Liverpool’s record-breaking form continued against Newcastle United on Boxing Day, with numerous Reds players catching in the eye in their 4-0 win.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side were a class above Rafa Benitez’s men at Anfield, with complete dominance on show from the first minute until the last.
Dejan Lovren opened the scoring in style and Mohamed Salah added a second from the penalty spot, before Xherdan Shaqiri struck and Fabinho headed home his first Liverpool goal.
It was yet another three points in an increasingly memorable season, with 51 points acquired in just 19 matches.
The victory means Klopp’s men are six points clear at the Premier League‘s summit, after Man City‘s loss at Leicester City put them seven adrift and one behind second-place Tottenham.
Below we compare our player ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, the Mirror, Sky Sports, ESPN, Anfield Index, FotMob and the This is Anfield readers:
It was a good day for two of Liverpool’s more divisive figures: Lovren (8.3) and Jordan Henderson (7.7).
Lovren’s superb half-volley got the ball rolling but his all-round display impressed most, with This is Anfield’s Joanna Durkan claiming the Croatian “failed to put a foot wrong in defence.”
No player enjoyed a higher average rating than the 29-year-old and it was nice to see a much-maligned figure earning widespread praise.
Henderson also shone bright, with the Liverpool captain finding his best form after some patchy showings earlier in the campaign.
ESPN‘s Glenn Price felt the skipper “continually helped Liverpool get on the front foot”, while the Mirror‘s David Maddock awarded him Man of the Match.
Salah (7.8) netted his 15th goal of 2018/19 and the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle noted that the Egyptian “always looks dangerous”, despite not always being at the hub of proceedings.
It was a subdued afternoon at the office for Roberto Firmino (6.4), however, who proved frustrating on the ball and struggled to make an impact.
He was the Reds’ lowest-rated player on the day and Durkan described his performance as “a show of both finesse and sloppiness in equal measure.”
All in all, it wasn’t a 90 minutes full of eye-catching individual showings, but more a professional job done by a team brimming with self-belief.
Next up for Liverpool is a mouthwatering clash with Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday evening, before a potentially season-defining trip to Man City on January 3.
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