Arne Slot has credited his fiery half-time team talk for Liverpool’s spirited comeback in their 3-1 victory over Southampton, which extended their Premier League lead to 16 points on Saturday.
The Liverpool manager, watching from the stands as he served the final game of his touchline ban, did not hold back in the dressing room after a lacklustre first-half performance against the league’s bottom club. Slot had been suspended following his expletive-laden outburst at officials during Liverpool’s draw with Everton.
Liverpool had fallen behind moments before the break due to a mix-up between captain Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker, which allowed Will Smallbone to fire Southampton into a shock lead. However, Slot wasted no time in addressing his side’s shortcomings, demanding a reaction and making three immediate substitutions—Harvey Elliott, Andy Robertson, and Alexis Mac Allister—to inject energy and quality into the team.
The changes had an instant impact as Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah found the net within five minutes of the restart, swiftly turning the game in Liverpool’s favour. Salah later secured the victory by converting his second penalty of the match in the 88th minute. Speaking after the game, Salah admitted that Slot had let loose in the dressing room, saying, “His head was going for us.”
Slot himself confirmed his frustration, stating, “I didn’t give them compliments at half-time, I can tell you that. Maybe it was because I was sitting up there instead of being on the touchline. When you watch from above, you think, ‘Even I could play in this game,’ but from the sidelines, the tempo feels completely different.”
The Dutchman was particularly critical of Liverpool’s energy levels in the first half, adding, “I don’t think I was wrong in saying that our energy was far, far, far too low. That had to change. That’s why we made three substitutions, not just for fresh legs but to bring in quality as well. Usually, when you take off three players, the rest realise something has to change. That was the only thing I could think of to make a difference in the second half.”
Liverpool’s sluggish start may have been the result of fatigue following their gruelling 1-0 victory at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday. Slot admitted he was relieved to see his tactical adjustments spark a much-improved second-half display.
“I know these players can produce completely different energy levels than what we saw in the first half,” he said. “That was the first time this season I’ve seen that kind of tempo. Looking ahead to the PSG game, we need to step up another level in intensity. Compared to today’s match, we need to go five, six, maybe even seven steps higher if we want to reach the next round.”
Despite Arsenal having two games in hand and facing Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool remain strong favourites to clinch their 20th English title—matching Manchester United’s record—and their first since 2020.
With no further Premier League fixtures in March, Liverpool’s focus now shifts to Tuesday’s Champions League second leg against PSG at Anfield. Following that, they will take on Newcastle in the League Cup final at Wembley, where Slot hopes to lift his first trophy since taking over from Jürgen Klopp last year.
