Salah leads Liverpool to victory over Newcastle twice and maintains the lead

Salah leads Liverpool to victory over Newcastle twice and maintains the lead

Liverpool beat Newcastle 4-2 in a thrilling match at Anfield on Monday, thanks to a brilliant performance by Mohamed Salah, who scored two goals and assisted another. The Egyptian star led the Reds to their 13th win in the Premier League, and maintained their lead at the top of the table with 45 points.

The match started with a surprise goal by Jonjo Shelvey for Newcastle in the seventh minute, with a powerful shot from outside the box. Liverpool responded quickly, and equalized through Diogo Jota in the 21st minute, after a cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Four minutes later, Salah gave Liverpool the lead, with a clinical finish from a pass by Curtis Jones.

The second half saw more action and goals, as Liverpool dominated the possession and created more chances. Salah was involved again, as he set up Coady Jakubo for the third goal in the 74th minute, with a sublime assist. However, Newcastle did not give up, and pulled one back through Sven Botman in the 79th minute, after a corner kick.

Liverpool secured the victory in the 86th minute, when Alexander-Arnold scored a stunning goal from a long-range shot, leaving no chance for Martin Dubravka. Salah completed his brace in the 90th minute, with a cool finish from a pass by Luis Diaz, and celebrated his 14th goal in the league, which puts him at the top of the scoring chart, alongside Erling Haaland of Manchester City.

This was the last match for Salah with Liverpool, before joining the Egypt national team for the Africa Cup of Nations, which will start on January 14 in Ivory Coast. Salah will hope to lead his country to their eighth continental title, after reaching the final twice in 2017 and 2021, but losing to Cameroon and Algeria, respectively.

Liverpool will miss their star player, who has been instrumental in their success this season, with 14 goals and 8 assists in 20 league games. The Reds will face Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham in their next three matches, and will need to rely on their other attacking options, such as Jota, Diaz, Firmino, and Nunez.

Newcastle, on the other hand, will try to recover from their ninth defeat in the league, which leaves them in the ninth place with 29 points. The Magpies have struggled this season, despite spending big in the summer, and bringing in players like Isaac, Jordan, and Levermento. They will face Burnley, Norwich, and Watford in their next three matches, and will hope to improve their form and climb up the table.