Reds in Cruise Control: Liverpool’s Title Charge Continues with 2-0 Win | OneFootball

Liverpool 2 – 0 Newcastle – The Premier League Postmortem

The atmosphere at Anfield was a lively one that delivered continual songs under the famous Merseyside floodlights. Liverpool v Newcastle is an historic Premier League encounter which has created wonderful memories, however, this game was built upon control and incision by the current league leaders.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

The Starting Eleven

GK – Alisson Becker

RB – Trent Alexander Arnold

RCB – Ibrahima Konaté

LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Kostas Tsimikas

CM – Alexis Mac Allister

ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai

CM – Ryan Gravenberch

RF – Mohamed Salah

CF – Diogo Jota

LF – Luis Díaz

Subs

Cody Gakpo – Diogo Jota (62 mins)

Wataru Endō – Ryan Gravenberch(77 mins)

Jarell Quansah – Trent Alexander Arnold (77 mins)

Curtis Jones – Alexis Mac Allister (87 mins)

Darwin Núñez – Luis Díaz 87 mins)

Goals (Assisted by)

Liverpool 1 – 0 Newcastle

Dominik Szoboszlai (Luis Díaz) 11 mins

Liverpool 2 – 0 Newcastle

Alexis Mac Allister (Mohamed Salah) 63 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession

Liverpool 61% – 39% Newcastle

XG

Liverpool 1.56 – 0.21 Newcastle

Total Shots

Liverpool 12 – 3 Newcastle

Corner Kicks

Liverpool 4 – 2 Newcastle

Offsides

Liverpool 0 – 1 Newcastle

Fouls

Liverpool 12 – 11 Newcastle

Goalkeeper Saves

Liverpool 1 – 1 Newcastle

Photo: IMAGO

The First Half

Match Overview

The match began with Liverpool looking to figure out a way beyond a team destined to deliver a low block. It took just a few minutes for Lewis Hall to clumsily bring down Mohamed Salah in the penalty box, however, the referee decided to award the free kick against the Egyptian King to avert the award of a spot kick. Replays showed that a penalty should have been given and showed once more the poor performance of VAR.

Luckily for the home support, the first goal of the game would be attained after eleven minutes. Luis Díaz was able to carry the ball into the final third and pull back a measured cross into the heart of the opposition box. Dominik Szoboszlai has tried to be more considered in his positioning and another goal availed itself with a smart first-time shot which went through the legs of two Newcastle defenders, before nestling beyond Nick Pope in the Geordies goal.

Callum Wilson was able to get beyond the high line of Liverpool and despite having a decent one-on-one opportunity to score, he shot wide of Alisson Becker. The  Hungarian skipper, Dominik Szoboszlai, would then see a fine strike drift wide of the post before Mohamed Salah sent a trademark effort from the right high and wide.

The first half ended with Liverpool in the ascendancy and 1-0 up.

The Second Half

Liverpool made no changes to the team which started the game as they looked to build on their deserved first-half advantage. The game opened up a little with Newcastle pushing to get more chances to create. Despite an increased urgency, Eddie Howe’s men were unable to produce a single shot on target as both Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk dominated their opponents.

It would be just after the hour mark that the 32-year-old winger, Mohamed Salah would find his customary goal involvement and assist Alexis Mac Allister for the game’s second goal. Following a penetrating run towards the Newcastle goal, a smart flicked pass found the Argentina World Cup winner who struck a first-time drive into the far corner. Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo would later have good chances to extend their team’s lead, whereas a bundled effort into the net by Virgil was ruled out due to a foul on the goalkeeper.

Photo: IMAGO

During this game, the entire midfield group was excellent and showed how well-orchestrated the players were for each game. It must be noted how Wataru Endō is now able to help close out games Endo is fast becoming a valued member of the group, one that is appreciated by all his teammates and now his head coach, Arne Slot.

The match concluded with a score of 2-0 and a result that left all of Anfield believing that a Premier League title was almost in their grasp.

Final Thoughts

This match was comfortable and professional, with an air of superiority that allowed the Reds to show themselves as title winners in waiting. A thirteen-point gap from second-placed Arsenal points to a brilliant season thus far, with a strong chance of silverware in the coming weeks and months.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction:

Liverpool 2 – 0 Newcastle