Salah sends Liverpool 16 points ahead, Forest shock Man City

LONDON — Premier League leaders Liverpool finished 3-1 winners over bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Saturday, needing two penalties from Mohamed Salah, while Nottingham Forest also took a giant step towards the Champions League with a win over Manchester City, 1-0.

Liverpool extended their lead at the top to a huge 16 points, but it was a case of two halves as they labour through a sloppy first 45 minutes.

Still buzzing from a pickpocketing 1-0 Champions League win against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot made only three alterations.

But the Dutchman was ultimately obliged to make three half-time changes to rouse the champions-elect.

Southampton have picked up only nine points all season from 28 games, but left Anfield stunned when Will Smallbone put the visitors ahead in first-half stoppage time.

Liverpool’s saviour at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday was Alisson Becker, though he and Virgil van Dijk got in each other’s way to enable Smallbone to roll in to an unguarded net.

Slot called on Harvey Elliott, Alexis MacAllister and Andy Robertson at the interval and the changes worked a treat, two goals coming within three minutes of each other before the hour mark.

Darwin Nunez equalised with a close-range shot into the near post from a Luis Diaz cross.

Nunez was then sent tumbling inside the area and Salah scored from the spot.

The Egyptian tucked away a second penalty two minutes from time to bring his goal tally for the season to 32.

Arsenal in second have two games in hand on the leaders, their first coming away to Manchester United on Sunday.

But it seems a question of when, not if, Liverpool will secure only its second league title in 35 years.

City felled at Forest

And Callum Hudson-Odoi’s late winner at the City Ground pulled Forest four points clear of City in third.

The former Chelsea winger shot beyond Ederson on 83 minutes after receiving Morgan Gibbs-White’s pass to send jubilant scenes of celebration reverberating around the ground as the English champions were beaten for the first time since 1997.

European champions in 1979 and 1980, Forest has not played in the continent’s top competition since 1980.

But they are pushing closer to the Champions League, with a top-five finish almost surely enough, given the English teams’ strong showing in Europe this season.

“We are not here to joke” Hudson-Odoi said on social media. “A goal, man-of-the-match (MOTM), three points!”

City stay fourth and are glancing over their own shoulders after a ninth league loss of the campaign.

Pep Guardiola’s men could yet be overhauled by Chelsea, who have a home game against struggling Leicester on Sunday.

Crystal Palace overcame top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta’s serious ear injury to beat Ipswich 1-0 with Ismaila Sarr on target.

The Eagles have now won nine of their last 11 games in all competitions and rise to 11th.

Joao Pedro’s 98th-minute penalty ensured Brighton boosted their own Champions League dreams as they continued their flyer with a 2-1 win over Fulham.

Fulham took the lead after 19 minutes when Raul Jimenez hit a spectacular strike, but Jean Paul van Hecke equalised just before the break.

Pedro’s penalty sends the Seagulls up to sixth and within a point of City.

Aston Villa play Brentford and Wolves are home to Everton in Saturday’s later kick-offs.