The 51st minute was ticking by on the Anfield scoreboard when this famous old venue was serenaded, for the first time this season, by Liverpool fans now firmly believing that the Premier League title was on its way. As the news filtered through of Arsenal’s goalless draw with Nottingham Forest, with the score at 1-0 here against Newcastle United, Reds supporters, just like Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk had called for ahead of kick-off, began to turn the volume up.
A 2-0 victory in the end, secured thanks to goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, was enough to open up what is now a 13-point chasm to Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, and the patrons of Anfield have nothing but conviction that the final 10 games will be negotiated without falter. And, like the terrace anthem informed us throughout the entirety of the second half, they have no doubt that they will in fact now win this championship in May. Recent days have made it almost impossible to argue otherwise.
For an Arsenal side without Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus for the campaign and Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli for at least the next few weeks, the question now is how much is actually left in that tank at the Emirates? Liverpool were runaway winners of the Premier League crown five years ago, eventually cruising to it with 18 points to spare. They might not achieve it by such a margin this time around but they aren’t far off such dizzy heights as March creeps in. No wonder those on the terraces feel their team won’t be moved.
For the second time in less than a week, the Reds were able to ruthlessly punish injury-hit Arsenal’s lack of quality in the final third as the league leaders took their most decisive stride yet towards a second title in five years. What a huge few days it’s been for this football club. Having secured a first victory at Manchester City since November 2015 on Sunday to take full advantage of their rivals’ surprise home defeat to West Ham United the previous day, Liverpool were at it again at home to Newcastle; this time extending their advantage to a baker’s dozen points after another stumble by a chasing side who are out of ideas.
Key Moments in the Match
Having been held by Forest at the City Ground last month, Liverpool know full well about the difficulty of breaking down the only side who have beaten them this term and an Arsenal squad shorn of their best attacking talents were unable to crack the nut of a club who will justifiably believe they can sustain their push for a first campaign in the European Cup for decades. When they come to reflect on the 24/25 term, it will be these few days that will be proven most decisive. The Reds had their breakthrough on 11 minutes when the excellent Luis Diaz was allowed the space to advance before his low ball into the box was turned home by Szoboszlai, who scored for a second successive game.
After covering over 11km against Man City on Sunday, Arne Slot might have been minded to rest Hungary captain Szoboszlai but his influence is growing on this team and his tactical flexibility, eye for goal and tireless running have helped make him something of an indispensable at present. His eighth goal of the campaign means he has now scored more than he did in his debut term with at least 13 games left to play across all competitions. Diogo Jota almost found Mohamed Salah at the back post after another razor-sharp venture forward, started by Diaz, but the Portugal striker’s ball across the face was intercepted by a sprawling Lewis Hall before Szoboszlai flashed a curled effort wide later in the half. Like the recent win over Wolves, Diaz looked so much more at home off the left here with a focal point in attack and while Cody Gakpo, used off the bench, maybe has the shirt at present given his form in recent months, the Colombia international is making sure that is a real selection dilemma going forward for Slot.
Expert Analysis and Reactions
A slow start to the second half was shrugged off after that Arsenal result filtered through and it was Mac Allister who battered home the second after the league’s best player, Salah, wriggled free of a couple of challenges before supplying his team-mate with assist No.22 of a wondrous campaign. Slot, watching on from the directors’ box having been informed of his two-game touchline ban on Tuesday, leapt up from his seat as he watched on with a much-different vantage point to usual. The temporary view is unlikely to make him see things differently just yet in public, of course.
But while the Reds boss will rightly maintain that nothing is won yet, with 30 points still up for grabs, the reaction to his team’s second goal here hinted that perhaps even he was starting to believe. He wasn’t alone inside the ground if so. Opta stats now rate Slot’s leaders as 98.7% certain to do it. It would require only the most shocking and abject of collapses from a side who have lost just once all year for Arsenal to even get within touching distance. The players and the coaching staff will keep their professionalism, naturally, but their fans are now certain they are getting the title celebration that evaded them in 2020. It will likely be worth the wait. With six games left to play here at home from the last 10, Fortress Anfield is about to become Party Central.
