Date: March 8, 2025
Match: Liverpool vs Southampton
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool, England
Competition: Premier League, Gameweek 28
Attendance: 53,291
Referee: Lewis Smith
The Premier League top spot returned to Liverpool after they won 3-1 against Southampton at Anfield Stadium on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The Reds faced a court of adversity when Southampton scored first butτς the game turned in Liverpool’s favor as Darwin Núñez joined Mohamed Salah in hitting the net to defeat Southampton 3-1 at Anfield. Liverpool’s temporary leadership advantage in the Premier League grew to 16 points above Arsenal despite the Gunners’ upcoming clash against Manchester United but Southampton face certain relegation after carving out the bottom position of the table.
Pre-Match Context
Liverpool arrived at this match as strong favorites since Arne Slot led them to 67 points from their 27 games earlier in the season. The Liverpool team drove ahead in the title race undefeated in 29 games except for two league losses before defeating PSG (1-0) in the Champions League midweek. The division’s top scorer Mohamed Salah continued to lead with 25 goals in the league season and Virgil van Dijk and his defensive teammates secured only 26 goals against them.
Southampton faced a devastating position in the league standings during that season. Southampton stood last in the Premier League with 9 points and a goal differential of -46 as they faced multiple positions at the bottom of the table. Under public scrutiny Manager Ivan Juric directed his team to a 4-0 loss at Chelsea before both James Bree and Kyle Walker-Peters suffered injuries which exposed his defense. cesty to Anfield Stadium required courage and Southampton attempted to capitalize on any possible exhaustion that Liverpool faced in European competition.
First Half: Southampton Stun Anfield
A dominant Liverpool started the match by trapping Southampton through their precise passing and aggressive pressing tactics. After Salah delivered his blocked shot Classes fired a warning 15-yard attempt that narrowly missed the mark. The Reds had their four attackers Salah, Núñez, Luis Díaz, and Dominik Szoboszlai press the visitors from all directions while the Southampton defense mainly stayed in their half.
The defensive leaders of Southampton’s team played a vital role at Anfield as they successfully closed down 71% of Liverpool’s ball possession in the first half-hour. Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale prevented a near-goal Núñez header by making a strong save that pushed the ball over the crossbar during the 31st minute. The fans at Anfield held strong expectations for a scoring opportunity to finally materialize during the match.
Southampton delivered a shock goal against the trend of play. The home team scored their goal against the run of play during the first stoppage time (45+1) when a throw-in resulted in disarray inside the Liverpool penalty area. A mistake by Alisson Becker and Van Dijk enabled Will Smallbone to finish the ball off from a difficult position near the goal. The Kop reflected absolute shock as Southampton earned the first goal of the match to take the game to 1-0 at halftime. After the first half Slot would need to deliver his best team speech of the season.
Second Half: Liverpool Roar Back
The words Slot delivered to the team in the dressing room transformed everything. After a fresh start Liverpool needed only nine more minutes until they tied the score. The precision pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold resulted in Núñez successfully heading in a goal from a six-yard distance after defeating Jan Bednarek for the ball. Every Liverpool supporter at Anfield joined in a thunderous explosion as the team gained complete momentum.
Liverpool executed the match turnaround in exactly three minutes. Smallbone sliced down Núñez inside of the penalty area with a physical charging run so referee Lewis Smith awarded Southampton a penalty. Salah calmly kicked the penalty during the 54th minute to score the 2-1 goal past Ramsdale. The Egyptian attacker scored his 26th Premier League goal of the current season while ascending to third position in the Liverpool scoring record with 242 league goals for the club.
A double goal from Chelsea caused Southampton to play defensively and take up defensive spaces. The unyielding pressure from Liverpool team resulted in 28 total shots and 7 accurate shots before the third goal was scored in the 87th minute. Salah converted a penalty and then struck another penalty kick against the top corner to make it 3-1 after Yukinari Sugawara committed a handball. This match victory officially concluded as Liverpool supporters joined in singing Sweet Caroline while the score became final.
Key Moments
- Early in the match at the 15th minute Jones produced an errant shot wide after Salah’s blocked attempt displayed Liverpool’s aggressive gameplay.
- Smallbone secures a surprise Southampton opening goal during the 45+1st minute through a defensive mistake.
- Halfway through the match Núñez netted a goal from Alexander-Arnold’s cross which made the score 1-1.
- The Liverpool squad gets ahead in the match after Salah successfully converts from a spot kick during the 54th minute.
- The second penalty kick of Salah at the 87th minute gave Liverpool a 3-1 victory.
Player Performances
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): 9/10. Two penalties, relentless work rate, and a constant menace—another masterclass. Man of the Match.
- Darwin Núñez (Liverpool): 8/10. Through his physical presence Núñez scored a goal while successfully defending the penalty kick.
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool): 6/10. Uncharacteristically shaky for the goal but recovered well.
- Will Smallbone (Southampton): 7/10. Although his team performed well he gave away a penalty which turned out to be expensive for them.
- Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton): 7/10. The goalkeeper made various impressive saves to hold off the inevitable winning score.
Tactical Analysis
The successful 4-3-3 formation of Liverpool destroyed the defensive structure of Southampton through its smooth and flexible gameplay. During halftime Slot made strategic changes by instructing Szoboszlai to shift deeper while instructing Alexander-Arnold to move forward to create openings for Liverpool in the defense of Southampton. Southampton gave up possession 71.2% of the match while their team attempted 28 shots to demonstrate their control but their slow pace in the first half made them susceptible to counterattacks.
Southampton implemented their 5-4-1 formation specifically to tire their opponents but it achieved its goal only momentarily. From the early stages of the game Juric’s strategy depended heavily on defensive stability together with goal-scoring chances from set-pieces; however the Saints could not maintain consistent attacking efforts in the final stages. The Saints failed to generate enough offensive danger with their six shot attempts (four on goal) during the match.
Implications
Liverpool sits comfortably in first position for the championship because they have 70 points from 29 matches although Arsenal stands at 54 points using only two additional games. With nine points Southampton currently stands 13 points below safety position while facing a devastating reality of inevitable relegation except for an improbable outcome.
Post-Match Reaction
Slot delivered an uncomfortable dressing-down to his team at halftime because they were playing too slowly thus allowing their opposition to capitalize. The players immediately answered to my wakeup call so it was a fantastic response. Salah celebrated his double by triumphantly declaring the victory was a significant achievement. The essential part lies in our constant pushing despite the obstacles.
Juric believed the referee made the wrong call on the first penalty kick which transformed the whole match. The team fought hard but Liverpool occupies the top position because of their qualities. Although Smallbone scored a goal he showed disappointment that Southampton let Liverpool escape with the victory.
Final Score
Liverpool 3-1 Southampton
The match ended with Liverpool beating Southampton 3-1 as Núñez scored first (51′) then Salah followed with penalties (54′ pen, 87′ pen) before Smallbone scored in stoppage time (45+1′).
Liverpool established their title potential through their second-half surge although Southampton displayed remarkable resilience that proved futile against the champions. Anfield continues as a defensive stronghold and the club continues its victorious progression.
