Mesmerising Salah sends Liverpool three points clear after a six-goal thriller at Anfield ahead of AFCON

It was a Mohammed Salah show at Anfield; the Egyptian masterclass performance sent Liverpool to the top of the table after defeating Newcastle 4-2.

Despite missing a penalty in the first half, Salah dazzled the home fans with two goals and also made one for Cody Gakpo.

His two goals in the first Premier League game of 2024 made him the 10th-highest goal scorer in the history of the Premier League, with 150 and 151 goals, respectively.

Salah, in his final game before heading to the AFCON, is confident that his Liverpool side can cope in his absence.

The Liverpool talisman feels the depth in the squad will see his team pull through while he is away with Egypt.

Speaking about the AFCON, he said: “I want to win this competition. I would love to win it. Without me, I’m sure the team [Liverpool] will manage to win the games.

“We have fantastic players, really good quality, and they just need to take the pressure away and play their football.

“Anyone can play in my position, and anyone can do what I’m doing. We have a good system, and everybody just needs to be free to express themselves.

“It means a lot to play for the national team. It’s a great feeling every time you step on the pitch in the national jersey; it’s something I cannot take for granted. I’m just happy to be there, and I want to win it.”

Jurgen Klopp on Mohammed Salah: “Mo is a goal-scoring machine. It would have helped if he’d scored the first penalty. It is extremely special. Darwin had chances too. I would say 99.9% of players would have finished it themselves, but he chose to pass it. Special game, special night.”

Eddie Howe’s side has now lost seven of its last eight games, and the pressure is building on him. The scoreline does not reflect the bankruptcy of Newcastle’s play. For all the talk of their injuries, they fielded close to a full-strength team here and offered very, very little going forward.

With an FA Cup tie against rivals Sunderland on Saturday and two league games against Manchester City and Aston Villa next up, the pressure on Howe is likely to rise from the Saudi Arabian state, the richest owners in English football.