ARNE SLOT saluted his arguable leader Darwin Nunez — arsenic Liverpool stormed SIXTEEN points wide astatine the apical of the Prem.
The brace had a bitter fallout past period erstwhile Kop brag Slot accused the £64million striker of a lazy cognition pursuing his horror open-goal miss against Aston Villa.
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Nunez was possibly fortunate not to beryllium reddish carded for chaotic lunge connected Kyle Walker-PetersSky Sports
RexBut aft Nunez escaped a reddish paper for kicking Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters, helium turned the crippled successful 4 second-half minutes by levelling and winning a punishment from which Mo Salah enactment them ahead.
And Slot declared: “In the second-half, helium showed the workrate that helium tin bring to the team.”
The Dutch brag wildly celebrated successful the stands amid his two-match prohibition for an X-rated rant astatine ref Michael Oliver arsenic his Reds profited from TWO punishment awards.
First, rookie ref Lewis Smith adjudged Saints’ scorer Will Smallbone had fouled Nunez, past VAR Matt Donohue ruled Yukinari Sugawara handled.
But SunSport’s ex-Prem ref Mark Halsey insisted Nunez was fortunate not to beryllium sent disconnected for scything down Walker-Peters.
VAR did look astatine the incidental – and backed Smith’s determination to lone springiness him a yellowish card.
Yet Halsey said: “Nunez deliberately kicked an hostile erstwhile determination was nary accidental of getting the ball. It was convulsive conduct.
“On different day, with different referee, it would person been a red.”
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BBC pundit Chris Sutton added: “It was specified a reckless, daft challenge. Liverpool were fortunate to person 11 connected the pitch.”
Salah’s 2 pens took his Liverpool goals tally to 243 — and helium sits 3rd successful their all-time scoring database down Ian Rush (346) and Roger Hunt (285).
But superstar Salah revealed Slot got the hairdryer retired astatine half-time.
The Egyptian said: “It was a spot of frustration. His caput was going for us. We were sloppy and dilatory successful the archetypal half. I don’t deliberation we played well.
“But if you privation to win the title, you person to triumph games similar that.”
Slot made a triple half-time substitution to animate their comeback — bringing connected Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott and Andy Robertson.
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Nunez missed an unfastened extremity against Villa past period and was slammed by Slot for his attitudeThe Reds main said: “I had to marque hard calls to make a definite choler with the players.
“Our vigor levels were far, far, acold excessively low.
“The 3 who came connected did truly well. But I saw a antithetic cognition from the different eight, too.”
Liverpool are 16 points wide of second-placed Arsenal, who person 2 games successful manus and sojourn Manchester United.
But Southampton brag Ivan Juric was fuming implicit some punishment decisions.
The Croat blasted: “The first, interaction is astir nothing. This conscionable cannot beryllium a punishment — ever.
“I’m atrocious it happened due to the fact that past it was 1-1 and it changed the match.
“The 2nd one, possibly it was a handball, but helium was pushed. My guys fought until the end.”
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