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Key events
Newcastle’s last victory over Liverpool came eight years ago, when Martin Skrtel and Gini Wijnaldum scored the goals in a 2-0 win. Confused? Splendid.
The main man on the title race
Aston Villa improved massively, Tottenham is back, Arsenal improved massively, we are kind of back, and City are City.
Eddie Howe speaks to Sky Sports
“Without making excuses, it wasn’t the best month”
Eddie Howe confirms Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier are absent from tonight’s game against Liverpool with injuries 🤕 pic.twitter.com/S7zIuAMsxu
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 1, 2024
Featuring Aurélien Tchouaméni, Evan Ferguson and Dr Leonard “Bones” McCoy
Eddie Howe on Eddie Howe
Something so strong will Karius today is the subject line of Peter Oh’s email. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting too many Crowded House references tonight. “In the unlikely event Loris Karius has to step into the Newcastle goal today,” writes Peter, “do you think he will refrain from celebrating a big save in front of the Kop?”
Jonathan Wilson on Eddie Howe
Tonight is the last time Mo Salah and Endo will play in the Premier League before heading off to the Ivory Coast and Qatar respectively.
Team news: Szoboszlai returns, Trippier out
Jurgen Klopp makes four changes from the win at Burnley. Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Luis Diaz come in for Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo. Alexis Mac Allister is back on the bench.
Tino Livramento replaces the injured Kieran Trippier at right-back for Newcastle. That’s one of two changes from the defeat against Nottingham Forest. Joelinton is preferred to Miguel Almiron, which means Anthony Gordon will probably switch to the right wing. Callum Wilson is also unavailable, though it sounds like neither injury is serious.
Liverpool (4-1-2-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Endo; Szoboszlai, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Substitutes: Kelleher, Quansah, Bradley, Mac Allister, Elliott, Gravenberch, McConnell, Gakpo, Jota.
Newcastle (4-1-2-3) Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Botman, Burn; Bruno Guimaraes; Miley, Longstaff; Gordon, Isak, Joelinton.
Substitutes: Karius, Gillespie, Dummett, Lascelles, Krafth, Hall, Murphy, Ritchie, Almiron.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Liverpool v Newcastle at Anfield. This is a classic Premier League fixture, which that evokes memories of everything from Collymore closing to Roy Hodgson’s facerub. Liverpool start the new year in a slightly odd position. They’re top of the Premier League on New Year’s Day, they are Liverpool Football Club, yet few experts are tipping them to win the title.
In the first half of the season it felt like a two-and-a-half-horse race, with Liverpool’s challenge not taken entirely seriously. They kept pace with Manchester City and Arsenal, but some fitful performances were used in evidence against them. That view is starting to change – mainly because of Arsenal’s lost Christmas but also because Liverpool are looking more solid.
Their defence is now comfortably the tightest in the league and, though they still go behind far too often for comfort, their attacking power and deceptive midfield depth usually gets them out of trouble. A win tonight would move them five points clear of City and Arsenal, though City have a game in hand, and three ahead of Aston Villa, the other team whose title challenge has been questioned.
If Liverpool do win the league, they’ll reflect on one game in particular. Darwin Nunez’s stunning heist at St James’ Park restored the feeling of invincibility that Jurgen Klopp’s best Liverpool teams always have. Their only league defeat, at Tottenham, was unfortunate for all kinds of reasons.
Liverpool’s win in August was the first of many gut punches suffered by Newcastle in their difficult second (full) season under Eddie Howe. They’ve lost eight league games, including four of the last five, and their away form has been wretched. It’s depressing and indecent that Howe is one of the favourites in the Premier League sack race; it’s also inevitable given the culture of modern football.
The January fixture list is especially unkind: Liverpool, Manchester City (H) and Aston Villa (A) in the league, with the small matter of a trip to Sunderland in the FA Cup on Saturday. A weary Newcastle squad are right under the pump. But a first win at Anfield since 1995 would change the mood at a stroke.
Kick off 8pm.
