Arne Slot admitted that he had to “create anger” with his players at half-time as Liverpool came from a goal down to beat bottom side Southampton to move 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The Reds staged a second-half comeback to secure a 3-1 victory over the struggling Saints at Anfield, courtesy of a Mohamed Salah brace and Darwin Nunez after Will Smallbone had given the visitors a shock lead.
The victory comes just three days after Slot’s side overcame a PSG onslaught in Paris to gain a slender 1-0 advantage going into the second-leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash.
Three goals, three points ✊🔴 pic.twitter.com/adSkwzYJoF
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 8, 2025
The visit of Southampton, on paper at least, presented an altogether different challenge for Slot’s team, but the Dutch manager still felt the need to make three changes at half-time in a bid to get back into the game.
Slot revealed he had warned his squad against complacency prior to kick-off and spoke of how creating “anger” in the dressing room at the break was necessary to fire up his players.
“I think I’ve tried everything before the game,” Slot said after the game.
“So in the media, in my meetings, to make clear to them [the players] how difficult of a game this is.
“But in the end I had to make some hard decisions at half-time to create a certain anger with the players. And the ones that came, again, were very important for us and that helped us bring the win over the line.”
Liverpool’s lead at the top could be cut to 13 points if Arsenal beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Next up for Slot’s team is a second showdown with PSG. The two teams meet at Anfield on Tuesday with a place in the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition at stake.
