Liverpool came from behind to beat rock-bottom Southampton for the second time this season and move 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
This takes them one step closer to the title and leaves Saints still in danger of the lowest Premier League points total ever.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a triple substitution at half-time which saw them improve.
Darwin Nunez, perhaps fortunate not to be one of the ones replaced at the break, slotted in from Luis Diaz’s cutback.
And then the Uruguayan striker was fouled by Smallbone for a penalty, which Mohamed Salah predictably dispatched with style.
Liverpool fans started singing “now you’re going to believe us, we’re going to win the league” after that.
Salah also netted another spot-kick late on, for his 27th goal of the season, after the video assistant referee spotted a Yukinari Sugawara handball.
Second-placed Arsenal have two games in hand – including Sunday’s match with Manchester United – but it is impossible to see anyone overhauling Liverpool.
Both sides made six substitutes as Southampton lost captain Jan Bednarek to an early head injury – with football laws allowed the opposing team to also make an extra substitution during the game.
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On paper this looked like the most obvious home win ever.
There were 58 points between the sides coming into this game, the biggest gap between teams since Liverpool beat Aston Villa in July 2020.
And Liverpool – with Slot in the stands because of a touchline ban – started brightly with Curtis Jones having an early shot blocked and then shooting wide.
That matched their total shot count in the 1-0 smash-and-grab win in Paris in midweek.
But perhaps the energy expended in that game was taking its toll here.
Southampton created several chances before grabbing the lead following a hugely uncharacteristic mix-up between two of their stars.
Van Dijk tried to hold off Smallbone to let the ball run to Alisson, but the keeper did not come out quickly enough and moments later the Saints midfielder was scoring.
But Liverpool improved in the second half after making their substitutions – with Slot allowed in the dressing room at the break – including the introduction of Harvey Elliott.
The midfielder scored with his first touch at PSG and almost did so again but was denied by Aaron Ramsdale.
But the Reds had a good grip on the game by then with Uruguay striker Nunez – who could have been sent off in the first half for a bad foul on Kyle Walker-Peters – scoring after good play by Diaz and then winning the penalty for Salah’s winner.
Salah had a shot saved and Elliott fired wide as they tried to add a game-clinching third, which eventually came in the form of another penalty by Liverpool’s Egyptian icon.
This is the champions elect’s only Premier League game in March.
Now they focus on the second leg of their Champions League tie against PSG on Tuesday and Sunday’s Carabao Cup final with Newcastle as they bid for three trophies.
Southampton still remain two points behind the lowest tally ever recorded in Premier League history – Derby’s infamous 2007-08 campaign in which they ended on 11 points.
The Saints have led Liverpool twice this season – they were 2-1 up at St Mary’s before losing 3-2 earlier in the campaign.
They have had other near misses too, including at Old Trafford when Manchester United’s Amad Diallo scored three goals after the 80th minute.
Ivan Juric’s side, at half-time here, looked in with a chance of becoming only the fifth team bottom of the table to ever beat the team top at the time in the Premier League.
But sadly for their fans, they conceded twice in three minutes early in the second half and, while they did keep having a go, they rarely looked like equalising before Salah made the win safe.
