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Liverpool are now 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League and the title took another step closer to returning to Anfield.
Liverpool have extended their lead at the top of the table to 16 points after a 3-1 win over Southampton at Anfield.
A second-half double from Mo Salah - both from the penalty spot - and a goal from Darwin Nunez ensured the Reds edged another step closer to being crowned champions of England.
Head coach Arne Slot will continue to insist the job is not over but fans are starting to wonder the exact date the Premier League trophy could - rather will - be won.
Liverpool have played two games more than second-placed Arsenal, who face Manchester United at Old Trafford tomorrow. If supporters are wondering the date that the top-flight crown could be achieved then you have to go by the fact that Arsenal will not drop any further points. The Gunners may well slip up but to calculate when the Reds can win the title means that we can only go on a mathematical basis.
Arsenal are currently on 54 points and have 11 matches remaining, so they can reach a maximum of 87 points. Liverpool, who are on 70 points, need 88 points to be crowned champions of England for the 20th time in their history.
Therefore, should Arsenal and Liverpool produce unblemished records from now until the end of the season, Slot’s troops could wrap up the title in their 35th fixture. That comes against Chelsea on Saturday 3/ Sunday 4 May. If that is the case then the Gunners would have to give the Reds a guard of honour when they meet at Anfield the following week.
‘His head was going for us’
Liverpool’s victory over Southampton didn’t exactly go to script. The runaway leaders were expected to trounce the Premier League’s basement side who are doomed for relegation. Yet at half-time, it was the Saints who were ahead.
The Reds’ performance in the opening 45 minutes was poor and they struggled to create clear-cut chances. Then in stoppage-time a mix-up between Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker allowed Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone to capitalise.
But the Reds improved significantly in the second period. They were level in the 51st minute through Darwin Nunez before the Uruguay international won Liverpool a penalty which Mo Salah fired home. In the process, he moved outright third on the club’s all-time top-scorer list. Then in the closing stages, Liverpool were awarded another spot-kick when Saints defender Yukinari Sugawara handled inside the box. Salah stepped up again and finished with aplomb.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, Salah admitted that Liverpool boss Slot was not happy in the dressing room at half-time. He said via BBC Sport: "It was a bit of frustration. His head was going for us. We were sloppy and slow in the first half. I don't think we played good today. If you want to win the Champions League or Premier League you have to win these games like that."
Related topics:Premier LeagueSouthamptonArne Slot
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