
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It won’t only be Arsenal fans wondering if Liverpool’s name is on the trophy after this.
Liverpool ended a frustrating first half by conceding a ridiculous goal and they could – perhaps should – have been a man down, too.
ReutersSmallbone turned hero to villain as he gave away a penalty[/caption]
RexSlot was much happier after the full time whistle[/caption]
If VAR had asked referee Lewis to have another look at Darwin Nunez’s wild kick on Walker-Peters, he would have been well within his rights to dismiss the Reds striker.
It would have been an awful end to a half that had threatened to begin so well for the runaway league leaders.
Curtis Jones had a shot blocked inside the first minute and should have hit the target with a very presentable chance before there were six on the clock.
Southampton barely left their half in the opening 20 minutes and then lost captain Jan Bednarek following a clash of heads with his own full back Ryan Manning.
Yet the visitors immediately enjoyed a good spell, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Mateus Fernandes asking Alisson to make the first saves of the match.
Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale denied Trent Alexander-Arnold from a narrow angle and Nunez failed to test him with a turn and shot.
Liverpool returned to dominating possession and territory yet could not move the ball quickly enough to create really clear-cut openings.
The Saints were also defending well, throwing their bodies into blocking shots and crosses. Manning was particularly committed.
And the visitors’ refusal to fit into the narrative of a comfortable Liverpool win was rewarded in stoppage-time.
As Van Dijk tried to shepherd the ball back to Alisson with Smallbone on his back, the Liverpool players got in each other’s way. In the resulting confusion Smallbone tucked the ball neatly under the Reds’ keeper and into the net.
There was still time for Nunez’s lucky escape. The way he brought down Walker-Peters was not an attempt to play the ball, it was a petulant kick. Violent conduct, in other words..
VAR took a long hard look but then decided that Lewis’ initial verdict of yellow card was not so outrageous that it needed correcting.
It was not much of a shock that Slot made a triple change at the break.
The big surprise was Nunez not being one of those to make way.
Harvey Elliott almost repeated his incredible entrance to proceedings at the Parc des Princes when he fired in a shot, only for Ramsdale to make an excellent stop.
And Slot’s faith in the Uruguayan was soon justified in spectacular style.
Luis Diaz made a fabulous run down the left, beating Walker-Peters and pulling it back from the byline.
And there was Nunez to tuck in a neat striker’s finish.
Unbelievably, Liverpool’s No.9 then turned provider. Smallbone’s challenge on Nunez was clumsy and probably unnecessary. Lewis pointed to the spot and Salah beat Ramsdale’s dive with an excellent penalty.
Southampton were understandably deflated. Boss Ivan Juric tried to breathe new life into them by making a double change, bringing on Yukinari Sugawara and Cameron Archer for the ineffective Tyler Dibling and Albert Gronbaek.
Liverpool looked as if they were happy to play the game out for a single-goal victory and conserve energy for the PSG return on Tuesday.
But they were warned it was a bad idea when Archer escaped and Alisson had to make a decent stop.
At the other end Salah fluffed an excellent chance to kill off the game and you wondered whether it would prove costly.
Elliott shot wide but little else happened until Juric rolled the dice by throwing on big Paul Onuachu and Joe Aribo.
Instead, VAR and Salah settled the game.
Diaz did well, put pressure on Sugawara but arguably pushed him before the Japanese international moved the ball out of his reach with his arm.
Donohue summoned Smith to the monitor and the verdict was penalty.
Salah scored again.
There was still time for Liverpool sub Jarell Quansah to pull back Walker-Peters and not be penalised.
But Arsenal and the rest are running out of road to halt the Reds juggernaut as it chugs towards the title.
AFPYukinari Sugawara handled the ball in a jostle with Luis Diaz[/caption]
PAReferee Lewis Smith gave the penalty after being sent to the screen by VAR[/caption]
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