A look at some of the moments missed from Liverpool's 3-1 win over Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday
Darwin Nunez celebrates after scoring the equalising goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Southampton at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on March 8, 2025(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool moved a remarkable 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win against rock-bottom Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.
After Will Smallbone had given the visitors a shock lead before half time, the leaders responded through Darwin Nunez before the Uruguay international won a penalty that was dispatched by Mohamed Salah.
Salah made it 3-1 with his second spot kick to wrap up the points ahead of Arsenal's visit to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. But you knew all that, of course. What you might have missed, however, were a series of intriguing subplots on the day. Here, as ever, are the best of our 'moments missed'.
READ MORE: Anfield atmosphere gives game away as Liverpool points total target becomes clearREAD MORE: Arne Slot changes speak volumes for Liverpool as Trent Alexander-Arnold message sent
Gakpo from the bench?
There was mild panic among a host of confused reporters after team news had dropped shortly before 2pm on Saturday lunchtime.
Having tweeted the teams and written their pieces around who Arne Slot had picked for the game, the big news was that Cody Gakpo's foot injury was once more sufficient enough to keep him out of the match-day action.
In his place came Darwin Nunez with Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa on the bench as extra firepower, should it be needed on the day.
However, a misprint from the team sheets that were subsequently handed out caused many to scramble across to confirm that Gakpo was in fact still injured and not part of the action on the day.
It turned out, as you might have figured by now, that Gakpo was indeed still sidelined and his appearance on the otherwise beautifully formatted team sheets was simply a mistake. Jarell Quansah was the player who had been left off instead.
Maybe Gakpo will be back on it for real when Paris Saint-Germain are entertained on Tuesday night?
Alisson gets the message
The game itself at Anfield was barely a seconds old when supporters made sure they paid tribute to Alisson Becker.
After his superlative showing in Paris on Wednesday night, supporters at Anfield were (very) quick to make known their appreciation and Alisson was serenaded by the fans inside the ground almost immediately after the match kicked off.
And after a truly world-class showing in the French capital, it was richly deserved for Liverpool's No.1.
Mo Salah, Mo Salah running down the....mixed zone?!
There haven't been many people who have been faster than Mohamed Salah this season but the 32-goal Egyptian was no match for one particular youngster on the day.
Despite sticking two penalties past Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, Salah was left in the shade in the post-match mixed zone as he walked through with his family after a job well done.
Salah's young daughter turned on the afterburners and stripped away from her dad, forcing the Reds star to try and chase her down as reporters attempted to suppress the laughter while they conducted interviews with Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
She's certainly got her old man's pace based on that evidence...
Salah's ref panic
Before Salah was spotted charged through the bowels of Anfield, however, there was a moment that seemed to grip the Liverpool star with fear in the closing stages.
Slot made his sixth sub of the game in stoppage time as Jarell Quansah replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Salah was spotted making a beeline for referee Lewis Smith to remind the official that was one more sub than they are permitted by the rules and regulations of the Premier League.
However, Salah, no doubt concerned about some form of sanction had the Reds made an illegal substitute, had to be reminded that his team were in fact allowed to make six in total on this occasion because Jan Bednarek had been replaced by Armel Bella-Kotchap in the first half under the concussion protocol following a clash of heads with Ryan Manning.
The rule was introduced in 2021 to allow teams to make an additional change beyond the standard five substitutions, with player welfare at the forefront of the thinking. Salah, clearly unaware of the rulebook tweak, was fearful that his club would be in breach of the regulations and subject to punishment before referee Smith was able to put his mind at rest.
Nunez has a message of his own
It hasn't always been apparent that Darwin Nunez is aware about the unflattering comparisons with former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll.
Across his near three-season spell with the Reds, the Uruguay striker has, from time to time, been referred to as "just a s*** Andy Carroll" by rivals fans desperate to get a rise from the forward. Often, it has been silenced by Nunez sticking the ball in the net and getting on with the game.
But clearly those English lessons are coming in handy because the No.9 appeared fully aware of the context when it was levelled at him by Southampton fans on the day.
Having been caught up in arguments with Southampton players while his wild challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters was checked for a red card before hearing the Carroll chant once more, Nunez made sure he had a riposte firmly up his sleeve when he buried the equaliser shortly after half time.
His celebratory shushing motion was aimed at the Saints end and was clear that Nunez now knows of the Carroll chant and its connotations. The finger-to-the-lips motion made clear what he thought about it all. It's quite the way to silence the detractors.