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Liverpool produced a second-half turnaround to see off Southampton.

The visitors took a surprise lead late in opening 45 minutes as a defensive mix-up allowed Will Smallbone to turn the ball home into The Kop’s net.

But the Reds rallied practically straight after the interval, first through Darwin Nunez meeting Luis Diaz’s cutback from the left with an instinctive finish.

The Uruguay international also played a role in the hosts taking the lead by winning a penalty from Smallbone’s foul which Mohamed Salah tucked away.

Darwin Nunez inspires comeback as Liverpool go 16 POINTS clear of Arsenal - 5 talking points	Liverpool 3-1 Southampton: 5 talking points as Anfield plays part in half-time wakeup	Harvey Elliott instantly proves Arne Slot right as bold Liverpool move pays off - 4 talking points

Salah added a a third from the spot again after VAR ruled that Yukinari Sugawara had handled the ball under pressure from Diaz in the box.

Arne Slot’s side have temporarily moved 16 points clear in the Premier League title race ahead of Arsenal facing Manchester United on Sunday.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Arne Slot wanted Liverpool to approach three games in the next eight days as ‘finals’ but this threatened to be a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’

After a gruelling Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain, the visit of Southampton should have been a more comfortable affair for his side.

Digging deep in the French capital, however, was only half the battle as their follow-up encounter against a relegation-threatened Saints fully attested.

The Reds trailed at the interval after failing to build momentum in front of a home crowd which understandably felt the effects of their team’s lethargy.

Luis Diaz, in particular, appeared off the boil and his ballooned shot from a good position perfectly encapsulated a dismal 45 minutes for the hosts.

Slot unleashed fury in the home dressing room at the break before making proactive changes at the start of the second half with three substitutions.

It proved to be an inspired move with Alexis Mac Allister recalibrating the midfield battle while Harvey Elliott provided much-needed attacking energy.

A similarly Herculean effort will be required in the return leg with PSG but the Premier League leaders showed again that they will leave nothing out there.

Darwin Nunez will never be an automatic choice in Liverpool’s strongest possible starting XI but he does offer the champions-elect a unique skillset.

He is an agent of chaos who can cause headaches for his own team as much as wreaking havoc in the opposition’s penalty area – and this game had both.

The Uruguayan could coinceivably have compounded Slot’s half-time issues as he risked a potential red card for a reckless lunge on Kyle Walker-Peters.

A more experienced referee than Lewis Smith, newly promoted to top flight officiating duties, might have considered giving Nunez his marching orders.

But Stockley Park afforded the benefit of doubt to both Smith as well as Liverpool’s much-maligned no.9 by sticking with the original on-field call.

Nunez’s reprieve and ineffectual display would have vindicated his potential withdrawal by Slot, who hooked Kostas Tsimikas while also on a booking.

Instead, Liverpool’s head coach elected for a risk-v-reward approach which paid off handsomely with the forward influencing two goals in three minutes.

Clearly Nunez will never scale the heights expected of him upon arrival at Anfield three years ago but if harnessed properly, he is still a useful asset.

Another game, another incredible feat for Mohamed Salah – three, in fact.

Liverpool’s mercurial forward continues to make his impressive haul of milestones appear borderline perfunctory with each passing appearance.

His first saw Gordon Hodgson fully dislodged as the club’s third all-time goal scorer with a 242nd strike but Salah went two better with a follow-up penalty.

A 184th effort in the top flight saw him draw level with Sergio Aguero for the joint fifth highest tally before laying siege to another Manchester City icon.

His 44 goal contributions also equalled the landmark returns of both Erling Haaland and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in a single 38-game campaign.

With nine matches of this season remaining, it would take something monumental for Salah not to soon claim that record in his own right.

Similarly, he will overtake Andrew Cole as the third-most prolific player in Premier League history by adding a further four strikes to his name.

There appears no end to the 32-year-old’s talents.
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