Liverpool’s Premier League title charge is turning into a bit of a procession.
Arne Slot’s side proved too much for Newcastle United on Wednesday evening, rocked before the match following an injury to clinical gunman Alexander Isak.
Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister did the job for the high-flying table-toppers, who have now established a 13-point lead over Arsenal, who have a game in hand but ceded further territory following a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest.
He didn’t get his name on the scoresheet – a shock to the Merseyside masses, no doubt – but Mohamed Salah was excellent once again, earning another assist in this incredible, once-in-a-generation seasonal effort.
Mohamed Salah's performance vs Newcastle
Salah’s remarkable performances have been the central part of Liverpool’s campaign, with the 32-year-old’s assist against Newcastle taking his overall tally to 30 goals and 22 assists from 39 matches in Slot’s system.
Lewis Hall deserves credit for largely keeping the Egpyt sensation quiet, with Salah only completing one of his 11 attempted dribbles, but as has been the unbreakable theme of the term, he found his moment, the right moment, and threaded a crisp cross-box pass into Mac Allister’s feet, whose finish was strong and true.
That’s 17 assists from 28 Premier League games for Salah, four more away from shredding Thierry Henry’s long-standing record of 20 in a single campaign.
Kevin De Bruyne
Man City
19/20
35
20
Thierry Henry
Arsenal
02/03
37
20
Cesc Fabregas
Chelsea
14/15
34
18
Mesut Ozil
Arsenal
15/16
35
18
Kevin De Bruyne
Man City
16/17
36
18
Frank Lampard
Chelsea
04/05
38
18
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
24/25*
28
17
Liverpool are playing with a fervour and unwavering belief that has proved too much for their title rivals, with so many players stepping up to aid Salah and prove that this is a squad of many important parts.
Performance in Numbers
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Slot's new "unstoppable" superstar
He’s on fire. Indeed, Szoboszlai is riding a red-hot streak of form, with his second goal in four days hardly telling the full story. “Unstoppable recently” – as says Fabrizio Romano – the Hungarian is coming into his own as the charged lifeforce of Slot’s engine.
Playing a more conventional attacking midfield role after operating in a fluid centre-forward position at the Etihad, Szoboszlai packed a powerful punch and will hunger for the sequel in two-and-a-half weeks, with Newcastle meeting Liverpool again in the Carabao Cup final.
As per Sofascore, he won eight of his ten contested duels, beating off his opponents with ease, while leaping in with five tackles, recovering eight balls (a match-best) and creating two key passes for his teammates in an all-encompassing masterclass.
The Liverpool Echo were bedazzled by the 23-year-old’s effort, handing him a well-earned 9/10 match rating, hailing his unrelenting energy and his commitment in defensive phases.
To have produced such a display only days after exhausting his gas tank and literally collapsing to the turf after putting Man City to the sword, Szoboszlai has become an essential figure in Liverpool’s make-up after ebbing and flowing last season, his first in Liverpool, brought in by Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp built this team, but Slot has refurnished the German’s house with his own vision, and oh how it’s working.
There’s plenty of football still to play. Ten Premier League fixtures remain; Liverpool will look to retain their Carabao Cup title and challenge for Europe’s prized trophy too. Paris Saint-Germain are up next, with the Reds afforded a rest given this coming weekend brings FA Cup action.
Szoboszlai is the man of the moment right now, but the exciting thing about Slot’s Liverpool is so many stars can rise to the occasion, steal the headlines.
It is a team comprised of champions-in-waiting.
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