Sadio Mane’s brace and one from Mohamed Salah helped the Reds to secure a 3-1 victory over the Toons.
Jurgen Klopp scripts record with the 14th consecutive victory as Liverpool boss. The German International becomes the first manager to register these many amounts of victories for the first time in the history of the club. The Reds had early troubles but bounced back in a superior fashion to manage a 3-1 win.
In the early moments of the game, Newcastle United showed true characteristic by sitting back inside their own half. Steve Bruce’s side had an opportunity to hit through the counter-attack and did that to perfection through Jetro Willems.
The Dutch defender made a lung-bursting run through the left attacking wing to terrorize Trent Alexander-Arnold. The English International did not have time to respond to his turn and watched the ball bulge the back of the net in the seventh minute. The Magpies were defending for their lives, but they were undone by Sadio Mane. Robertson found the Liverpool attacker inside the penalty box, where he had to turn and slot the ball behind Martin Dubravka.
Substitute Roberto Firmino’s defence-splitting pace had too much pace on it – helping Dubravka’s course to cut down the potential threat. But, the shot-stopper spilt the ball, gifting the second goal of the evening for Sadio Mane. In the early moments of the second half, the Magpies could have levelled the score, but right-back Krafth’s poor chance meant that the chance had already gone.
The hosts kept on pushing for the vital third goal, creating tons of chances through the counter-attacks frequently. They finally got the reward through fleeciest of touches from Roberto Firmino to find Mohamed Salah inside the penalty box. The Egyptian took two touches to take the ball away from the defenders, before calmly finding the bottom corner.
It was a much-deserved victory for the Reds after finding themselves on the backfoot. Steve Bruce, on the other hand, will have plenty of incidents to take away and elevate player’s morale.
As we discuss Liverpool’s hard-fought victory, we shall look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Georginio Wijnaldum’s presence made the difference in the midfield department.
Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum is a paradox, who splits the fanbases. But, the Dutch International’s presence made a huge difference to the Reds’ 14-consecutive victory today.
Jurgen Klopp operated a midfield of Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. From minute one, it was evident about the necessity to protect the backline from getting exploited. During numerous instance in the game, the Magpies had joy through the counter-attack by winning the penultimate second ball to carry the ball forward and cause trouble.
Facing his former side, Wijnaldum’s astute display came to his side rescue as he made crucial interventions and slowed down the ante of the game. Fabinho and Oxlade-Chamberlain were caught out of positions at times, but Wijnaldum was the insurance policy for the hosts.
Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden picked out half-decent passes from the midfield department, but the Dutchman stuck with his defence and prevented his side with his balance. As he’s likely to start against Napoli, Xherdan Shaqiri replaced him in the 82nd minute.
#4 Steve Bruce’s tactics didn’t last longer
Steve Bruce rose up with the idea to sit back inside their own half and hit their opponents on the counter-attack – a method which paid off against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season. But, the Toons were not able to absorb the pressure after a considerable amount of time in the first half.
The backline of Fabian Schar, Paul Dummett, and Jamaal Lascelles was kept on their heels for the rest of the game. When the midfielders ran out of energy after working their socks off in the early moments of the game, the back five was constantly kept in check by the world-class Liverpool attackers.
The Newcastle United manager also failed to get the most out of Joelinton, who was isolated in Liverpool’s half throughout the game. The Brazilian has the prowess to test the opponent’s keeper, but he failed to take a shot in 90 minutes. Despite this defeat, he has plenty of positives to work going into the remaining part of the season.
#3 Roberto Firmino’s interlink caused destruction to Newcastle’s defence
Divock Origi felt discomfort in the early stage of the match when Miguel Almiron accidentally booted him. The Belgian international was replaced by Roberto Firmino, who produced one of the top-notch performances in both the halves.
Liverpool’s number 27 was dragged out wide and struggled to break down the opponent’s backline. Upon the introduction of Roberto Firmino, the landscape of the game totally changed. The Brazilian acted as an interlink between the midfield and attacking department to ease the burden on Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
He produced a delicious touch to set up Mohamed Salah in the second half. Xherdan Shaqiri found the former Hoffenheim attacker inside the penalty box. In return, Firmino backheeled to perfection and find the Swiss International. But, the endproduct was nil as Martin Dubravka rushed down to the spot and cut down the threat. He might not have scored, but is a front-runner for the Man of the Match award.
#2 Miguel Almiron’s decision making needs to improve
Although Miguel Almiron worked his socks off during the first half, he failed to look with total conviction with the ball. The Paraguayan international had plenty of opportunities to pick out Joelinton in the offensive area of the pitch but failed to look up and pick out passes, failing on numerous occasions.
There’s no need dubiety over the lack of talent, but he needs to be faster in his decision making. Joelinton was one-v-one with Virgil Van Dijk in a situation and Almiron failed to pass the ball. Eventually, Liverpool players swarmed around him and retracted the ball in the second half.
The chances of Newcastle United to driving up the field are very less. Hence, the 25-year-old needs to make the most out of the set pieces situations as the sides boast the likes of Jamaal Lascelles, Paul Dummett, Joelinton, and Fabian Schar, who can cause problems through this situation.
#1 Sadio Mane’s finishing has improved to an unthinkable extent
Since the turn of the New Year, Sadio Mane has been running riot with his goalscoring adroitness. That is majorly down to his finishing capability, which has swelled like his teammate Mohamed Salah.
When the Reds were looking for their first shot of the evening, Sadio Mane took the chance to perfection and notch up his third goal of the season. It was a tough chance, but his innovation to take the ball away from the goalkeeper Martin Dubravka should be lauded. His interlink through the game was outstanding, by playing through balls to Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
He had little to do for the second goal, but he was present at the right time to gain the lead in the first half. When the Magpies showed defensive susceptibility, Mane moved through the left-wing and attack for the rest of the game. Since Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane were on the same wavelength, the visitors struggled to contain Liverpool through the left-hand-side.
