Liverpool’s dominance in the Premier League continues to grow, extending their lead to 16 points at the top of the table following a decisive 3-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday. Mohamed Salah’s stellar form was on display once again, as the Egyptian forward netted two second-half penalties to bring his season tally to 27 goals, seven ahead of his nearest rival in the Golden Boot race.
With just nine games remaining, Liverpool’s record-tying 20th English top-flight championship appears inevitable, despite Arsenal holding two games in hand. Meanwhile, defending champions Manchester City suffered another setback, falling 1-0 to third-placed Nottingham Forest. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s 83rd-minute strike handed City their third defeat in five league matches, leaving them 23 points adrift of Liverpool and in danger of missing out on a top-four finish.
Erling Haaland, who has won the last two Golden Boot awards, endured a quiet match against Forest and remains on 20 goals for the season, as Salah edges closer to securing his third outright top-scorer title. Salah also reached a career milestone, equaling Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero’s 184-goal tally in the Premier League’s all-time scoring charts.
Liverpool’s victory over Southampton came between two crucial Champions League fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain. Holding a 1-0 aggregate lead after their first-leg triumph in Paris, Liverpool manager Arne Slot resisted the temptation to rotate his squad, opting to play Salah for the full 90 minutes. Darwin Nunez, who assisted Harvey Elliott’s winner against PSG, was instrumental once more, scoring Liverpool’s opening goal before winning the first of Salah’s two penalties.
“We were sloppy and slow in the first half,” Salah admitted post-match. “But the manager’s reaction at halftime fired us up, and we showed our experience in handling the situation.”
For Southampton, the loss leaves them rooted at the bottom of the table, 13 points from safety and facing an imminent return to the Championship.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s resurgence has propelled them into Champions League contention, a remarkable turnaround for a team that finished 59 points behind City last season. Their disciplined performance against Guardiola’s side saw goalkeeper Ederson beaten at his near post by Hudson-Odoi’s powerful effort. Forest now sits four points clear of City, with 10 games left in their quest for a return to European competition, which they famously won in 1979 and 1980.
Elsewhere, Brighton climbed to sixth place after Joao Pedro converted a penalty deep into stoppage time to secure a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Fulham. Crystal Palace edged Ipswich 1-0 courtesy of an 82nd-minute goal from Ismaila Sarr.
Later on Saturday, Brentford faced Aston Villa, while Everton traveled to Wolverhampton in critical mid-table clashes as the Premier League season approaches its decisive phase.
Source;https://apnews.com/article
