Naby Keita was deservedly seen as Liverpool’s star man in his side’s 1-0 win at Newcastle, as his impressive form continues.
Jurgen Klopp‘s men knew victory was essential to keep the pressure on Man City, in what was a testing trip to St James’ Park.
Keita gave Liverpool a half-time lead after showing great composure in front of goal before the visitors held on in imperious fashion after the break.
Here we compare our player ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, WhoScored, FotMob and the TIA readers.
It was Keita (8.2) and Joe Gomez (8.2) who shared the best rating overall at St James’ Park, following hugely influential displays.
The former scored the game’s only goal in classy fashion, while the latter was excellent at right-back in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
TIA’s James Nalton thought Keita was Liverpool’s best player against the Magpies, praising him for “running the show” in midfield.
Ian Doyle of the Echo was similarly impressed, saying the 27-year-old “pressed well” throughout and displayed “such composure” for his goal.
Meanwhile, Gomez earned rave reviews from Nalton, as the Englishman showed “he can provide able back up to Alexander-Arnold.”
Whether or not he is happy to play that role moving forward remains to be seen.
Andy Robertson (7.7) and Luis Diaz (7.7) were in joint-second place, as both caught the eye in their own way.
Robertson made three clearances and five recoveries, according to FotMob, not to mention one inch-perfect tackle in stoppage time.
James Milner also got a place in the top-three (7.6), as he justified his selection and was hailed for covering “so much ground” by Doyle.
Sadio Mane (6.1) received the lowest average overall, missing a gilt-edged chance and struggling to hit the same heights as his brilliant recent form.
Next up for Liverpool is Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg away to Villarreal (8pm BST) – what a season this is!
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