Welcome to the LFC Final Word. In this series, I provide an in-depth analysis of games from a Liverpool supporter's perspective.

Source

Match Facts

Liverpool vs Newcastle

Anfield

Wednesday 26th December, 15:00

Result

Liverpool 4 - 0 Newcastle

Betting Results

Over 3.5 goals: win

Match Summary

This was always a game that Liverpool were expected to win at home but with the added pressure of keeping Manchester City at bay in the title race, the worry for supporters of the Reds was that they'd suffer a shock defeat. Add to that the fact that the match was taking place on Boxing Day here in the UK and you have to question if the Liverpool players may have over-indulged on a Christmas meal the night before. That certainly didn't appear to be the case as Liverpool put in a dominant performance that saw them extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 7 points over Manchester City. Tottenham now sit in 2nd place, 6 points behind the Reds, and this feels important with two difficult games coming up against Arsenal and Manchester City over the next few days. If Liverpool can make it through those fixtures and still remain at the top of the table then the title charge is most certainly in their hands.

As expected, Jurgen Klopp opted to play a very attack-minded team this afternoon and that saw Shaqiri recalled to the starting 11 to make it a 4 player attack with Salah, Firmino, and Mane. Liverpool found themselves on the front foot for the majority of the game and were hardly tested at the back throughout the 90 minutes. Newcastle seemed to be approaching the game with a view to frustrating Liverpool and trying to grab something from a counter-attack or set piece. This plan was scuppered when the Reds scored early in the first half and it was pretty much one-way traffic from that point onwards.

Most of the Liverpool team played well today but van Dijk is my man of the match following yet another colossal display of central defending. There seems to be nothing that this man cannot do. He is great in the air, with the ball at his feet, reads the game brilliantly, commands players around him, and is starting to look more of a threat in attack, too. Honourable mentions go to Salah, Robertson, and Alexander-Arnold who worked tirelessly throughout the match and made things much easier for Liverpool in during attacking phases. Klopp's substitutions of Firmino and Robertson made perfect sense with a huge game against Arsenal coming up in the next few days. Every moment of rest counts massively at this stage of the season and could make all the difference.

The Final Word

Liverpool went out and did exactly what they needed to do today. Not only that, they did it in a style that showed they mean business in the league this season. For all the talk of Manchester City being favourites, Liverpool are currently showing the form of champions and if they manage to get positive results over the next two games against Arsenal and Manchester City then they will be in a great position to go on and bring the league title back to Liverpool for the first time in almost 3 decades.

Attention now turns to the game against Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday. This is a very difficult fixture but I expect the home crowd to make it incredibly hostile for the guests and hopefully, this will be enough to drive Liverpool to a good result against the Gunners. For now, Liverpool supporters can sleep well knowing they've increased the gap at the top of the league and now have more of a cushion.