Sadio could not be happier
Sadio Mane put Liverpool on Easy Street with his side’s second goal against Newcastle United.
Rafa Benitez had Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to make the difference for him. Jurgen Klopp now has Mohamed Salah.
The Egyptian was once again the stand-out performer as Klopp won the battle of Liverpool managers past and present.
Salah’s goal, which was backed up by Sadio Mane, broke Newcastle’s resistance and ensured the Reds overtook Manchester United in second place in the league.
This fixture always recalls memories of those two dramatic 4-3 games in the 1990s, but it has been incredibly one-sided for a long time.
Newcastle’s last win at Anfield came 23 years ago in the League Cup, and their bleak run has now yielded just four points from the last 22 league visits.
It was a third return to his old stomping ground for Benitez, who delivered that special European Cup success in Istanbul in 2005.
And the Spaniard had not lost on his previous two games here with Chelsea and Newcastle.
That draw in April 2016 was one of three games against the Magpies in which Klopp had failed to win and he talked pre-match about having already given Newcastle “enough presents”.
Benitez’s current club had slipped down a place by kick-off thanks to Swansea’s earlier thumping win over West Ham, but the gap to the bottom three remained at two points.
Despite their position just above the drop zone, their form in 2018 has actually been quite good, with defeat at runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City the only one in seven league games.
But Liverpool’s form had been much more electric with just two defeats in their last 25 matches and scoring goals for fun.
On a bitterly cold evening, special mention needed to be made to the 3000 visiting supporters who had made light of terrible conditions in the North East to travel down to Merseyside.
To try and counter the Reds’ front three of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Mane, Benitez opted for a five-man defence to plug the gaps and close down space. When Salah did find room for a shot in the box from
Andrew Robertson’s cross, Paul Dummett took it full in the face to make the block.
But the Egyptian is such a hard man to keep quiet. He raced on to Emre Can’s ball over the top and hit a volley from a tight angle that hit the side netting with Martin Dubravka scrambling at his near post.
It was a moral victory of sorts that Dubravka wasn’t called into action until the 26th minute as he pushed away a header from Dejan Lovren from Salah’s deep corner.
Poor play from Deandre Yedlin put his team in trouble as he carelessly gave up possession and when the ball was eventually worked to Salah, you expected a goal given his current form.
But he took one touch too many and that allowed Florian Lejeune to get across and make an excellent block.
Salah was involved again as he sent over a devilish in-swinging corner which Dubravka flapped at, but the loose ball was just beyond the reach of Virgil van Dijk to stab home.
But the deadlock was broken five minutes before time and it was no surprise to see the irrepressible Egyptian get it.
Alex Oxlade-chamberlain took advantage of a ricochet in midfield to drive forward and slip the ball to
Salah, who did the rest, slipping it through Dubravka’s legs.
It was the seventh consecutive game in which he has scored and his 32nd overall of a superb debut season at Anfield. The strike also made it 24 in the league as he moved level with Tottenham and England star Harry Kane in the battle for the Golden Boot.
However, Liverpool were indebted to Loris Karius for preserving their lead going into the interval. The German goalkeeper made a fantastic one-handed save to keep out a Mohamed Diame shot that was heading for the top corner.
Salah’s goal did not alter Newcastle’s tactics as Benitez persisted with five at the back, but Liverpool’s No.11 was soon appealing for a penalty as his shot was blocked by the arm of Jamaal Lascelles but nothing was given.
Yet the second goal wasn’t long in coming as Liverpool’s slick attacking play proved too much for the visitors.
Firmino picked the ball up in a deeper position, but spotted Mane make a decisive run across the defence. The pass was delivered into his path and the Senegalese gave Dubravka no chance with a confident finish.
And that was pretty much that. Newcastle never looked like mounting any sort of comeback.