Having rather harshly called him out for his attitude and effort recently, perhaps Arne Slot - sat high in the stands - thought he owed Darwin Nunez a favour.

Perhaps he thought hooking the Uruguayan striker at half-time would have added a grievous insult to the injury his criticism caused.

But in truth, few people inside Anfield would have been surprised if Nunez had not appeared for the second half of this contest.

Had referee Lewis Smith - or Matt Donohue, on VAR - decided that the Nunez chase of Kyle Walker-Peters and subsequent, premeditated kick at the Southampton full-back been worthy of a red card, Liverpool would have been reduced to ten men just before the interval and just after Will Smallbone had opened the scoring for the visitors.

Liverpool player ratings, winners and losers vs Southampton as Darwin Nunez decisive and 5 more good		'Always done' - What Arne Slot slot has made of Darwin Nunez response after Liverpool criticism

Officiating-wise, it was a decisive moment in the match, and it was not the only one of those that favoured the champions-elect.

And it is fair to say Slot will not be ******g blaming Smith if Liverpool do not win the title.

Slot, though, might be congratulating himself for sticking with Nunez when the striker appeared to have lost the plot.

The Liverpool manager’s decision turned out to be a stroke of genius?

Darwin Nunez of Liverpool celebrates scoring his side's first goal.

In the end, against doomed Southampton, they did what they had to do but, for 45 minutes, it was not straightforward.

There cannot have been many observers inside and outside Anfield who saw this fixture as little more than a formality to be dealt with before the serious business of the Champions League resumes on Tuesday night.

And if anything, Slot’s minimal rotation was something of a surprise and perhaps also signalled the Liverpool manager’s slight reservations about some members of his squad.

Does he have complete faith in players such as Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo and Jarell Quansah.

As did Nunez before Slot sent down the message to withdraw him from the fray midway through the second half.

The ovation for the striker was suitably thunderous, part of it perhaps for his very classy assist for the Elliott winner in the Parc des Princes.

This was his first start in the Premier League since Boxing Day and, more than likely, he will return to the bench for the return leg against PSG.

But 25-year-old Nunez is an angry young man with plenty of points to prove, particularly after that Slot criticism.

And if he keeps his head - like he did in Paris but didn’t in that first-half moment here - Nunez might yet be a key player in Liverpool’s quest for triumph at home and in Europe.

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