Liverpool came back from a goal down to beat Southampton 3-1 on Saturday night.
The Saints took the lead in the dying minutes of the first half through Will Smallbone after a mix-up between Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk.
The second half saw the Reds come out a different team, with a much more attacking intent as they scored twice in 5 minutes to turn the game around. Darwin Nunez equalised in the 51st minute before winning a penalty minutes later which was fired in by Mo Salah.
And the Egyptian superstar sealed all three points for Liverpool with another penalty in the 88th minute after Sugawara got penalsied for handling the ball inside the box. Salah slotted the penalty in the top right corner of the goal, giving the Reds a 16 point lead over Arsenal.
The 32-year-old has been an important player for Arne Slot’s side this season, enjoying the best of his form, having scored 27 goals and assisting another 17 in 29 league games so far.
Salah desperately tried to stop Liverpool from bringing Quansah on
Just a minute after scoring Liverpool’s third, Salah was seen trying to desperately stop his manager from making one particular substitution.
The Reds prepared to bring Quansah on for Trent Alexander-Arnold, which would have been their sixth of the game. Journalist David Lynch, reporting the game live, tweeted how Salah desperately tried to stop Liverpool making a sixth substitution fearing points deduction.
However, the referee had to explain to him they were allowed one extra substitution. This was because of the head injury to Jan Bednarek in the first half that had led to Southampton leaning on a concussion substitution.
Mohamed Salah has just been desperately trying to stop Liverpool making a sixth substitution there so they don’t get docked points. Looked like the referee had to explain to him they get an extra one due to the earlier head injury.
— David Lynch (@davidlynchlfc) March 8, 2025
No points deductions for Liverpool
Despite Mo Salah’s fears, the Reds will not be in danger of any points deductions.
Slot knew exactly what they were doing with the sixth change. As per concussion protocol rules, if a team uses a concussion substitute it does not count, allowing both teams to make an extra substitution.
Fans online have praised Salah’s presence of mind and passion to win the league even if he was not aware of the technicalities of the rules.
With the Reds now 16 points clear, it appears that the league is done and dusted. However, they have two big games coming up, with a midweek clash against PSG at Anfield before the League Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday.
