Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle (Szoboszlai 11′, Mac Allister 63′)
ANFIELD — Thirteen points clear with 10 games to go, the Liverpool machine grinds on towards that 20th league title. Even when not at their best, as they weren’t for much of the second half against Newcastle United, they have so much spare capacity jeopardy is rarely a consideration.
Only one league defeat entering March is a hallmark of the quality of this team, so much better than the rest. Manchester City vanquished, Arsenal fading, Chelsea going backwards. There is simply no convincing challenger left in this race.
Newcastle are their own conundrum in this phase of the season, a brittle ensemble that arrived at Anfield on the back of three defeats in five Premier League fixtures. Apart from a 20-minute period at the start of the second half, another defeat felt inevitable.
It’s a good job Jacob Murphy can’t speak Italian, his rushed cross-cum-shot a try-hard moment that not only wasted Sandro Tonali’s laser break but betrayed a sense of apprehension if not trepidation in this Newcastle team.
It would get worse moments later when Dominik Szoboszlai helped himself with all the composure absent in the visitors’ disposition, Liverpool ahead inside 10 easy minutes. With 10 games remaining, six of those at Anfield, this feels like a title parade already.
Diaz and Szoboszlai combine to fire Liverpool ahead at Anfield ⚽📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/XpKq3KGA9u— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt)
A two-match touchline ban allowed Arne Slot to watch from the stands. He might have sat with a flask and a blanket across his lap doing crossword puzzles for all the risk he faced in the first half. And to think the teams meet again in a little over a fortnight to contest the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Newcastle better hope Alexander Isak recovers from the groin injury that forced his late withdrawal here.
Such is the level at which Liverpool are operating, half a dozen Isaks may not have been enough. Newcastle set out to contain, which merely invited Liverpool to come at them, and at pace. Diogo Jota, given a start at the expense of Curtis Jones, in tandem with Luis Diaz was an impish, indefatigable nuisance giving the Newcastle defence not a moment’s peace.
Dominik Szoboszlai: Another goal another victory. That’s seven this season, and no player looks in better nick than this fella.
The aggression and pace, intensity and work rate of this Liverpool team demands of opponents a big shift to have any chance of avoiding embarrassment, especially at Anfield. Liverpool are without conceit or vanity. They carry no passengers. Mo Salah, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, the A-list goes on yet there is not a peacock among them.
And when it looked like Newcastle were beginning to gain a foothold, Liverpool found a gear to put them back in their place. Mac Allister epitomises the meld of craft and graft in this group, doubling the lead with a lethal right-footer.
There's breathing room for Liverpool as Alexis Mac Allister doubles the lead 🎯📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/IMKJjO0KII— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt)
Liverpool have only one Premier League fixture in March, at home to bottom club Southampton. The fixture computer could not have been kinder. The biggest threat they face now is themselves. But even if they were brought low by an attack of complacency, their rivals are too frail to take advantage.
This was their 32nd win in 43 games this season, the best of any team in Europe’s top five leagues and two better than Real Madrid. Newcastle will have to improve in a fortnight if they are to deny Liverpool the first of what could be a fantasy treble this term.
By Jonathan Veal
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told his players to “step up” after their Premier League season continued to fizzle out with a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Arteta said ahead of kick off that his side would concede the title “over my dead body” but he may have to accept that their challenge has died a death after this stalemate, which came four days after a home defeat to West Ham.
The toothless Gunners, playing without a recognised striker, managed just one shot on target at the City Ground, with Riccardo Calafiori also hitting the post in the first half.
They are now 13 points behind champions-elect Liverpool and with a severe lack of attacking options, it would take some turnaround for them to leapfrog Arne Slot’s relentless side.
Arteta now appears to be targeting the Champions League, where they play PSV in the last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
The Spaniard said: “Very disappointed not to win it. Today the standards were very different to the previous game. The energy, the willingness to make things happen. We certainly tried many different ways.
“It’s about what we can do. It was like this a week before, two weeks before, three months ago. It’s the same.
“That’s the only thing we can control. We’re going to have a real chance to do anything. Today we dropped two points which is very painful again and we have to step up.
“We have the Champions League, we have a beautiful competition in front of us and we need to be ready for Tuesday.”
With Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz all in the treatment room, Arteta’s attacking options are limited.
And that was evident at the City Ground where they never really looked like scoring.
“We try and adapt to the qualities they have, how we can help the team to create different things, to have threats from different qualities,” Arteta said.
“It’s a lot to play for and we need to find a solution to unlock it.”
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