Liverpool Too Good for Magpies in Anfield Battle!

Shelvey opens the scoring for the visitors, but Liverpool roar back to take all three points and keep the pressure on Premier League leaders, Manchester City!

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold netted a fantastic strike as the Merseysiders overcame the absence of three players to suspected COVID-19, and conceding an early goal, to beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the English Premier League (EPL).

Jürgen Klopp’s men move onto 40 points from 17 games, one behind leaders, Manchester City, who destroyed Leeds United, 7-0 on Tuesday. Newcastle remain deep in the relegation zone, on 10 points and only above the bottom club, Norwich City, on goal difference.

With Curtis Jones, Virgil van Dijk, and Fabinho unavailable for the hosts, Jonjo Shelvey struck the opener for Newcastle against the run of play in the seventh minute, with a swerving drive past keeper, Alisson.

However, on 21 minutes, Diogo Jota smashed home the rebound, after Martin Dúbravka saved his initial header, to level the scores. Eddie Howe’s players complained in vain that the ball should have been put out of play, as Newcastle midfielder, Isaac Hayden, was down injured in his own box.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead four minutes later, equalling Leicester City striker, Jamie Vardy’s record of 15 EPL matches on the bounce with a goal or assist, by firing in the rebound from Sadio Mané’s effort.

Newcastle improved dramatically after the break, showing a defensive resilience that has been missing for much of the season, but in the last 10 minutes Liverpool ramped up the pressure.

Dúbravka had to get down smartly to save from Mané, 9 minutes from time, and Jota had a close-range shot blocked before the Newcastle keeper pulled off another incredible stop to foil Naby Keita.

There was nothing he could do on 87 minutes though, as Alexander-Arnold controlled the ball on the edge of the box, before firing a missile into the top corner.

“I’ve been waiting for that for five years, waiting to hit it clean like that,” Alexander-Arnold told BT Sport. “I’ve had a few from the edge of the box … I’ve caught that one sweet and it’s just nestled in the top corner.”