Liverpool’s grip on the Premier League title race just grows stronger by the game.
Arne Slot’s side extended their lead at the top of the table to a mammoth 13 points as they capitalised on Arsenal dropping points at Nottingham Forest with a frill-free victory over Newcastle United.
Goals in each half from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister were too much for Eddie Howe’s team, who never seriously threatened to pull off an upset ahead of next month’s Carabao Cup final against the same opponents.
We analyse the big talking points.
A two-pronged win for Slot
By piling more misery on Newcastle at Anfield, Liverpool didn’t just extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to a commanding 13 points, they also landed a psychological blow ahead of next month’s Carabao Cup final between the clubs at Wembley.
For all the talk about whether Newcastle can end their 70-year wait for domestic silverware, March 16 is also a huge day for Liverpool: it’s the opportunity to land the maiden trophy of the Slot era and complete the first part of a possible treble.
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Winning the Carabao Cup last season didn’t prove to be the launchpad to greater success that Jurgen Klopp hoped it would be as they ran out of energy and his reign fizzled out.
But Slot’s Liverpool look much better equipped to last the pace this time around. Being so far ahead in the Premier League raises the possibility of the Dutchman being able to rest key personnel and prioritise the Champions League in the latter stages if they can get past Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.
Arne Slot watched from the stand as Liverpool won yet again (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Having watched this contest from the Main Stand alongside assistant Sipke Hulshoff as they both started two-game bans, Slot will be back on the touchline when these teams meet again at Wembley. It surely won’t be as comfortable there, but Liverpool will start as strong favourites given the gulf in class on display here.
James Pearce
Newcastle’s costly slow starts
Newcastle are more than capable of making life difficult for anyone, including themselves.
In five of their last six league games – the exception being a 2-1 defeat to Fulham – Howe’s team have now conceded first and conceded (relatively) early, a frailty that is making every match a sharp incline if not quite a mountain.
Against Nottingham Forest last weekend, Callum Hudson-Odoi scored in the sixth minute after catching Jacob Murphy in possession. At Manchester City earlier this month, Omar Marmoush got his hat-trick underway in the 19th, Jan Bednarek opened the scoring for Southampton in the 10th minute, and Justin Kluivert did the same for Bournemouth after six.
Here, it was Szoboszlai in the 11th minute and, once again, Newcastle’s defending was suspect, with Luis Diaz being allowed to advance to the left of the penalty area and Sandro Tonali failing to track Szoboszlai. Just as he was against Forest, Nick Pope was beaten too easily.
UK readers watch here:
Diaz and Szoboszlai combine to fire Liverpool ahead at Anfield ⚽
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/XpKq3KGA9u
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 26, 2025
U.S. readers watch here:
Anfield has liftoff! 🚀
Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai combine for Liverpool’s opener.
📺 USA Network | #LIVNEW pic.twitter.com/pKEQsxtCFX
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 26, 2025
These slow starts did not prevent Newcastle from beating Forest – narrowly and nervously – or coming back to win at Southampton, but against teams with the quality of Liverpool or City, it is a fundamental and fatal flaw.
George Caulkin
Liverpool spread the joy
To say that Mohamed Salah has shouldered his fair share of Liverpool’s attacking output this season would be something of an understatement.
Beyond Salah, much of Liverpool’s 101 goals in all competitions have been shared across the front line, with Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota acting as the key support acts. Nevertheless, Slot must be pleased with the sprinkling of goals contributed by his midfielders in recent weeks — particularly Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, who both got on the scoresheet on Wednesday evening as Salah, for once, was frustrated (even if he did provide his customary assist).
“For an attacking midfielder at Liverpool, his numbers need to go up, but I am really happy with the way he has done until now,” Slot said of Szoboszlai in September. “I am 100 per cent sure that if he plays in a team with so much quality around him and with the quality he has, he will, in the end, score more goals as well.”
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The Hungary international is putting in some of the best performances of his Liverpool career at the moment, with some clinical finishing just adding the perfect gloss to his all-round game. With Liverpool having a genuine chance of three trophies this season, they will need goals coming from all angles in the unlikely event that they dry out from their star man on the right wing.
It can only bode well that Szoboszlai and Mac Allister are chipping in nicely from midfield.
Mark Carey
Wilson fails to spark in Isak’s absence
At his best, Callum Wilson is a proper No 9; a physical centre-forward who loves menacing defenders and loves scoring even more. The problem for Newcastle is that the 32-year-old’s best was quite a while ago.
The absence of Alexander Isak from Newcastle’s squad with a minor groin problem was keenly felt. The good news is that Howe does not “think it is serious at all”, but for obvious reasons, the 21-goal Sweden international is not a player they can “take any risks with”.
In his absence, Wilson started his first Premier League match of the season and only his second for a year. Fitness is a longstanding issue and most recently he has been troubled with a hamstring injury.
There was one decent chance for Wilson in the first half when he broke away from Ibrahima Konate but then shot wide. He looked rusty, also missing a one-on-one that was subsequently flagged offside. To compound matters, there was a clash of heads with Virgil van Dijk in the second half that drew blood from beneath Wilson’s right eye.
Callum Wilson could not take his chance against Liverpool (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
That is Wilson’s game and it is far more predictable than Isak’s, who can drop deep, drift wide and run with the ball at his feet as well as score. He offers a different sort of menace. With Wilson on the pitch, Newcastle did not muster a single shot on target.
George Caulkin
Anfield rises to the occasion — just as Slot asked
Ten days earlier, Anfield had been wracked by anxiety.
Nerves in the stands had transmitted to the pitch as Slot’s side desperately clung on to beat lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers with an error-strewn performance.
After taking four points out of a possible six on their travels at Aston Villa and Manchester City, Liverpool returned home with Virgil van Dijk urging supporters to enjoy rather than endure the chase for glory and make Anfield “horrible” for opponents during the run-in.
The captain’s call to arms was answered emphatically. The atmosphere was buoyant as they provided the soundtrack for the hosts to dominate from the first whistle. Slot’s players fed off that energy as they played with a tempo and intensity Newcastle struggled to live with.
Fans created an exuberant atmosphere at Anfield (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
“We do not just want you to dream, we need you to dream,” Slot wrote in his programme notes. “This is a big part of what makes this club so special because it challenges the players and the staff to do everything that we possibly can to be the best that we can be.”
That dream is increasingly close to becoming a reality. When news filtered through early in the second half that title rivals Arsenal had drawn 0-0 at Nottingham Forest, there was no holding back. The Kop announced to the world what the away end had chanted at the Etihad on Sunday: “We’re gonna win the league.”
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With Mac Allister slamming home Liverpool’s second goal soon after, the party remained in full flow right to the end. No anxiety, no nerves. Just pure joy.
James Pearce
How hosts secured victory… without the ball
“They have all the freedom when we have the ball,” Arne Slot said to UK TV broadcasters TNT Sports ahead of the game. “But there is no freedom at all when we don’t have the ball. They just have to work very, very, very hard and (be) disciplined.”
For all the praise lauded on Liverpool for their attacking potency, their intensity out of possession should not be underestimated in their hunt for silverware this season. While Slot’s side dominated the ball on Wednesday evening with zipped passes across the Anfield turf, the speed in which they regained the ball was equally impressive to sustain their attacks and suffocate Newcastle out of possession.
The relentless running of Szoboszlai typified Liverpool’s energetic performance, but the belligerence of Mac Allister and athleticism of Ryan Gravenberch provided the bite in midfield that was much-needed given the strengths that Eddie Howe’s side typically possess in the centre of the park.
Ryan Gravenberch was a dogged presence out of possession (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Across the pitch, Liverpool’s determination to work back when they lose the ball would have been applauded by Slot just as much as their slick passing through the thirds. Tonight’s performance was further evidence that they still have the energy to get over the line in clinching the Premier League title.
Mark Carey
What did Slot say?
Liverpool’s head coach saluted his side’s professionalism in closing out a comfortable victory.
“This was more like the way we’ve won the previous games,” he told the BBC. “It was difficult against Man City; that’s separate. This was more like how we have been winning games all season.
“The most important thing that after Everton, Wolves and Villa, people started to doubt us. Then you have to react to that. That’s always easier because people start to question you, but after City everyone was so positive then people start to get confident and complacent. Only the ones that want to achieve something, they find another gear to win the next game as well.”
What did Howe say?
Newcastle’s manager pointed to the absence of Isak as a decisive factor, but offered encouragement that his injury would not rule him out for long.
“It goes without saying how important he is to us,” he said. “It was a late decision, around midday today, that he felt his groin. We didn’t want to take a risk with so many big games to play.
“We don’t envisage it being a big problem for him. I had a chat with him around lunchtime to see how he felt. He knew he was feeling something yesterday, we hoped today he would recover overnight but he didn’t.
“I thought we were OK tonight. What let us down were the two goals we conceded. I was really disappointed with that aspect of our play. Between the two boxes we were competitive tonight. Our final ball let us down.”
What next for Liverpool?
Wednesday, March 5: Paris Saint-Germain (away), Champions League last-16 first leg, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
What next for Newcastle United?
Sunday, March 2: Brighton & Hove Albion (home), FA Cup fifth round, 1.45pm UK, 8.45pm ET
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(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
