Liverpool Climbs back to the top of the PL standings with a 1-0 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park, thanks to a goal from Naby Keita.
They made it in the end. And when the final whistle was blown, Jurgen Klopp’s embraces were even more fierce and tight than normal.
Jordan Henderson and James Milner were clasped together, and as he marched onto the ground, he flung his arm around Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, grinning broadly. Naby Keita, the goal-scorer and excellent player had a special moment here.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola now bear the brunt of the blame. The excellence of these two teams is unrelenting, like Olympic marathon runners matching stride for stride, like great boxers trading blows in the ring.
On the touchline, Klopp had played every pass and fought for every tackle. The tension is toxic at this point in the season.
Newcastle were, on the whole, tenacious opponents who were also disappointing. Miguel Almiron’s goal was disallowed in the first half. And in another offside situation, when Bruno Guimaraes broke through, Alisson was up to the task, thwarting him admirably. It wouldn’t have made a difference, though. The flag has been hoisted.
Liverpool’s high line had caught them again, and Newcastle, to be honest, had no answer. They managed to keep Klopp tense till the very end without actually producing enough tension.
Milner won the ball from Fabian Schar with what could rightly be considered a rough challenge in 20 minutes, sparking an initial spark of debate. Schar, on the other hand, had mishandled the ball, inviting Milner’s intervention, and had just become entangled when he sought to make up for his error.
Even Eddie Howe’s No 2 Jason Tindall agreed with fourth official Andy Madley’s reasoning, proving that referee Andre Marriner’s decision to wave play on was valid.
Even if the goal-scorer was a surprise, the rest of the game was classic Liverpool. With three defenders on the line, Henderson slipped the ball to Keita, who exchanged quick passes with Jota to get him close to the six-yard box, where he showed nimble, delicate feet, drawing goalie Dubravka before sidestepping him and finishing from close range.
They could have had more, but that was sufficient. As a result, our attention is drawn to Elland Road.