<p>Liverpool, England: Frustration was written all over Liverpool boss Arne Slot's face when miscommunication allowed lowly Southampton to score first in the Reds' 3-1 victory on Saturday, and Mohamed Salah said the manager gave the team an earful about it at halftime.</p><p>Salah scored twice from the penalty spot and Darwin Nunez also struck in the victory, but all three Liverpool goals came after the break.</p><p>Will Smallbone had stunned the Anfield faithful with a goal from bottom club Southampton in first-half injury time, capitalising on miscommunication by goalkeeper Alisson and centre-back Virgil van Dijk, and the television camera caught Slot, who was serving the second of a two-game suspension for a recent red card at Everton, in the stands holding his head in both hands.</p><p>Slot's pep talk in the break seemed to do the trick.</p>.PL | Salah bags brace but Nunez steals spotlight in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Southampton. <p>"It was a bit of frustration, his head was going for us," Salah told Premier League Productions about Slot's halftime speech. "It is something you need sometimes.</p><p>"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."</p><p>Liverpool, who have just one Premier League loss in this remarkable season, extended their lead atop the table provisionally to 16 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand.</p><p>"It's a sign of a good team, that you can win in different ways," Slot, who made three halftime substitutions, told the <em>BBC.</em></p><p>"I had to change because of work rate. I don't think that happened a lot this season. So it was a poor performance first half. Not only in the way we played but definitely also in the energy we brought."</p><p>The victory was sandwiched between two round-of-16 Champions League matches. They defeated Paris St Germain 1-0 away on Wednesday, and will host the French champions in the second leg at Anfield on Tuesday.</p><p>"The only good thing is for the first 45 minutes (against Southampton on Saturday) I don't think they ran at all," the Dutchman said. "I exaggerate a bit but they saved their energy.</p><p>"For me that is not a good thing because I believe that it is better to go all-in and to create habits what I always talk about. But I also know that these players are capable of doing much, much, much better when it comes to performance and definitely when it comes to work rate. That is also what I expect this week."</p><p>While Liverpool continue their march toward the league title, Slot refuses to see it that way.</p><p>"It's a long way," he said. "If I'm correct Arsenal play three games before we play the next one. Now it's 16 but it can be seven when we face Everton in a few weeks."</p><p>With Liverpool's month busy with Champions League, FA Cup action, the League Cup final, plus the international break, they do not play another league game until April 2 when they host Everton. </p>
<p>Liverpool, England: Frustration was written all over Liverpool boss Arne Slot's face when miscommunication allowed lowly Southampton to score first in the Reds' 3-1 victory on Saturday, and Mohamed Salah said the manager gave the team an earful about it at halftime.</p><p>Salah scored twice from the penalty spot and Darwin Nunez also struck in the victory, but all three Liverpool goals came after the break.</p><p>Will Smallbone had stunned the Anfield faithful with a goal from bottom club Southampton in first-half injury time, capitalising on miscommunication by goalkeeper Alisson and centre-back Virgil van Dijk, and the television camera caught Slot, who was serving the second of a two-game suspension for a recent red card at Everton, in the stands holding his head in both hands.</p><p>Slot's pep talk in the break seemed to do the trick.</p>.PL | Salah bags brace but Nunez steals spotlight in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Southampton. <p>"It was a bit of frustration, his head was going for us," Salah told Premier League Productions about Slot's halftime speech. "It is something you need sometimes.</p><p>"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."</p><p>Liverpool, who have just one Premier League loss in this remarkable season, extended their lead atop the table provisionally to 16 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand.</p><p>"It's a sign of a good team, that you can win in different ways," Slot, who made three halftime substitutions, told the <em>BBC.</em></p><p>"I had to change because of work rate. I don't think that happened a lot this season. So it was a poor performance first half. Not only in the way we played but definitely also in the energy we brought."</p><p>The victory was sandwiched between two round-of-16 Champions League matches. They defeated Paris St Germain 1-0 away on Wednesday, and will host the French champions in the second leg at Anfield on Tuesday.</p><p>"The only good thing is for the first 45 minutes (against Southampton on Saturday) I don't think they ran at all," the Dutchman said. "I exaggerate a bit but they saved their energy.</p><p>"For me that is not a good thing because I believe that it is better to go all-in and to create habits what I always talk about. But I also know that these players are capable of doing much, much, much better when it comes to performance and definitely when it comes to work rate. That is also what I expect this week."</p><p>While Liverpool continue their march toward the league title, Slot refuses to see it that way.</p><p>"It's a long way," he said. "If I'm correct Arsenal play three games before we play the next one. Now it's 16 but it can be seven when we face Everton in a few weeks."</p><p>With Liverpool's month busy with Champions League, FA Cup action, the League Cup final, plus the international break, they do not play another league game until April 2 when they host Everton. </p>