Liverpool 4-0 Newcastle United
This is easily the most joyous Boxing Day for the thousands of Liverpool fans that decided to brave the December cold and head to Anfield.
The Reds are currently standing on top of the Premier League, but Manchester City were still a step behind them. They needed a dominant win over Rafa Benitez and Newcastle United if they were to firmly establish their stake at the top of English football.
And that’s exactly what happened as the Reds outplayed the Magpies in every manner. The Red half of Merseyside was festive as their team now have a comfortable grasp of the top.
Highlights of the game
Liverpool weren’t under any real pressure to win this game, but everyone in the stadium knows that every single point can help them tighten their grip on the title. With the XI Jurgen Klopp fielded out against Benitez’s squad, it wasn’t hard for Scouser fans to imagine the kinds of Premier League 2018 highlights they would witness.
However, Rafa’s Newcastle pounced first and made the first goal-scoring opportunity. The Magpies engaged in some good passing in the eighth minute that ended up in Joselu meeting a lobbed ball inside the Liverpool danger box. He struck a powerful header towards the goal, but the ball flew wide of the right post.
Newcastle, who Benitez thinks will struggle to stay up unless they make moves in the January window, looked to be on the up after such a great chance. However, they only seemed to wake up the Reds as Xherdan Shaqiri almost converted a goal from point-blank range.
The Swiss star’s shot was blocked, resulting in a corner. He made the pass to Andrew Robertson, who quickly launched the ball towards the box. A Newcastle defender was able to head the ball away, but it ended up on the feet of Dejan Lovren. The centre-back then fired a shot towards the bottom-left corner for the opener.
From that point on, everyone sort of knew that the Reds were now in full control of the match. Matt Ritchie was doing everything he can from the wings in order to turn the game around and nab an equaliser for the Magpies, but his team cannot dent the Liverpool defence the same way that they did.
The first half ended with the Reds comfortably on top, and the Premier League 2018 odds on Newcastle pulling off an upset were starting to balloon. Rafa tried to talk his team back into shape during the break, but his backline committed a huge blunder right after the reset.
A piercing Liverpool attack at the start of the second half saw Mohamed Salah rushing towards a dangerous spot with the ball on his feet. Paul Dummett tangled his arms with Salah, taking the Egypt international to the ground. Newcastle fans may call his move as a dive, but the referee pointed to the spot.
Salah placed the ball on the spot and looked calm. He quickly ran up to the ball and fired the ball past Martin Dubravka towards the bottom-left corner for the second goal of the game. Liverpool’s No 11 proved Benitez’s high praise of him hours before the match.
Newcastle’s woes didn’t stop at that two-goal ditch as the Reds scored twice more to finish the day. Shaqiri finally converted a goal after tapping in a low cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold on 79 minutes. To finish things off, Fabinho got to a Salah cross in the 85th minute to head the ball in.
It was a rough day for the Magpies, but a fine Boxing Day for ‘Pool. With the way things are going, the league might as well just box, seal, and deliver the trophy to Anfield right this instant.
Key statistics
The Red have now won eight straight Premier League games, following up their superb away win against Wolves. They are now comfortably situated at the top with 51 points. They are now seven points clear of biggest rivals Manchester City who are now third after a shock loss to Leicester City.
On the pitch, there was no question as to who the better team was. The Reds had 75% of the ball, took 16 shot attempts with eight of those being on target. They had 10 free kicks and 9 corners. The last time Liverpool won by such a margin against Newcastle was back in 2013: Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson scored braces as Brendan Rogers’ Reds dismissed Alan Pardew’s Magpies at St. James’ Park.
What’s next?
Liverpool’s next two weeks are their most stressful yet. Their last Premier League game of 2018 will be against Arsenal, and odds for that match will surely be huge. However, all eyes are on January as they head east to face Manchester City at the Etihad. This is a six-pointer that will decide their fates in the league.
Meanwhile, Newcastle also have difficult fixtures ahead as they fight for survival. They will travel to Vicarage Road for a tough road game against Watford followed by a game against a rejuvenated Manchester United at St. James’ Park.
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