“They all wanted him gone”, “I was wrong for doubting” - Fans salute 28-year-old Liverpool star after his performance in 3-1 win vs Southampton 

Liverpool fans were impressed with Luis Diaz’s performance during their Premier League clash against Southampton on Saturday, March 8. The Colombian winger put in a good shift upfront as the Reds came from behind to win 3-1 at Anfield.

After squeaking past Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday, Liverpool returned to home soil expecting a much easier outing against the Saints.

While Arne Slot's men started dominating the game from the onset, they struggled to break down the visitors’ resolute defense. And in the most surprising fashion, the hosts found themselves behind before the break.

Poor communication between Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker proved costly for the Reds, as William Smallbone capitalized on the defensive blunder and slotted the ball into an unguarded net.

The Reds started the second half with more determination and turned the game on its head before the hour mark. Luis Diaz marauded down the left wing, and his cutback was tucked home by Darwin Nunez (51'). Three minutes later, Mohamed Salah assumed responsibility from the spot after Nunez was brought down in the eighteen-yard box.

Salah put the game to bed in the 88th minute as he once again scored from the spot after Yukinari Sugawara was penalized for a handball. In the process, Liverpool extended their lead to 16 points at the top of the Premier League table.

While Mohamed Salah won the man of the match award, Diaz was also impressive in the game. The Colombia international assisted his side’s first goal, created two big chances, and registered a passing accuracy of 91% (41/45).

After the match, fans took to X to heap praise on him for his performance. An X user wrote:

''I just can’t understand our fans. After HT they all wanted him gone.''

Another tweeted:

''I’m sorry Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez for doubting you in the 1st half and thank you for turning it around 2nd half. My apologies are louder than the disrespect, and I was wrong for doubting.''

''Luis Diaz created a ridiculous SIX chances vs Southampton. A new season-high for the winger. Assist for the equaliser, of course, and won the second penalty'' @AnfieldWatch wrote.

Another fan likened the player's second half performance to Ronaldinho's:

''6 chances created, an assist, and a penalty won today from Luis Diaz.'' @ThreadsFutbol pointed out.

''That 2nd half was the best Luis Diaz performance I’ve seen in a while. He literally didn’t stop'' @TheKopWatch claimed

Another compared his second half performance to former Liverpool player Sadio Mane

''Luis Díaz works and plays so hard but he’s constantly just missing that tiny bit of luck in a dribble. So when he gets that luck I feel so happy for him because it becomes so clear how good he is at football. Best LW in the League for me.'' @Watch_LFC wrote

''They were not the energy levels I am used to'' - Liverpool boss Arne Slot not impressed with his players' performance despite 3-1 win

Arne Slot wasn’t satisfied with his players' overall performance despite their 3-1 win over Southampton. Slot said his side had a poor performance in the first half and berated their energy levels.

The Liverpool boss told BBC after the match:

"It's a sign of a good team that you can win in different ways. It was a poor performance first half - not only because of the way we played but also because of the energy we brought. The only good thing in the first 45 minutes was that they saved their energy [for Paris St-Germain on Tuesday] and didn't run at all!''

"I know these players are capable of doing much, much better. That is what I expect this week. They were not the energy levels I am used to with these players."

Liverpool will next be in action against PSG in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday.