Nunez scores and wins penalty, Salah bags brace in Liverpool's win over Southampton

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah struck within three minutes in the second half in a 3-1 victory over bottom-placed Southampton on Saturday that gave the Premier League leaders 16 provisional points of breathing room at the top of the table.

Arne Slot's men have 70 points after 29 games, while second-placed Arsenal have 54 but two games in hand. The Gunners play at Manchester United on Sunday. Besieged Southampton are 20th on nine points, 13 points from the safety zone.

Will Smallbone stunned the crowd at a sun-drenched Anfield with a goal for the visitors in first-half injury time, when a mix-up between Reds goalkeeper Alisson and centre-back Virgil van Dijk saw the ball fall invitingly to Smallbone, who scored from an angle.

The television cameras caught Slot, who was serving his second of a two-game suspension, in the stands holding his head in his hands in frustration.

"It was a bit of frustration," Salah said. "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."

The frustration was short-lived, as the league leaders thoroughly dominated after the break and Nunez levelled in the 51st minute after Luis Diaz had worked the ball past two Southampton defenders before teeing up the Uruguayan who slotted home from close range.

Nunez's goal ended a drought of 10 games without one, prompting fans to chant his name.

He drew a penalty three minutes later when Smallbone caught him on the back of the ankle in the box, and Salah unleashed a blistering shot from the spot past Aaron Ramsdale into the inside side netting for his first of two penalties.

"And now you're going to believe us, we're going to win the league," sang the Anfield faithful after the goal.

Now I'm embarking on something brand new, for me.

Southampton boss Ivan Juric was unhappy with the penalty decision.

"They reacted really well. We had really good moments of the first half. I think the (first) penalty was not a penalty and that changed the match," he told the BBC. "I am satisfied with how we played today."

Liverpool's talisman completed his double with a second penalty in the 87th minute after a handball from Yukinari Sugawara.

Salah extended his league scoring lead to a remarkable 27 goals for the season, and 32 in all competitions.

The afternoon marked Liverpool's only Premier League game in March due to a busy month that features appearances in the Champions League round of 16, the League Cup final and the FA Cup quarter-finals plus the international break.

A victory looked in doubt for the first half, however, with Southampton squandering an excellent chance when Mateus Fernandes swung a cross into the box and Albert Gronbaek lunged but could not quite get to the ball.

Harvey Elliott, who scored with his first touch in Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League win over Paris St Germain on Wednesday, made an immediate impact coming off the bench in the second half, forcing Ramsdale into a diving save after a corner.

"It was an intense game," Elliott told BBC. "Especially with the travel, we only had one day to prepare for this game and hats off to Southampton - they made it tough throughout the whole game."