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Liverpool finally ended its run of back-to-back losses with a convincing 2-0 Premier League victory over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday evening.
Mohamed Salah broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time with his 250th goal for the Reds after pouncing on an error from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, before Ryan Gravenberch added a deflected second just before the hour mark.
The result delivered three crucial points for Arne Slot's side with Real Madrid to come in the Champions League this week. The Reds are back up to third in the table with the crucial win and here is how the UK media responded to a vital three points.
Dominic King - Daily Mail - "Don't get them angry. Surely they should have known that? All Unai Emery would have wanted was for his players to turn Anfield into a doctor's waiting room, filled with silence and tension, but instead they poked the bear.
"The game Liverpool dared not lose became the game they gleefully won, fuelled by the energy of a crowd that acted as a 12th man, bellowing approvingly of every thunderous tackle and hollering disdainfully of every perceived wrong decision: Villa walked wide-eyed into a trap and paid the price.
"Here was an exorcism of Wednesday's League Cup elimination against Crystal Palace, when Slot's team selection put him under a microscope."
Jonathan Northcroft - Sunday Times - "No performance was bigger than that of Dominik Szoboszlai, who covered every blade and - tackling, heading, shooting, dribbling - showed every technical skill. He's a remarkable footballer. And so, of course, is Mohamed Salah.
"The Egyptian followed the defiant brilliance of last week's goal against Brentford with another record-breaking strike, to give Liverpool a lead they deserved for their first-half dominance. He was in vintage fettle, even going on a dribble up the touchline through two opponents before being tackled by a third, as Slot applauded and Anfield ooh-ed and aah-ed."
Andy Hunter - The Guardian - "As the pressure lifted inside Anfield and Liverpool entered stoppage time of their first Premier League win since 20 September, the Kop broke into a rousing chorus of Arne Slot's name. But it's easy to stand by your man when victory is in sight.
"A more significant rendition came at nil-nil, when the pressure was still firmly on and Dominik Szoboszlai had just squandered a glorious chance to punish the kind of lackadaisical defending that would ultimately prove Aston Villa's downfall. Support for Slot was unequivocal when it mattered most.
"Liverpool, the Premier League's crisis club before kick-off after six defeats in seven games, sit third in the table after starting an important week with a deserved win against Villa."
Richard Jolly - The Independent - "Liverpool had reasons to dread the prospect of history being made at Anfield. Instead, they could celebrate it. Their slump was such that they were threatened with the prospect of a seventh defeat in eight games, a fate they have not suffered since 1926, the year of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II.
"It was more about Anfield's beloved 'Egyptian King', however. Mohamed Salah became just the third player to reach 250 Liverpool goals, joining Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in a select club of Anfield greats.
"The importance of a landmark strike stretched far beyond the statistical. Liverpool ended a run of four consecutive Premier League losses, banking their first points since September. They leapt to third in the table. That, Arne Slot may argue, is no crisis."
Paul Gorst - Liverpool ECHO - "The Anfield scoreboard was edging close to the hour mark when the Kop felt it was time to hammer home its message. Ryan Gravenberch had just added to Mohamed Salah's first-half opener and the Liverpool faithful made sure their backing of an embattled Arne Slot was heard loud and clear.
"After a run that had seen the team lose six of their last seven games during a woeful few weeks, the idea that this was a vocal show of support to the head coach, amid laughable external chatter over his job security, was inescapable."
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