Liverpool took another big step towards the Premier League title with a 2-0 win over Newcastle at Anfield to move 13 points clear at the top.
With closest rivals Arsenal held to a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest, goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister extended Liverpool’s advantage as head coach Arne Slot watched on proudly from the stands due to his two-game touchline ban.
Buoyed by their win away to reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday, Liverpool began with confidence and took the lead inside 11 minutes when Szoboszlai’s left-footed effort somehow crept into the net beyond the grasp of goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Without the injured Alexander Isak, Newcastle were counting on Callum Wilson, making his first Premier League start of the season, but the striker could not find the equaliser when clean through. Mac Allister punished that miss midway through the second half.
Liverpool power through like champions
After that FA Cup exit against Plymouth, the fear for Liverpool going into this five-game run of fixtures that began with the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and ended with this match against Newcastle was that the fixture list could catch up with the players.
When they had to cope with that shock Everton equaliser, before a nervy game against Wolves and a draw at Aston Villa, maybe there was still a possibility that tired legs could trip them up against Manchester City and the Magpies. Instead, they have powered on.
The absence of Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak for these last two fixtures made the task of two clean sheets slightly easier but what is impressive is how they have approached it all, underlining their superiority with their sheer relentlessness.
Seven of the Liverpool starting line-up have started all five games in a fortnight. Players were rested where possible, rotation up front and at full-back, but the energy that Szoboszlai continues to bring to the team is remarkable. Player of the match.
As for Mohamed Salah, there he was in the 97th minute of the match, running at young Lewis Hall again to win a corner. Arsenal were hoping for a slip. Instead, it is they who have caved. Liverpool are the best team this season. The Premier League title awaits.
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The Verdict from Anfield as Liverpool swept Newcastle aside to go 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
Slot praises players – but not thinking title
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot speaking in the press conference:
“What impressed me most was that it was our fifth game in 15 games and the four before weren’t our most simple games. Everton, we all know how emotional, and then Wolves and two difficult away games with Villa and City so to show up the way we did, hardly concede a chance against a very good team like Newcastle, is a big compliment to the players.”
Asked if Liverpool are close to being Premier League champions:
“I don’t know, because I don’t think that way. I think about Paris Saint-Germain already.
“My main focus is on Paris Saint-Germain, I forget the league table now, I forget the Premier League for now, until the moment we play Southampton again, or until the moment we’ve played against Paris Saint-Germain and then start to think about the Premier League.”
Player of the match: Dominik Szoboszlai
“Very pleased with him,” said Slot. “Because he’s the type of player that always looks for a team-mate that’s in a better position than him, if he has a chance, and that’s also what you saw against Villa, where he played that ball square to Darwin [Nunez].
“So for him to be on the scoresheet now, for a player that is as humble as he is when he gets a chance, but especially because of his unbelievable work that he does for the team, he definitely deserves the [player of the match] – at least, he came in with the trophy, so I assume he was.
“So he deserves the credits he’s getting at the moment. He already got my credits every single time he played for us, but probably he gets it now even more from the people that are judging players not only on work rate but also on goals and assists.”
Howe really disappointed with goals
Newcastle’s Eddie Howe speaking in the press conference:
“I thought we were okay tonight, I thought we played pretty well. I think what let us down was the two goals we conceded. We should never concede from those situations.
“We’ve got our bodies back, we just do not mark men. We’re just two yards off very good players in the box and they punish us. I’m really disappointed with that aspect of our play.
“But I thought in between the boxes we were competitive tonight. It wasn’t our best performance from an attacking sense, but I thought we had moments and chances for our final ball, so that let us down really, I thought.”
On missing Alexander Isak through injury:
“It goes without saying how important he is to us, certainly you can see that today and we missed him. It was a late decision around midday today, he just didn’t feel right in his groin, so we didn’t want to take the risk, we’ve got so many big games to come.
“But that meant a tactical reshuffle, so we changed things around, we brought Callum in and played a different way, and I thought our shape was good. I had no issues with that, no issues with the effort levels. The commitment was there.”