Liverpool will hope to continue their Premier League title fight against Newcastle United in the new year.The Reds went top of the table with a 2-0 win over Burnley on Boxing Day and Liverpool now face Newcastle, who will be looking to make the most of the Magpies’ poor form.
As the club continue to struggle with injuries, manager Eddie Howe’s side have won just one of their last six games in all competitions. Newcastle’s most recent defeat came against Nottingham Forest, with former striker Chris Wood scoring a hat-trick to put his old club back in the running. Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has analyzed his side’s 3-1 defeat to Forest, pointing out that the midfielder was repeatedly pushed too high. It’s a mistake Liverpool hope to capitalize on at Anfield.
“Look at Newcastle’s three midfielders. They suddenly lose the ball and when [Morgan] makes two passes to Gibbs-White, look at his space. Explaining Forest’s equaliser, Shearer said it finished four ends four. – If you watch Chris Wood’s runs, you can see him running past the defender at the near post and then checking back. Unexpectedly, the defender goes and hits him. This is a fantasy forest game. “Because it happened more than once, Newcastle couldn’t win,” he said.
Ahead of Forest’s second goal, Shearer went on to say: “It’s the same again. A pass and he (Elanga) is free in the Newcastle midfield. He went straight and then back to the back four and played a [wood] against somebody on the left and Dan Burn. .I will get out. This is a very clever ending. And again [for the third goal]. “We know you can’t do that without a high line and pressure on the ball.”
