Mohamed Salah aiming to inflict more pain on Manchester City after Liverpool's win v Southampton - ‘A bad time’
Published 24/11/2024 at 18:50 GMT
Mohamed Salah and Liverpool are in red-hot form this season, strengthening their grip on the Premier League title race with a hard-fought victory over Southampton at St Mary's Stadium. The Reds could move 11 points clear of Manchester City if they beat the Premier League champions at Anfield next Sunday.
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Mohamed Salah said that Manchester City are having "a bad time", looking ahead to next Sunday's crunch clash after scoring twice in a 3-2 win at Southampton, which moved Arne Slot’s side eight points clear at the Premier League's summit.
The Egypt international scored twice as Liverpool recovered from 2-1 down to claim all three points at St Mary’s, following on from City’s 4-0 thrashing by Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium – their fifth consecutive defeat across all competitions.
Slot's side face City at Anfield next Sunday, and could move 11 points clear of Pep Guardiola's side who currently occupy second place.
When asked about their eight-point lead over City, Salah told Sky Sports: "It's great. Hopefully, we keep going in that direction. We have a game against them so hopefully, we win it and go 11 points clear.
"Man City is Man City. They have a bad time now, but they have great players."
The Liverpool forward added: "They [his goals] were very important, especially after being down 2-1. It's the most important thing to have won the game," Salah told Sky Sports.
"Each game is different. They had a game plan and played very well. We managed to come back and win the game. I think we had a good game plan, we played our game and I was confident we would create chances."
The City clash caps off a demanding week for Liverpool, as they look to maintain their perfect start in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday against holders Real Madrid at Anfield - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
‘A big problem’ – Martin rues no penalty award
Meanwhile, it was a frustrating afternoon for Russell Martin’s side, who continue to prop up the table following a tenth defeat in their opening 12 league games.
The Saints head coach expressed pride in the way his side battled against the league leaders, but was left angry at being denied what would have been a second penalty after Adam Armstrong was brought down by Caoimhin Kelleher in the box.
"I'm very disappointed but very proud of a lot of the performances," he said. "We went toe-to-toe with the best team in the league at the moment.
"The two goals are really not good, and the penalty is as well. I have a big issue with Adam Armstrong not getting a penalty at 2-1.
"The goalkeeper collides with him. It's what VAR is there for. I have a big problem with that decision.
"There's a real clear offside as well. There are five of their players clearly offside and the flag doesn't go up.
"We had a real threat, but we should have been better with the ball. I think there's so much more to come. The fight is there, they're running. It gives us a platform to build on.
"It's about work and analysing the problems. It's my fault because we thought we would have a chance on transition play.
"We have to keep learning and helping the players through it as much as we can. Playing out is what got us to the Premier League, and I'm really proud of the players."
Martin also sympathised with Paul Onuachu after the Nigerian was forced off injured at the start of the second half in his first league start of the season, but praised the performance of 18-year-old Tyler Dibling.
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"Paul has been so patient and had to wait for his opportunity," he continued.
"Disappointed to lose him to an injury, hopefully, it's not too bad. Tyler is a really great young player who needs to play at the right place. His ceiling is so high and can play where he wants in the future.
"I think the feeling is very different from the last time this club was in the Premier League. There's no lack of fight. They're really trying."
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