Liverpool will hope to maintain their Premier League title push against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day.
The Reds moved top of the table with their 2-0 win over Burnley on Boxing Day and are next in action against Newcastle, where Liverpool will be looking to take full advantage of the Magpies’ poor run of form. Eddie Howe’s team have won just one of their last six games in all competitions as the club continue to deal with their extensive injury list.
Newcastle’s latest setback came against Nottingham Forest as former striker Chris Wood scored a hat-trick to haunt his old club. Analysing the team’s 3-1 defeat to Forest for Match of the Day, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer highlighted that the midfield repeatedly pushed too high up the pitch; a flaw that Liverpool will hope to similarly exploit at Anfield.
If you have a look at Newcastle’s three midfielders. All of a sudden they lose the ball, and with two passes into [Morgan] Gibbs-White, look at the space he’s got. It ends up four v four,” Shearer said, when explaining Forest’s equaliser..
“If you just watch Chris Wood’s run, he makes one run for the defender at the near post, then checks back. All of a sudden the defender’s gone and he’s got a tap in. It’s fantastic play from Forest. They did it so many times as Newcastle just couldn’t handle it.”
For Forest’s second goal, Shearer continued: “Same thing again, one pass and he’s [Elanga] away from Newcastle’s midfield. He goes straight through, into that back four again, and he’s [Wood] left one v one and turns Dan Burn inside out. It’s such a clever finish. And again [for the third goal]. A high line and there’s no pressure on the ball, which we know you can’t do.”
