“His head was going for us” - Mohamed Salah opens up on how ‘frustration’ from Arne Slot at half-time inspired Liverpool comeback vs Southampton

Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has opened up on how manager Arne Slot's frustrated half-time speech inspired his side to a 3-1 comeback win over Southampton in the Premier League (March 8). The Egyptian forward claimed that the Dutch tactician's "head was going" during the break.

Despite creating an array of chances in the first half, Liverpool couldn't find the back of the net. In the closing moments of the half, the Saints launched a counter-attack and shockingly took the lead through Will Smallbone (45+1').

Slot was absent from the touchline, as he was serving a two-match suspension for his insulting conduct towards match officials in the 1-1 draw against Everton. Salah claimed that the Dutchman's impassioned half-time team talk in the dressing room was the catalyst for the Reds' comeback.

A goal from under-fire Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez (51') and a brace of penalties from the Egyptian (54', 88') sealed the win for the league leaders. The pair of goals took the 32-year-old's individual tally for the 2024-25 campaign to an unbelievable 32 goals and 22 assists in 41 games across all competitions.

Speaking to Premier League Productions after the game, the 32-year-old forward said (via GOAL):

"It was a bit of frustration. His head was going for us. 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."

With the victory, Liverpool moved to 70 points from 29 games, 16 points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand.

"The only thing I could come up with" - Arne Slot explains half-time triple substitution that catalyzed Liverpool's 3-1 win vs Southampton

Liverpool boss Arne Slot claimed that the half-time triple substitution was a necessary change to spark a comeback 3-1 win for his side against Southampton.

Slot brought Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, and Andy Robertson on for Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Kostas Tsimikas at the break. Just nine minutes later, the Reds had turned the game around, going from 1-0 down to 2-1 up, courtesy of goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.

When asked about the move after the game, the Dutchman said (via This is Anfield):

"I don't think I was wrong this time if I said at half-time that energy levels were far, far, far too low. And that is what I had to change and that is why we made three substitutions just to, apart from bringing in quality, just to create something, because nine out of 10 times when you take three out, the other eight are like, 'Ooh, something else should happen'. That's the only thing I could come up with at half-time to create something different for the second half."

Up next, Liverpool will face off against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 matchup on March 11. With a 1-0 lead from the away leg at the Parc des Princes, the Reds will be hopeful of securing passage into the quarter-finals at Anfield.