Liverpool eight points clear as Amorim's United held

Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring for Liverpool against Southampton. (AP PHOTO)

Mohamed Salah has sent Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the English Premier League by scoring twice to help his team  to an unconvincing 3-2 win over Southampton.

Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim's first game in charge of Manchester United ended in a 1-1 draw at promoted Ipswich Town.

Liverpool made the most of Manchester City's 4-0 home defeat by Spurs on Saturday, but they were trailing 2-1 at Southampton before Salah equalised after 65 minutes. 

The Egypt forward then converted a penalty in the 83rd minute after a handball by Yukinari Sugawara and nearly had a hat-trick when he struck the post in the final minutes.

Liverpool were gifted the opening goal, though Dominik Szoboszla, but Southampton fought back, Adam Armstrong converting a penalty and then setting up Mateus Fernandes.

Salah came to Liverpool’s rescue, though, but there will be question marks about goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, who raced out of his goal only to be beaten to the ball by Salah.

Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim takes charge of Manchester United for the first time.

At Ipswich, only 81 seconds had elapsed before United marked Amorim's first game at the helm with a goal from Marcus Rashford.

United couldn't hold out and a 1-1 draw against a team destined to be battling against relegation underlined the scale of Amorim's task to turn around the fortunes of a fallen giant in English soccer.

Omari Hutchinson equalised with a left-footed strike from distance that deflected off Noussair Mazraoui and beyond a helpless Andre Onana.

“It was really hard for them," Amorim said of United's players. "They were thinking what to do - it was not fluid, which is normal after just two training sessions, but they tried hard.

“They have so much space to improve. But after a draw, you never feel the good things.”

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