ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Arne Slot might have been missing from the touchline, but there was no change in Liverpool’s relentless pursuit of the Premier League title. Against Newcastle, it extended its lead at the summit to 13 points.
Dominik Szoboszlai continued his good form and scored the opener in the first half after a Luis Diaz cut-back. And while Newcastle was never out of the game with a one-goal margin, the Magpies’ threat was limited.
Alexis Mac Allister scored a second goal in the 63rd minute and from there, Slot’s men could cruise over the line. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
John Heitinga steps in
With Arne Slot and his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, banished to the stands for two games because of the incident and red cards Merseyside derby, it was another coach, John Heitinga, who was on the touchline. The bench could communicate with Slot and he conducted media duties as normal, but wasn’t able to be a presence on the sidelines.
Heitinga stood in the technical area shouting a few instructions and pointing to various gaps that needed filling, but his players didn’t need much direction. Buoyed by an expectant crowd — not least after confirmation of more dropped points for Arsenal filtered through, at which point The Kop sung loudly about winning the title — the job was completed.
Luis Diaz lively and Diogo Jota impresses
With Darwin Nunez having been criticized by Slot for his lack of impact when he has been given chances recently, it was no surprise to see Diogo Jota in the starting XI. Cody Gakpo could have started but he was made to wait too having returned from injury at the Etihad Stadium a few days ago.
Jota was able to offer the off-the-ball stuff that Nunez has so often struggled with, particularly of late, but he didn’t have loads of chances to score. As long as he works hard, that is a good starting point. With Szoboszlai and Salah in form and Diaz flying down the left, it doesn’t particularly matter. That is perhaps something Nunez needs to learn quickly.
With big games coming, having Jota slowly getting back up to full speed can only be a big boost for Liverpool. Here, he took another step in the right direction and should soon force another dilemma: whether it it Diaz or Cody Gakpo starting to his left.
Liverpool dominance starts at the back
At the weekend, Liverpool faced Manchester City without Erling Haaland. Here, it was fortunate enough to take on Newcastle United without its star forward, Alexander Isak. Both strikers have 19 goals in the league to date.
In Isak’s absence, Callum Wilson was never likely to be a major problem for Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. The Newcastle number nine needed to be contained, though, and the two Liverpool center-backs produced a relatively dominant display.
Just like at the Etihad Stadium, the defensive pairing did well, helped out by the compact Liverpool midfield. Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch were very close together and there was no space to work in. Anthony Gordon was largely anonymous, which continued when Wataru Endo came on for his cameo.
Arne Slot trio locked in
Gordon has been admired by Liverpool in the past, with the Reds considering a move for him last summer, but the Newcastle number 10, playing a central role here rather than his usual wide berth, was largely ineffective. Gordon was tasked with stifling Gravenberch when Liverpool had the ball but didn’t do much when he had hold of it.
In a congested center of the field, it was the clever Mac Allister and the powerful Szoboszlai who came out on top. Slot went with his first-choice midfield three, leaving Curtis Jones on the bench. It worked well for him, with a week to go until the Champions League first-leg tie against PSG for them to recover. It will, presumably, be that trio who start in Paris.
Arsenal stumbles again as Liverpool capitalizes
Kicking off 45 minutes before Liverpool against Nottingham Forest, Arsenal was unable to beat Nuno Espirito Santo’s team. That game finished goalless and that should be no huge shock: the Gunners, without a striker, were always going to find it tough.
The worst-case scenario for Liverpool was that the Gunners would win and the Reds would lose, but never felt likely. Slot’s men have still played a game more of course, but there is now a gap of 13 points. That feels substantial and this was another potential banana skin overcome with relative ease. The message to Arsenal was clear: the Reds aren’t stopping.
If the Premier League title was not already won after the weekend, when the Gunners lost at home to West Ham United and Liverpool went to Manchester City and earned a 2-0 victory, it is certainly another step closer now. The Anfield crowd, singing about winning the league for the first time this season, knew that too.