Liverpool manager Arne Slot was satisfied by his side’s dominance in their frantic 3-2 victory of newly-promoted Southampton at the St. Mary’s on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds relied on Mohamed Salah to secure a comeback victory after Mateus Fernandes gave the home side took a shock lead early in the second half.
Salah equalized and then netted the winner from the penalty spot, adding to first-half goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Adam Armstrong.
While Slot acknowledged Liverpool were tested by the Premier League’s bottom club, he felt his team were always in control.
“It was very good that Mo scored in that moment,” he said of Salah’s first goal, which came in the 65th minute when he nudged Ryan Gravenberch’s pass beyond the stranded Alex McCarthy.
“It was not the best period of the game so he helped us with that and then afterwards we dominated so much, they got tired.
“That is what special players do. They can score goals out of nowhere. It’s not completely out of nowhere because the assist of Gravenberch is a great ball as well.
“But Mo is known for the timing of his runs, he feels the right moment to run behind the last line, and normally you know he’s not offside because he always finds the right moment, and then he scores the goal, which was very helpful for us.”
“It wasn’t a surprise for us, we saw how they played against Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle in away games, never mind how they would play in a home game against a top team. But we dominated. Because we went down 2-1, it made it really difficult for us.
“We dominated the whole game, which is not that easy against Southampton because they want possession, they want to dominate the game as well, but they couldn’t. Because the scoreline was as it was, it felt like a difficult match, but if you look at the underlying numbers we deserved to win.”
Up next for Liverpool are two big games against Real Madrid and Manchester City in the Champions League and Premier League respectively and Slot is relishing the opportunity to test his team against both opponents.
“It’s what you need in a league like this, with so many quality teams. You have to keep winning because if you don’t, the other ones will,” the Dutchman told BBC Sport.
“That’s what we try to do every game, now it’s Real Madrid and next Sunday it’s Man City.
“You couldn’t wish for more than playing these two games in the upcoming week, at home.”
Olaoluwa is a dedicated sports writer and passionate football enthusiast with two years of experience. Known for his keen analysis and commitment to the game, his work reflects a deep love for football, blending strategic insight with the emotional moments that make it a global passion. He is focused on honing his skills and consistently aims to inspire and engage readers through every article he writes.
