Arne Slot is relishing Liverpool's upcoming double-header against Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Liverpool came from behind thanks to Mohamed Salah's second-half double to beat Southampton 3-2 on Sunday.

That victory at St Mary's moved the Reds eight points clear of Man City, who were thrashed 4-0 at home by Tottenham on Saturday for a fifth straight defeat in all competitions.

Pep Guardiola's team visit Anfield on December 1, though first the Reds host European champions Madrid in the Champions League.

And Slot cannot wait for Liverpool to go up against two heavyweights.

"It's what you need in a league like this, with so many quality teams. You have to keep winning because if you don’t, the other ones will," the Dutchman told BBC Sport.

"That's what we try to do every game, now it's Real Madrid and next Sunday it's Man City.

"You couldn't wish for more than playing these two games in the upcoming week, at home."

No manager in Premier League history has reached 10 wins in fewer matches from the start of their career in the competition than Slot (12 games, level with Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti).

Liverpool were indebted to Salah, however, with the forward dragging them level and then converting the winner from the penalty spot after Mateus Fernandes had put Southampton into a surprise lead early in the second half, following goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Adam Armstrong before the break.

Salah became the first player to score in five successive Premier League appearances for Liverpool since the Egyptian himself in October 2021 (seven in a row). His second goal was his 100th away from Anfield for Liverpool in all competitions.

"It was very good that Mo scored in that moment," said Slot of Salah's first goal, which came in the 65th minute when he nudged Ryan Gravenberch's pass beyond the stranded Alex McCarthy.

"It was not the best period of the game so he helped us with that and then afterwards we dominated so much, they got tired.

"That is what special players do. They can score goals out of nowhere. It's not completely out of nowhere because the assist of Gravenberch is a great ball as well, but Mo is known for the timing of his runs, he feels the right moment to run behind the last line, and normally you know he’s not offside because he always finds the right moment, and then he scores the goal, which was very helpful for us."

While Slot acknowledged Liverpool were tested by the Premier League's bottom club, he felt his team were always in control.

He added: "It wasn't a surprise for us, we saw how they played against Man City, Arsenal and Newcastle in away games, never mind how they would play in a home game against a top team. But we dominated. Because we went down 2-1, it made it really difficult for us.

"We dominated the whole game, which is not that easy against Southampton because they want possession, they want to dominate the game as well, but they couldn't. Because the scoreline was as it was, it felt like a difficult match, but if you look at the underlying numbers we deserved to win."

Those metrics support Slot's point. Liverpool accumulated 2.9 expected goals from 27 shots, 11 of which were on target, while they also limited Southampton to 37.9% possession.

Liverpool went eight points clear at the top of the Premier League as they came from behind to seal a thrilling 3-2 victory over Southampton at St Mary's.

Two second-half goals from Mohamed Salah turned Sunday's game on its head after Mateus Fernandes had given bottom club Southampton a surprise 2-1 lead.

Dominik Szoboszlai had given Liverpool a 30th-minute lead by curling home via the far post after Flynn Downes' dreadful clearance landed at his feet inside the area.

However, the outstanding Tyler Dibling was felled by Andrew Robertson for a Southampton penalty on the stroke of half-time. Adam Armstrong's spot-kick was repelled by Caoimhin Kelleher, but the striker kept his nerve to tuck home the equaliser.

Armstrong then turned provider when Fernandes swept home Southampton's second in the 56th minute, but their lead would not last.

Salah cushioned a searching Ryan Gravenberch pass beyond a stranded Alex McCarthy for 2-2 in the 65th minute, then saw his inswinging cross handled by Southampton substitute Yukinari Sugawara seven minutes from time.

The Egyptian scored what proved to be the winner from the resulting penalty, and he almost got a hat-trick when he crashed a shot off the base of the post in the 88th minute.

Southampton remain bottom of the table, five points adrift of 17th-placed Wolves. Liverpool, meanwhile, are sitting pretty ahead of next week’s meeting with Manchester City, who were routed 4-0 by Tottenham on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Salah helps Slot into history books

Despite a lacklustre defensive performance, Liverpool earned their 10th victory in 12 Premier League games this season (one draw, one defeat), thanks primarily to Salah's quality in attack.

Salah has become the first Liverpool player to score in five successive Premier League games since the Egyptian himself did so in seven straight matches in October 2021. 

His penalty, meanwhile, was his 100th goal away from Anfield for the Reds across all competitions.

Slot has now joined former Chelsea bosses Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti as the fastest managers to reach 10 Premier League wins upon their arrival in the division.

Arne Slot envisages "many challenges to come" in Liverpool's Premier League title race, despite his side moving five points clear at the top of the table with victory on Saturday.

The Reds capitalised on Manchester City's slip at Brighton by taking all three points in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa to establish breathing space at the summit.

Darwin Nunez gave the hosts the lead at Anfield as he capitalised after a quick counter, before Mohamed Salah did the same six minutes from time to secure all three points.

While Slot was pleased by the outcome, he is aware the cushion at the top does not guarantee a smooth run in their title challenge.

"It wasn't easy, like most of our games have been now," he told TNT Sport. "Aston Villa were maybe not as aggressive as we thought they would be.

"We were patient. One thing they are very good at is set-pieces. In general, we had control over the game and scored from two counter-attacks, which is maybe not what we would expect.

"If I look at the games that are ahead, they are tough. It will be a tough season in general. Margins are small, we have a margin, but it is small. [There are] many challenges to come for us."

Slot has got off to a fine start since succeeding Jurgen Klopp as manager at the start of the season, as he became just the fourth manager to win as many as nine of his first 11 Premier League games in charge, after John Gregory, Guus Hiddink, and Carlo Ancelotti.

Liverpool now have 28 points in the league. They have only previously equalled this total once after 11 games, in their title-winning season of 2019-20 (31). 

Equally, no manager has ever won more points from their first 11 games in the competition than Slot. The Dutchman is not concerned by totals or margins, however, with his focus remaining on the philosophy he wants to instil at Anfield.

"As a manager, if you come into a new club, you don't think about how many points after how many games," he told BBC Match of the Day. "You think about changing the style or keeping it as it was.

"To change the style, you have to do a lot of things on the training ground and in meetings. The only thing I have thought about is how to implement the playing style, and how to make sure the players keep working as hard as they can."

Unai Emery urged his side to “keep improving” after Saturday's 2-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.

Aston Villa have now lost four successive games in all competitions for the first time since April 2022.

They have also lost consecutive league matches for the first time since May 2023, after breakaway goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah sent Arne Slot's team five points clear at the top of the standings.

Emery was pragmatic in defeat but insisted his side need to up their game if they are to match the levels they set last season.

"We have to keep improving, recover some players who have just come back after long injuries. Some players are not in the same performance level as last year but today they were a bit better," he told TNT Sports.

"This year a lot of players have come back from long injuries. We have to try to keep the same positive attitude and mentality and try to accept the results that we have had this week.

"The league is tight, there are a lot of teams performing very well and we have to accept that we need to improve. We are under our level from last year a little bit but I am still confident."

Villa have recently seen the return of Tyrone Mings from a long-term injury, but there was further concern for Emery when Jacob Ramsey sustained an apparent hamstring issue late in the first half.

The Villans did have their chances at Anfield, with Amadou Onana and Diego Carlos forcing good saves out of Caoimhin Kelleher.

Indeed, Villa posted 1.5 expected goals (xG), compared to Liverpool's 2.02.

"Liverpool dominated at times but they did not have a lot of clear chances to score," reflected Emery.

"We did our work and we had the chances to score in the first half, in the second half, and we played more or less in the way I wanted."

Villa took 12 shots during the match, only two less than Liverpool (14), with an equal number coming from inside the box (nine each).

They also had shouts for a penalty prior to Liverpool's second goal when Pau Torres went down after he had his shirt pulled in the box, but their appeals were waved away.

"We have to try to be consistent in how we are building and responding. We have to compete and build a team, but we played the match we planned," Emery said, as reported by the Premier League's official website.

"We had chances to score, we had one penalty, maybe a potential penalty, for me, it's clear. With VAR, it was not but I have to accept the decision."

Emery also feels Villa lost to a team that are clear title contenders.

"They started better than us, they are contenders to win the title, but I think you have to try to get our way, and we are in this process," he said. "I am positive."

Mohamed Salah played a starring role as Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Arne Slot’s in-form side took full advantage of Manchester City’s defeat at Brighton earlier on Saturday, with Salah scoring one and setting up another to condemn Villa to their second straight league defeat.

Benefitting from Salah's fantastic work, Darwin Nunez broke the deadlock in the 20th minute, firing home from a tight angle.

Unai Emery's team did have chances of their own, with Caoimhin Kelleher making brilliant saves to deny Amadou Onana and Diego Carlos, while Villa also had a penalty appeal turned down after a VAR check.

But Salah ensured the home faithful could relax when he prodded over Emiliano Martinez on the counter in the 84th minute.

While Liverpool, with nine wins from 11, sit pretty at the top, Villa are in eighth, level on points with Fulham, Arsenal and Chelsea.

Data Debrief: Nunez and Salah are Slot's deadly duo

Since the start of 2022-23, only Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne (15) have combined for more Premier League goals than Nunez and Salah (12), who were the difference-makers this time around.

Salah became the first player to reach double figures for both goals (10) and assists (10) for a big five European League side in all competitions this season. He has now achieved this in each of his last four seasons at Liverpool.

Nunez, meanwhile, has been involved in 12 goals in his last 16 Premier League starts for Liverpool (eight goals, four assists), including three goals in his last five top-flight starts at Anfield.

Arne Slot has asserted Mohamed Salah’s future is “up to him and the club”.

The Liverpool star has yet to make a decision on whether to renew his contract, and as it stands, will be leaving Anfield at the end of the season.

Salah remains a key player for the Reds, and leads the club for Premier League goals (seven) and assists (five) this term.

He scored the winner in the 72nd minute to complete Liverpool’s comeback against Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, as they moved to the top of the table.

And despite the question marks over Salah's future, Slot is not concerned.

"[His future] is not what I think about. The only thing I think about is he is so important for us. Scores important goals, works hard for the team," the Liverpool boss told TNT Sports.

"I’m hoping he can enjoy that feeling many, many, many more times. Especially if I’m here but also if I’m not here. I’m hoping he can do this many more times.

"He’s been incredible for Liverpool over the past eight years. He’s been incredible for us this season and I hope he can continue doing this for the rest of the season and maybe longer to come, but that’s up to him and the club to find the idea about the future."

Salah could be in for a historic night on Tuesday when Liverpool face Bayer Leverkusen, having scored in each of his last five Champions League appearances at Anfield.

The last player to score in six consecutive home games in the competition for an English club was Ruud van Nistelrooy for Manchester United in April 2003.

Salah sparked renewed talk over his future after posting on Instagram on Sunday, saying that the feeling of scoring at Anfield would remain unforgettable “no matter what happens.”

But Slot was keen to quash any deeper meaning in the post.

"I haven’t spoken to him about that. You interpreted it in a way that maybe other people don’t," he told the press.

"I don’t look at Instagram posts of my players, I only talk to them which you can’t, which is the advantage I have.

"Mo is in a very good place at the moment. As long as he has been at Liverpool, he has been in a very good place, but this season again as well. I am hoping he will make a post after tomorrow and on Saturday again. What he said with that, that is not important.

"For me what is important is how he plays and what he tells me when we have conversations. That is what matters and not how you guys interpret one of his posts."

A second-half comeback from Liverpool saw them return to the Premier League summit with a 2-1 win over Brighton at Anfield.

Ferdi Kadioglu's eye-catching 14th-minute strike handed the visitors the lead on Saturday, but the Seagulls were unable to make their chances count in a dominant first half.

Cody Gakpo, scorer of two goals against Brighton in the EFL Cup in midweek, fortuitously restored parity in the 69th minute when his cross narrowly evaded Darwin Nunez and nestled into the corner.

And the turnaround was complete three minutes later when Mohamed Salah curled a trademark left-footed finish beyond Bart Verbruggen.

With Arsenal and Manchester City losing, Liverpool are top of the pile on 25 points, two clear of their nearest challengers after the opening 10 games, while Brighton are seventh.

Data Debrief: The Egyptian King

Salah's stunning goal was his 48th match-winning strike in the Premier League, with only five players netting more in the competition’s history.

He also continued his fine record against the Seagulls. The Egyptian now has 10 goals and six assists in the Premier League against Brighton, the most any player has against them in the division.

Since the Seagulls joined the competition in 2017, only Salah himself against Manchester United (18) has more goal involvements against a single opponent in the competition.

Liverpool have now won eight of their 10 Premier League games under Arne Slot (D1 L1), the most ever by a Reds manager in his first 10 top-flight matches in charge of the club.

Two of this season's title challengers go head-to-head in this weekend's headline Premier League clash as league leaders Liverpool travel to Arsenal.

The Gunners are looking to put things right after suffering a shock 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth last time out in the competition, putting them on the back foot in the race for top spot already.

And they face a Liverpool side that are flying high under Arne Slot, who passed his first 'real' Premier League test on Merseyside by seeing off high-flying Chelsea last week.

The Dutchman has overseen a seamless transition after taking over from Jurgen Klopp and is the first manager to win as many as 11 of his first 12 games in charge across all competitions in English top-flight history.

They now face off in what both managers will deem a must-win after both posting scrappy 1-0 victories in the Champions League in midweek, over Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig respectively.

Here, using Opta data, we delve into the key insights ahead of Sunday's clash at the Emirates.

What's expected?

Arsenal have won their last two Premier League home games against Liverpool and are looking to win three on the bounce for the first time since a run of four between 2004 and 2006.

In fact, the Gunners are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games against Liverpool (two wins, two draws), taking more points from those four games (eight) than they had in their previous 14 against the Reds (seven – one win, four draws, nine losses).

Arsenal have also lost just twice in the Premier League in 2024 (21 wins, three draws), though they are hoping to avoid losing back-to-back games in the competition for the first time since December 2023.

Despite their recent result, Arsenal are still tipped as slight favourites in this tie, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 41.3% chance of victory.

Liverpool, however, come out on top in 32.3% of the simulations, with a draw potentially on the cards at 26.5%.

While the Reds have not beaten Arsenal since March 2022 in the Premier League – a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino – they did win at the Emirates earlier this year by the same scoreline in the FA Cup third round.

And one thing you can almost guarantee for Liverpool in this tie is goals. They have not failed to score in any of their last 17 Premier League meetings with Arsenal since a 0-0 draw back in August 2015.

Arteta struggling for balance

Mikel Arteta will be hoping that Arsenal's defeat to Bournemouth was nothing more than a blip come the end of the season, but there were worrying signs for the Spaniard, especially before one of their biggest games.

The Gunners' downfall on the south coast was of their own making as they were undone by a set-piece before David Raya gave away a penalty that secured their fate, all after another first-half sending-off.

William Saliba was given his marching orders in the 30th minute, Arsenal's third of the Premier League campaign already. Another one against Liverpool would equal an unwanted record for the most dismissals after nine matches of a single season in the competition – done twice by the Reds and once by Leicester City and Sunderland.

Saliba had played every Premier League minute since the start of last season before his red card. Since his debut, Arsenal have a 74% win rate and concede an average of 0.8 goals per game with him in the team, but that drops to 45% and 1.6 conceded per game without him.

And it has given Arteta a dilemma, as he is expected to be light on defenders due to Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber's injuries. They may also be without Bukayo Saka again, but even if the England international does miss out, Arteta has plenty of firepower available.

They have scored 15 goals in the Premier League this season, the same as Sunday's opponents, while only Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea have netted more than them.

And Gabriel Martinelli loves playing against Liverpool – he has been involved in more goals against them in all competitions than he has against any other side (seven – five goals, two assists). Four of those five goals have put Arsenal in the lead in the match, including all three such Premier League strikes.

For Arteta, this game will be all about trying to find the right balance, though his main aim will be trying to keep all 11 of his men on the field until the final whistle.

Standing strong at the back

Much has already been made about Slot's start in the Liverpool dugout, but a result against one of last season's top two will still go a long way to silencing the last of his doubters.

The Dutchman's only blot on his record was their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield, but their away record has so far been perfect. They are just the seventh top-flight English side to win each of their opening six away games across all competitions in a season.

In fact, they are the third team to do so in the Premier League era, after Newcastle in 1994-95 and Manchester City in 2017-18.

Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz are sitting towards the top of the goalscoring charts, benefitting from Slot's free-flowing style of play, but it is their defensive stability that has made them tough to beat.

Liverpool have conceded fewer goals than any other team in the Premier League this season (three), while they also have the lowest xG against total (6.2).

Their three goals conceded are also their joint-fewest after eight games of a league campaign in club history (also three in 1978-79 and 2018-19).

And while there were some questions about how well Liverpool would cope without Alisson in goal, those issues look to have been eased too. In their Champions League win over Leipzig on Wednesday, Caoimhin Kelleher made six saves.

Indeed, his 16 saves this season have a goals-prevented value of 3.0, just above the Brazilian's 2.6 in 2024-25, so Slot's solid foundation should prove a real test for the Gunners.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz has scored in each of his last five Premier League appearances at the Emirates Stadium.

The only Arsenal player to score in more successive home appearances in the competition is Thierry Henry, who has done so twice (six from March to August 2000 and seven from May to October 2004).

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Salah has five goals and five assists in the Premier League this season - with just eight games played, this is the earliest into a season a Liverpool player has both scored five or more goals and assisted five or more goals in the competition.

He has also scored and assisted in 34 different matches in the Premier League: the second-most of any player in the competition's history, only behind Wayne Rooney (36).

Mohamed Salah will return to Liverpool earlier than expected, along with Virgil van Dijk, after he was released from international duty by Egypt on Saturday. 

The 32-year-old was on the scoresheet as Egypt defeated Mauritania 2-0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday, and was also expected to feature in the return fixture on Tuesday. 

However, in a boost for the Reds, who face fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League on October 20, Salah will head back to Merseyside having played just once for his country.

"The technical staff of Egypt's senior football team led by manager Hossam Hassan held a meeting with Mohamed Salah, the captain of the Pharaohs," the Egyptian FA said in a statement. 

"It was agreed during the meeting to rest the player from the upcoming match."

Arne Slot is confident Mohamed Salah will "always score goals" if he is in the Liverpool team, after the Egyptian's star turn against Bologna.

Having teed up Alexis Mac Allister's opener at Anfield, Salah scored Liverpool's second to seal a 2-0 win in the Champions League on Wednesday.

In the process, Salah became the first Liverpool player to score in five consecutive home games in the European Cup/Champions League.

He is only the third player to score in five consecutive Champions League home games for a Premier League side, after Thierry Henry with Arsenal (seven) and Ruud van Nistelrooy with Manchester United (six).

"Before [last week's EFL Cup win over West Ham], Mo played three games without scoring a goal," said Slot.

"So it is in football, it can happen that sometimes in three games, you score one or you don't score.

"But these players, like Mo, they will always score their goals if you just keep playing them."

Salah's contract expires at the end of this season and he has said this will be his last season at Anfield.

"Mo has done really well today, and I'm happy with the way he does at the moment, and I'm not looking forward to next season," Slot added.

The 46-year-old Dutchman, who replaced Jurgen Klopp, has become Liverpool's first head coach to win eight of their first nine games across all competitions.

His team have won their opening two in the Champions League to sit fifth in the 36-team table. They also top the Premier League.

Slot said: "I don't draw many conclusions from that, but it's nice. So many incredible managers have worked here, doing so many special things.

"The only thing is I hope it is not the only thing people remember me for in two or three years or however long I am here. If all they say is, 'that's the manager who won eight out of nine!'

"I'm hoping to do more special things than just win eight out of my first nine games.

"It also says how I have been left this club – the work rate the players put in, how the staff are helping me get these results."

Liverpool made it two wins from two in this season's Champions League following a 2-0 victory over Bologna at Anfield.

Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah were on target for Arne Slot's side, who maintained their perfect start to the league phase, having also beaten AC Milan 3-1 on matchday one.

The Reds broke through after just 11 minutes when Mac Allister timed his run perfectly to steer Salah's teasing cross beyond Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

Liverpool thought they had doubled their lead six minutes later when Darwin Nunez fired home, only to be denied by the offside flag, while the woodwork thwarted Dan Ndoye at the other end.

The visitors looked to hit back after the break and went close in the 56th minute as Riccardo Orsolini forced a strong save from Alisson Becker, who was celebrating his 32nd birthday.

However, the hosts gave themselves breathing space - and eventually the three points - with a quarter of an hour remaining, when Salah brilliantly curled into Skorupski's far corner of the net.

Data Debrief: Salah makes more history as Reds continue to enjoy home comforts

In wrapping up the victory, Salah became the first Liverpool player to score in five successive home Champions League games.

The Egyptian is also only the third player to achieve the feat for a Premier League side, following in the footsteps of Thierry Henry with Arsenal (seven) and Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy (six).

Also assisting Mac Allister's opener, Salah has now been directly involved in 14 goals (eight goals, six assists) in his last 11 home European appearances, as many as in his 20 previous such games.

It helped Liverpool record their 11th straight group/league win at Anfield in major European competition, while they have now scored at least twice in each of their last 10 such games. 

Arne Slot believes it is too early to speak of his Liverpool side as title contenders after they ran out 2-1 winners at Wolves to go top of the Premier League.

Ibrahim Konate had given Slot’s men the lead on the stroke of half-time but the home side levelled soon after the restart through Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Moments later, Nathan Semedo bundled over Diogo Jota in the penalty area and Mohamed Salah made no mistake from the spot to continue his and Liverpool’s fine start to the season.

The Egyptian has now scored 10 winning goals in the competition from the spot, only bettered by Alan Shearer with 12 and Frank Lampard with 18.

Despite going top, Slot insisted it was too early to speak of his side as title contenders, with just six league games played.

He said: “It feels good, you want to be up there but it doesn’t tell me that much at the moment.

"If you look at Wolves they are down in the table but they played much better than that today. After 19 games, it’ll tell me something, but not after six."

Slot praised his opposite number Gary O’Neil for causing his side some problems early on, but once tactical adjustments were made, the Dutchman was pleased with the amount of control his side exerted.

He told Sky Sports: "I don't think we started well, but we have to give credit to Wolves and Gary O'Neil.

"They had a really good gameplan. We had some problems in the first 20 minutes, but afterwards we took control of the game.

"We were patient and kept circulating the ball and kept waiting for the right moment to bring the ball in."

Wolves’ poor run of form continues and they sit bottom of the league, with no wins to their name and just a solitary point from their first six games.

O’Neil was still proud of his players after a narrow defeat and is adamant his side have deserved more points from their opening matches than the table suggests.

"They went toe-to-toe with one of the biggest clubs in the country,” said O’Neil.

“I am gutted for the lads, with what they have given in the last six games, they deserve more points.

"The responsibility of the result... I accept that, but I also need to praise the lads for delivering performances against opposition like this.

"I know them well enough that they will feel disappointed for a day, then they will be ready to go again."

The 41-year-old, who joined the club on the eve of the 2023-24 season, admits he has no control over whether he will continue as head coach.

"I can't control other people's belief in me. All I can do is the best I can do," he said.

Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League table as Mohamed Salah's penalty handed them a 2-1 victory over Wolves at Molineux.

Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Newcastle United earlier on Saturday handed Arne Slot's Reds a chance to go top, and Salah hit the winner from the spot after Nelson Semedo fouled former Wolves man Diogo Jota.

Ibrahima Konate had nodded Liverpool into the lead before his mistake at the other end allowed Rayan Ait-Nouri to briefly draw Wolves level early in the second half.

Wolves never looked likely to equalise for a second time as their wait for a first win of the season continued, with Liverpool going close to a third goal on a couple of occasions late on.

Wolves kept Liverpool quiet throughout the first half only to see their resolve broken in stoppage time, Sam Johnstone failing to keep out Konate's header after Jota crossed from the left.

Konate went from Liverpool hero to villain as Wolves levelled soon after the restart, though. A mix-up between him and Alisson allowed Jorgen Strand Larsen to steal possession, with his cutback eventually turned home by Ait-Nouri.

But within three minutes of the equaliser, Semedo pulled Jota back to concede a penalty, which Salah confidently dispatched for the winner, with Wolves wilting from then on.

While the result took Liverpool one point clear of City and Arsenal at the summit, Wolves remain rooted to the bottom with just one point from six matches.

Data Debrief: Salah punishes sloppy Wolves

Salah was kept quiet for the most part at Molineux, but there was never any doubt about the outcome when he stepped up for Liverpool's 61st-minute spot-kick. 

Salah now has eight goal involvements in six Premier League games this term (four goals, four assists), a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer, who have 10 apiece after the latter scored four first-half goals for Chelsea on Saturday.

The Egyptian has also scored in three successive away games in the competition for the first time since October 2021, when he enjoyed a run of five straight road matches with a goal.

It was Semedo's error that gave Salah the chance to snatch the points from the spot, and since his Premier League debut in September 2020, only Matty Cash (six) has conceded more penalties in the competition than his five.

Liverpool came from a goal down at Anfield to thrash 10-man West Ham 5-1 and book their place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

The victory piles more misery on Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who has endured a frustrating start to his tenure.

EFL Cup holders Liverpool did not have it all their own way, as they fell behind to Jarell Quansah's own goal in the 21st minute.

West Ham's lead lasted only four minutes, though, with Diogo Jota heading home from close range to restore parity.

Jota doubled up shortly after half-time, tucking in after fine work from Curtis Jones, though West Ham were left angered after their appeals for a Joe Gomez handball at the other end were dismissed.

Mohamed Salah slammed home a third after replacing debutant Federico Chiesa, and any hopes of a West Ham comeback were ended when Edson Alvarez received a second yellow card.

A West Ham capitulation followed – Cody Gakpo scoring twice in the space of three minutes to ensure Liverpool replicated the 5-1 victory they claimed over the Hammers in the quarter-finals last season.

Data Debrief: Reds burst Hammers' bubble... again

Liverpool have lost just one of their last 57 home games against West Ham in all competitions (W42 D14), a run stretching back to 1964 – that sole loss came in August 2015 in the Premier League (0-3).

The Reds' dominant victory on Wednesday means the EFL Cup holders have not failed to reach the fourth round of the competition since 2013-14, when Swansea City lost to Birmingham City.

Mohamed Salah is one of several Liverpool players to show improvements in the early stages of Arne Slot's reign, according to former Reds goalkeeper David James.

Liverpool have won four of their first five Premier League games under Slot to trail early-season pacesetters Manchester City by just a single point, with a surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest the only blot on the Dutchman's record.

The Reds have kept four clean sheets already this term, their joint-most in the opening five league games of any season, along with 1967-68, 1977-78, 2005-06 and 2021-22.

It is not only their defence that has impressed, however, with Salah contributing three goals and four assists already in 2024-25. Only Erling Haaland, with 10 goals, has more goal contributions in the Premier League this term. 

Salah also ranks joint-sixth in the league for both chances created (12) and expected assists (1.38 xA).

Speaking to Stats Perform, James outlined his belief that Salah – who is out of contract at the end of the season – had improved his all-round displays under Slot. 

"If you look at Mo Salah, Mo Salah's improved," the former England shot-stopper said.

"He hasn't scored a massive amount of goals compared to the likes of Erling Haaland in particular, but his gameplay, his control, his pass choices, his effectiveness, his scoring, his assists are up there with his normal standard.

"But he's playing better. Ball retention is a massive thing, especially in the final third, so his ball retention is much better."

James believes Slot's more patient approach to build-up play has helped both Salah and fellow wideman Luis Diaz, granting them more space when they do get the chance to isolate their markers.

"I think where Arne has effectively changed the style of play, it's allowed the wingers to really go for it," James added. 

"Also, if you're improving as a player with your touch, your control and ball retention, then that's only going to enhance the team's output. 

"I think you'll see a lot more higher performances from Liverpool players. I mean, [Ryan] Gravenberch, he's like a new signing. It's mad. 

"Considering the squad is the same squad, effectively, he looks like a new signing. Mo, as I said, has improved. Luis Diaz has improved. 

"We're talking about three of the most dangerous players possibly in the Liverpool team. So well done, Arne Slot."

Liverpool's next Premier League game is at winless Wolves, who have suffered more defeats in the competition against the Reds (16) than versus any other club.