DARWIN Nunez and VAR were the arguable heroes arsenic Liverpool moved 16 points wide astatine the apical of the table.
The fiery Uruguayan striker escaped a reddish paper by the tegument of his teeth successful first-half stoppage clip soon aft Alisson and Virgil Van Dijk had talented Southampton the lead.
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RexJust arsenic successful Paris connected Wednesday night, erstwhile Ibrahima Konate was fortunate not to beryllium sent disconnected earlier the Reds stole victory, VAR gave Arne Slot’s men a mighty let-off – and past a final helping hand.
Wthin 9 minutes of the restart Nunez had wholly turned the game.
First helium turned successful Luis Diaz’s cross, past helium tempted Saints goalscorer Will Smallbone into a rash situation successful the box.
Mo Salah, Mr Reliable to Nunez’s Captain Chaos, scored from the spot.
And Salah stepped up to person different punishment erstwhile VAR Matt Donohoe told referee Lewis Smith to look astatine Southampton substitute Yukinai Sugawara’s handball successful the box.
Kop brag Arne Slot was watching from the stands again arsenic helium served the second-match of his prohibition for his comments to referee Michael Oliver aft the Merseyside derby.
After informing the experienced Oliver that helium would blasted him if his broadside failed to triumph the title, Slot had origin to beryllium grateful to rookie officials.
Smith was refereeing his seventh Premier League crippled and Donohue had lone taken complaint of 2 top-flight games himself.
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It won’t lone beryllium Arsenal fans wondering if Liverpool’s sanction is connected the trophy aft this.
Liverpool ended a frustrating archetypal fractional by conceding a ridiculous extremity and they could – possibly should – person been a antheral down, too.
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If VAR had asked referee Lewis to person different look astatine Darwin Nunez’s chaotic footwear connected Walker-Peters, helium would person been good wrong his rights to disregard the Reds striker.
It would person been an atrocious extremity to a fractional that had threatened to statesman truthful good for the runaway league leaders.
Curtis Jones had a changeable blocked wrong the archetypal infinitesimal and should person deed the people with a precise presentable accidental earlier determination were six connected the clock.
Southampton hardly near their fractional successful the opening 20 minutes and past mislaid skipper Jan Bednarek pursuing a clash of heads with his ain afloat backmost Ryan Manning.
Yet the visitors instantly enjoyed a bully spell, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Mateus Fernandes asking Alisson to marque the archetypal saves of the match.
Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale denied Trent Alexander-Arnold from a constrictive space and Nunez failed to trial him with a crook and shot.
Liverpool returned to dominating possession and territory yet could not determination the shot rapidly capable to make truly clear-cut openings.
The Saints were besides defending well, throwing their bodies into blocking shots and crosses. Manning was peculiarly committed.
And the visitors’ refusal to acceptable into the communicative of a comfy Liverpool triumph was rewarded successful stoppage-time.
As Van Dijk tried to shepherd the shot backmost to Alisson with Smallbone connected his back, the Liverpool players got successful each other’s way. In the resulting disorder Smallbone tucked the shot neatly nether the Reds’ keeper and into the net.
There was inactive clip for Nunez’s fortunate escape. The mode helium brought down Walker-Peters was not an effort to play the ball, it was a petulant kick. Violent conduct, successful different words..
VAR took a agelong hard look but past decided that Lewis’ archetypal verdict of yellowish paper was not truthful outrageous that it needed correcting.
It was not overmuch of a daze that Slot made a triple alteration astatine the break.
The large astonishment was Nunez not being 1 of those to marque way.
Harvey Elliott astir repeated his unthinkable entranceway to proceedings astatine the Parc des Princes erstwhile helium fired successful a shot, lone for Ramsdale to marque an fantabulous stop.
And Slot’s religion successful the Uruguayan was soon justified successful spectacular style.
Luis Diaz made a fabulous tally down the left, beating Walker-Peters and pulling it backmost from the byline.
And determination was Nunez to tuck successful a neat striker’s finish.
Unbelievably, Liverpool’s No.9 past turned provider. Smallbone’s situation connected Nunez was clumsy and astir apt unnecessary. Lewis pointed to the spot and Salah bushed Ramsdale’s dive with an fantabulous penalty.
Southampton were understandably deflated. Boss Ivan Juric tried to respire caller beingness into them by making a treble change, bringing connected Yukinari Sugawara and Cameron Archer for the ineffective Tyler Dibling and Albert Gronbaek.
Liverpool looked arsenic if they were blessed to play the crippled retired for a single-goal triumph and conserve vigor for the PSG instrumentality connected Tuesday.
But they were warned it was a atrocious thought erstwhile Archer escaped and Alisson had to marque a decent stop.
At the different extremity Salah fluffed an fantabulous accidental to termination disconnected the crippled and you wondered whether it would beryllium costly.
Elliott changeable wide but small other happened until Juric rolled the dice by throwing connected large Paul Onuachu and Joe Aribo.
Instead, VAR and Salah settled the game.
Diaz did well, enactment unit connected Sugawara but arguably pushed him earlier the Japanese planetary moved the shot retired of his scope with his arm.
Donohue summoned Smith to the show and the verdict was penalty.
Salah scored again.
There was inactive clip for Liverpool sub Jarell Quansah to propulsion backmost Walker-Peters and not beryllium penalised.
But Arsenal and the remainder are moving retired of roadworthy to halt the Reds juggernaut arsenic it chugs towards the title.
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