Salah double sends Liverpool 8 points clear in Premier League as United draws first game with Amorim

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Manchester United’s head coach Ruben Amorim reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Manchester United at Portman Road stadium in Ipswich, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah scores from a penalty kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, left, is congratulated by Amad Diallo after scoring his side’s opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Manchester United at Portman Road stadium in Ipswich, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

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Southampton’s Ryan Fraser, left, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah fight for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, right, celebrates with Darwin Nunez after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Southampton’s Paul Onuachu, left, and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk fight for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Southampton’s Adam Armstrong scores from the penalty kick during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson holds Southampton’s Tyler Dibling during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

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Southampton’s goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saves during the English Premier League soccer match between Southampton and Liverpool in Southampton, England, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sean Ryan)

By STEVE DOUGLAS

It has been more than 30 years since a team held as big a lead as Liverpool after 12 rounds of the Premier League.

Not that Arne Slot is getting too excited about an eight-point advantage before even hitting December.

“It’s nice to have this position,” the Liverpool manager said Sunday after Mohamed Salah inspired a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Southampton, “but we are definitely not getting carried away.”

Only Manchester United’s class of 1993-94 — under Alex Ferguson — has had a larger lead than Slot’s Liverpool at this stage of a Premier League campaign. The title stayed at Old Trafford that season.

It’s those kind of glory days that Ruben Amorim is trying to recreate after taking charge of United and the Portuguese coach could hardly have got off to a better start.

Only 81 seconds had elapsed before United marked Amorim’s first game at the helm with a goal from Marcus Rashford at Ipswich.

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.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer