Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle: Salah cements top playmaker status as Reds move to within touching distance of Premier League crown | OneFootball

A record-equalling 20th English championship is within reach for Liverpool after they ran out 2-0 winners over Newcastle at Anfield this evening.

Before the match, Arne Slot emphasised the Premier League title was not yet secured, even if Liverpool had a breakthrough weekend, having grabbed the symbolic torch from defending champions Manchester City, while their nearest challengers, Arsenal, suffered a surprising loss to West Ham.

In another European league, Slot mentioned that an 11-point lead — which they had before this week’s fixtures were played — at this stage of the season would be nearly impossible to overcome. However, the Premier League is too competitive to become complacent. Tonight, it was clear that Liverpool are not only leading the pack but also a step or two ahead of the competition, particularly with a player like Mohamed Salah, who can win any game on his own.

It wasn’t their irresistible talisman who broke the deadlock; instead, it came from an unexpected source everyone should have seen coming. In his 59th Premier League appearance, Dominik Szoboszlai scored in back-to-back games for the first time in the competition.

All three of Liverpool’s earliest Premier League goals scored at Anfield since the start of last season have been netted by Szoboszlai: the 3rd minute against Aston Villa in September 2023, the 11th minute against Ipswich in January 2025, and the 11th minute against Newcastle today.

Things could not have started any worse for Newcastle, who turned up on Merseyside without their lethal marksman, Alexander Isak. The 25-year-old Swedish forward — currently second in the Premier League scoring charts behind Salah, having netted 19 goals for the Magpies this season — was ruled out due to a groin injury.

Even if Isak had been available, this would always be an ultimate challenge for Newcastle. They failed to register a single shot on target in the first half. Three of the last six instances where Newcastle has had only one shot or fewer in the first half of a Premier League game have occurred at Anfield against Liverpool (April 2021 and January 2024).

An energetic performance from the hosts was unexpected, given that seven Liverpool players were making their fifth start in just two weeks. A much-needed break is on the horizon this weekend, as the Reds will not participate in FA Cup action.

Szoboszlai’s effort helped Liverpool become the first Premier League club to score 100 goals in all competitions this season. Additionally, Luis Diaz had an encouraging performance in the first half, providing an assist and contributing to four of Liverpool’s five shots during that period.

Just after the hour mark, Alexis Mac Allister finally put Newcastle out of their misery, with Salah providing the assist. This marked Salah’s 17th assist in the Premier League this season, more than any other player. He subsequently became the third player in Premier League history to assist 17 or more goals in open play during a single season, joining Thierry Henry (20 assists in 2002-03) and Kevin De Bruyne (17 assists in 2019-20).

Salah has also contributed to goals in his last seven league appearances, with seven goals and four assists. He has also been directly involved in 42 goals across 28 Premier League matches this season, scoring 25 goals and providing 17 assists. This is his joint-highest tally in a single campaign, matching the 42 goals he contributed in the 2017-18 season.

He should be the unanimous Footballer of the Year and Premier League ‘Most Valuable Player’ choice.

Early in the second half, news came through that Mikel Arteta’s team was held to a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest. This result means there is now a 13-point gap, although the Gunners have a game in hand. With 10 more rounds to play, it seems the title race is nearly decided. Barring an unprecedented collapse from the current leaders, combined with Arsenal rediscovering last season’s form, we are just counting down the weeks until it becomes a mathematical certainty, which could happen sooner rather than later.

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