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In the Daily Mirror , Dave Kidd writes that Liverpool's season "has seen a turnaround of Istanbul proportions".

He writes: "They will return this week to Istanbul’s Ataturk Stadium, a decade after the mother of all comebacks.

"But the narrative of this entire Liverpool season is turning into one glorious rise from the ashes.

"Brendan Rodgers’ men may have ridden their luck in this critical Champions League six-pointer, they may have been blessed by the ineptitude of referee Kevin Friend, who turned down two legitimate Southampton penalty claims inside the first four minutes.

"Yet Liverpool heeded the words of the old anthem, walking on through the wet stuff, heads aloft. They weathered a south-coast deluge and waves of pressure from the Saints to win thanks to an early Philippe Countinho belter and an opportunistic second-half strike from Raheem Sterling.

"Ten points adrift of the top four back in December, Liverpool are now just two points off their bitter rivals Manchester United in the race to compete among Europe’s elite next term."

In the Daily Mail, Martin Samuel praised a "gutsy display" from Brendan Rodgers' men.

He writes: "Nobody gets out the bunting for sixth place, but there is more to Liverpool’s inch-by-inch pro-gress up the table than first sight suggests.

"This win edged them past Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, but the gap now separating Liverpool from clubs with loftier ambitions is increasingly small. They are a point behind Southampton, whose bubble may be about to pop, two points off Manchester United in fourth, three points away from Arsenal in third. Inferior goal difference means Liverpool will need to go that extra yard but, on this form, it is well within their power.

"They scored with their first two shots on target in this game, the second in the 73rd minute, but that should not detract from the display. Southampton had three first-half penalty appeals — one of which was particularly convincing — but this was a gutsy, impressive win on a day that made it impossible to play the brand of football that is the trademark of manager Brendan Rodgers."

Tony Evans, football editor of The Times, puts Liverpool resurgence down to Rodgers' faith in youth.

He writes: "One of the attributes FSG likes most abouts its manager is his fearlessness in placing young players in the team. His use of Sterling and Jordon Ibe attests to this. The American owners want Liverpool to be an attractive place for youngsters. They are keen to send out a message across Europe that young talent will be allowed to flourish at Anfield. It underpins their belief in buying players under 25 with the potential to grow in stature and price.

"For the most part, though, this is a club where everyone appears to be pulling in the same direction. If that continues, Liverpool may well claim a top four spot and perhaps even a cup. No one would have predicted that in December."

Henry Winter, of the Daily Telegraph, believes Liverpool's victory "was rooted in defensive determination".

He writes: "Liverpool’s victory was rooted in defensive determination, refereeing controversy, a marvellous first-half strike from Philippe Coutinho and a clinical Raheem Sterling finish in the second period. The win lifted Liverpool to sixth, overtaking Tottenham Hotspur, and moving them to within a point of Southampton.

"Liverpool were never at their fluid best but there is a resilience to them now, and it is 469 minutes since they last conceded an away goal in the league. Not since Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson were repelling all-comers in 1985 had Liverpool last registered five successive away shut-outs in the league.

"The last goal this current Liverpool side let in on the road in the league was on Dec 14 at Old Trafford when Robin van Persie scored with 19 minutes remaining of a 3-0 win. Defeat dropped Liverpool to 10th position, leaving them 10 points behind third-placed Manchester United, and raising questions about Rodgers.

"Liverpool are now two points behind the fourth-placed United, three behind Arsenal, who are third, and with Rodgers being feted from all quarters."

Tony Banks writes in the Daily Express that Liverpool "will take some stopping" as they go for fourth place.

He says: "Liverpool are unbeaten in 10 games in the League, and for the first time since 1985 have kept five clean sheets in a row away from home. The momentum is growing, and on this form, will take some stopping.

"Tottenham dropping points at home to West Ham helped the Anfield side leapfrog the Londoners to move into sixth place while at the same time inflicting damage on the team directly above them – Ronald Koeman’s Southampton.

"Four shots on target, three goals. Maximum efficiency. Liverpool have not lost in the League since December 14 at Old Trafford, and have lost one in 18 in all competitions.

"At that point, they were 10 points behind their rivals. Now they are two. Rodgers has turned their season around in remarkable fashion. The red wave is gathering pace."

In The Guardian, Dominic Fitfield hails Liverpool's "show of strength" at St Mary's.

He writes: "A glance at the manic celebrations among visiting players at the final whistle here, all pumped fists and satisfied smiles amid the deluge, showed the significance of this win. Damage has been inflicted on direct rivals in pursuit of European qualification, victory at Southampton’s expense reinforcing the sense that momentum is increasingly with the Merseyside club.

"This ended up as a show of strength, a win chiselled out from opponents who remain a point clear in fifth but who now feel Liverpudlian breath on their necks. The locals whipped themselves into a frenzy at the perceived oversights of the referee, Kevin Friend, with some of their complaints at the refusal of spot-kicks justified, but even they had played through the latter stages as if resigned to the inevitability of this reverse. When Liverpool succumbed 3-0 at Old Trafford in mid-December they had trailed Manchester United by 10 points. Fast forward through 10 unbeaten league games and they are two points adrift of those opponents and only one more from Arsenal in third."

In The Independent, Sam Wallace says it was Liverpool who looked the "most accomplished" of the two sides - despite riding their luck at times at St Mary's.

He writes: "It feels a long time since 14 December, when Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool team succumbed to Manchester United at Old Trafford making the gap to their old rivals ten points and posing the question whether it might all be a bit much for this ambitious young manager.

"This morning that gap to United, now two places ahead in fourth, has narrowed to two points and Liverpool are unbeaten in every one of the ten league games they have played since Old Trafford. At St Mary’s today, Rodgers looked like a long way from the man who was on the brink in December, in fact there were moments when his young side played so well he might just have forgotten how cold and how wet he was.

"That was not to say that Rodgers’ team dominated this game against a Southampton side who were unfortunate at times, especially in the denial of a first half penalty for Filip Djuricic. The possession count was heavily in favour of the home team. Yet where it mattered most, that difficult business of scoring goals, it was Liverpool who looked the most accomplished."