Liverpool rode their luck on the way to a 3-1 win over Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.

With the Premier League’s bottom side coming to town, the Reds knew they had an excellent chance to go 16 points clear ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

But things did not start according to plan for Liverpool.



Perhaps drained by their exploits in Paris in midweek, the Reds just could not get going.

Arne Slot admits he made mistake starting Liverpool star against Southampton	Arne Slot admits he made an error by starting one Liverpool player against Southampton	Mike Dean convinced VAR made a 'worrying' mistake during Liverpool win over Southampton

Although it wasn’t all bad, the Southampton goal had an air of inevitability when it eventually arrived just before half-time.

It was clear that something needed to change at the break, and Arne Slot duly obliged, making three substitutions for the second-half.

One of those coming off was Dominik Szoboszlai, who was replaced by Wednesday’s match-winner Harvey Elliott.

And speaking after the game, Slot admitted that he may have made a mistake by starting Szoboszlai in the first place.

Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Szoboszlai has become a hugely important player for Liverpool as the season has wore on.

The energy the Hungarian provides in midfield is second to none and he has started to add goal contributions on top of that, too.

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But on Saturday, Szoboszlai looked understandably worn out after being asked to go to the well once again.

And speaking in his post-match press conference, Slot held his hands up and claimed that perhaps the 24-year-old should have been rested.

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“Every time I’m sitting here talking about Dominik I’m talking about how he’s a machine, how he can just keep on going, running, running, running,” said the Liverpool head coach.

“But it was maybe the first time this season that I saw a different energy from him.

Which is maybe normal, maybe I made a mistake by playing him because he gives so much every single game.”

The worry here is that Szoboszlai was not the only Liverpool player who looked worn out against Southampton.

Ryan Gravenberch and Luis Diaz were two more notable examples who simply looked tired.

However, while he did not comment on that pair, Slot said that Szoboszlai would now be more rested for Tuesday’s return leg against PSG having only played half a game.

“The good thing is he only played 45 [minutes],” said the Dutchman.

“And the good thing for me is that I have more than only one good midfielder in terms of Dominik.
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