January 02, (THEWILL) – Liverpool emerged victorious 3-1 over Newcastle United on Sunday, in what was star forward Mohamed Salah’s final match for the Reds before departing to the Africa Cup of Nations. Salah was instrumental in the win, netting two goals and providing an assist as the English Premier League leaders went three points clear at the top.
It was a hard-fought contest for Liverpool, with Newcastle defending deep and scrapping for every ball after Martin Dubravka saved Salah’s first-half penalty. The visitors even managed to draw level early in the second half, thanks to an excellent Alexander Isak finish. However, Liverpool’s quality and attacking depth ultimately prevailed.
Salah broke the deadlock just after half-time, tapping in after good work from Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. Curtis Jones then put Liverpool back in front thanks to an assist from substitute Diogo Jota, before Salah set up Cody Gakpo for the third. Newcastle pulled one back late on but Salah sealed the three points from the penalty spot.
Manager Jurgen Klopp will no doubt be relieved to pick up the victory before being without his star attacker Salah for several weeks. The Egyptian now heads off to represent his country at the AFCON tournament in the Ivory Coast.
Liverpool have hit peak form again as the hectic festive period comes to an end. This gritty win sees them open up a three-point lead atop the EPL into the new year. With Salah set to miss crucial upcoming matches, others like Nunez and Jota must now step up in his absence. The evidence, based on current form, is that the Reds have enough firepower to maintain their lead.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
