Entering Liverpool’s 4-0 rout of Newcastle United, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp made it clear that he doesn’t put much stock into “bullshit stories” of Liverpool’s position in the table on past Christmases.
He doesn’t care too much for the theory that the team on top of the table on Christmas Day should/will end up winning the title come May. Of course, Christmas is over now and it won’t be long until today, Boxing Day, is in the past as well. Klopp and his men got a really nice gift from Leicester City on Boxing Day, as the Foxes surprisingly beat Manchester City 2-1.
The loss, coupled with Liverpool’s big win, extended the Reds lead at the top of the table from four to six points.
1?0?0?wins as manager of the Reds. ?? pic.twitter.com/QFJioppTSz
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 26, 2018
The thrashing of the Magpies also earned Klopp his 100th win as manager at Liverpool. We’re now exactly halfway through the league season at 19 games, and the Merseyside club has won 16. They are the only team in the league that has not lost yet.
Dejan Lovren put in a man of the match level performance, opening the scoring on 11 minutes. Mo Salah converted a penalty kick to give the Reds a 2-0 lead, and that goal (his 13th scoring strike in the league) brings us to some interesting statistics.
10 – Mohamed Salah has scored in 10 Premier League games this season, more than any other player in the competition. Regular.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 26, 2018
Scoring most goals for @LFC in a year (all competitions):
44 – Ian Rush (1986)
38 – Ian Rush (1982)
37 – Roger Hunt (1965)
37 – Robbie Fowler (1996)
36 – @MoSalah (2018)#LFC #LIVNEW— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) December 26, 2018
Trent Alexander-Arnold also had a man of the match like effort, setting up a Xherdan Shaqiri score with a beautiful low cross. Fabinho completed the scoring for the game. For Liverpool, the next closest competitor is no longer Manchester City, but now Tottenham Hotspur; who routed Bournemouth 5-0 today.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.