Arguably, it has not even been Liverpool’s best week of the last fortnight, let alone the year, but by most other clubs’ standards, it would amount to a special spell on and off the pitch. A Merseyside derby victory has been followed by good news on a daily basis: a win on Wednesday gave them one foot in a Champions League final.
Thursday brought Jurgen Klopp’s new four-year contract, Friday Mohamed Salah’s Footballer of the Year award. On Saturday, they went to the club with the second-most points in 2022 – after Liverpool themselves – and claimed three with a dominant display.
A 13th triumph in 14 league games allowed them to leapfrog Manchester City, albeit because they kicked off before their title rivals, while turning their thoughts to the rematch with Villarreal.
Klopp rested Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Salah at the start, giving the two midfielders and the winger a runout in the last quarter, and ended Newcastle’s run of six straight victories at St James’ Park. They are in unlikely company, with Cambridge the only other visiting team to win on Tyneside in the calendar year.
Proof of strength in depth was supplied in part by Naby Keita, who began on the bench against Villarreal on Wednesday and may return to the rank of the replacements in Spain. His fourth goal of the season equalled his best tally for Liverpool. More importantly, however, he has produced his finest form in England and this has the potential to prove a hugely significant contribution.
Keita brought the dynamism to a reconfigured midfield, the junior partner in a trio with Jordan Henderson and James Milner. He had already shot narrowly wide before he delivered a goal that irritated the majority at St James’ Park.
Milner’s Newcastle debut came 18 years ago and he marked a return to St James’ Park with a challenge on Fabian Schar that was forceful but fair. It nevertheless left the Swiss lying on the ground and Newcastle with a hole in their defence as Andre Marriner played on. Henderson found Keita, who exchanged passes with Diogo Jota before showing the composure to stroll around Martin Dubravka and slot his shot past the three defenders on the line.
Thereafter, Liverpool ought to have added to their lead as 24 shots produced a solitary goal. Sadio Mane has proved prolific this month but was profligate and Jota, who started on the left so the Senegalese could operate as a striker, also might have done better.
Mane shot straight at Dubravka after Luis Diaz led a swift counter-attack and placed an effort wide after he was set up by Joe Gomez, who was deputising for Alexander-Arnold and who has discovered a more adventurous streak at right-back of late.
Dubravka made a flying save to tip away Jota’s header, when Henderson crossed. Salah was sprightly in his cameo and Diaz’s dancing feet threatened to bring him a goal but this was a rarity, a day when Liverpool’s potent forwards were outscored by their midfield workhorses.
Their defence recorded a fourth consecutive clean sheet. Briefly, Miguel Almiron thought he had scored for the second successive week and at the second attempt, after being foiled by Alisson, but the Paraguayan was offside.
Alisson made another fine stop, but only when Chris Wood was also offside. Newcastle’s only legitimate shots on target – to Liverpool’s nine – were a tame second-minute effort from Jonjo Shelvey and a better attempt by Bruno Guimaraes, some 84 minutes later.
Newcastle began positively, their high pressing a sign of both ambition and the transformation of a team under Eddie Howe, and they could draw a comparison with their previous home league defeat, a 4-0 thrashing by Manchester City before January signings and fine coaching altered the trajectory of their campaign.
But a club with lofty ambitions were given an illustration of the gulf that remains between them and one of the two best sides in the country, if not the continent.
Now Liverpool’s glorious April could lead to a golden May.
