Naby Keïta downs Newcastle as Liverpool up tempo in title race

It is not so long ago that Jürgen Klopp allowed Eddie Howe access all areas at Anfield as he permitted a then out-of-work colleague to shadow virtually his every move. Liverpool’s manager had perhaps not bargained for Howe subsequently poaching one of his key analysts, Mark Leyland, as soon as he took charge of Newcastle – or breathing so much new life into Steve Bruce’s old side that this lunchtime kick-off in the Tyneside sunshine represented an unexpected threat to the Merseysiders’ title chances.

In reality it was not quite as tight as the scoreline might suggest, but a refreshed Liverpool XI, watched by the initially benched Mo Salah and Thiago Alcântara, were still made to work hard for a win which not only maintains the pressure on Manchester City but ended Newcastle’s record-equalling run of six straight home victories.

James Milner marked a rare start, and a latest return to a former club, by creating the opening goal for the impressive Naby Keïta after emerging from a 50/50 challenge with Fabian Schär having won the ball. The pair’s collision left Newcastle’s centre-half lying on the turf for several minutes, which was far from ideal from Howe’s viewpoint.

How he could have done with Schär on his feet as Keïta subsequently dribbled his way around Martin Dubravka before shooting through a hastily constructed, distinctly ersatz, wall of Newcastle defenders.

As Klopp punched thin air with glee, Howe looked distinctly unimpressed. Along with the majority of the 52,000-plus crowd packed inside St James’ Park, he appeared convinced Andre Marriner had been wrong to wave play on in the wake of Milner’s tackle. With a VAR review deciding otherwise, the goal stood and Schär eventually limped back into the heart of the home defence.

Tellingly, as his Liverpool teammates celebrated and Newcastle’s physiotherapists waited to come on, Virgil van Dijk had earlier gone straight to his stricken opponent to check he was not badly hurt. After spending so long sidelined by a serious knee injury, Klopp’s towering centre half evidently has reordered priorities these days.

Newcastle’s Joelinton and Liverpool’s Diogo Jota clash during a tightly contested first half. Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Although Miguel Almirón briefly thought he had equalised after rounding Alisson, the Paraguayan forward’s effort was rightly chalked off for offside. As hard, albeit forlornly, as Almirón and Allan Saint-Maximin strived and as accomplished as many of Bruno Guimarães’s midfield touches – including a memorable nutmegging of Milner – were, Liverpool had by now assumed a large measure of control, enjoying more than 70 per cent of the possession.

Jordan Henderson was heavily involved in this monopolisation of the ball, with the former Sunderland midfielder apparently inspired by the wholesale booing which greeted his every touch. Indeed Henderson very nearly created a goal for Diogo Jota before half time courtesy of a fine cross. That manoeuvre concluded with Dúbravka performing acrobatic wonders to somehow tip Jota’s flicked, high-velocity header to safety.

If Henderson had succeeded in upstaging Jonjo Shelvey, another midfield duel, this time involving Keïta and Joe Willock, was also going the Liverpool man’s way, leaving Willock exerting marginal impact on proceedings.

With the scars of that clash with Milner leaving Schär often similarly ineffective, it was no surprise when Howe replaced him with Jamaal Lascelles. The Newcastle captain hardly had time to settle in before Sadio Mané had Klopp cursing after meeting Joe Gomez’s delivery from the right before sending his shot whizzing narrowly, and wastefully, wide.

It proved the cue for Howe to replace Willock with Chris Wood and, very shortly afterwards, Klopp to swap Mane and Henderson for Salah and Fabinho. Salah’s wonderfully intelligent movement soon had Dan Burn and Lascelles on edge.

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Not that they were quite as nervous as Klopp when Saint-Maximin played in Wood only for the New Zealander to shoot straight at Alisson. It initially seemed a very big miss so it was probably just as well for Wood that a linesman’s offside flag indicated that any goal would not have counted. Even so, Klopp felt it necessary to introduce Thiago to the occasion.

All that remained was for Dubravka to once again excel in keeping a Jota shot out. Howe and Klopp maintained a frosty distance at the final whistle as Liverpool continued to breathe down Manchester City’s neck.