Liverpool 4-2 Newcastle: Salah's brace sees Reds open up a three-point gap at the top

In the bustling rain at Anfield, both Liverpool and Newcastle were determined to prove that they were not affected by a New Year's hangover. The focus was on resilient defending, as two crucial blocks prevented Lewis Miley and Curtis Jones from scoring early on.

However, this resilience was eventually broken when Luis Díaz capitalized on Darwin Nunez's mistake and found the back of the net. Fortunately for Newcastle, Nunez was offside.

Newcastle received another stroke of luck shortly after. Diaz was fouled by Sven Botman inside the penalty area, and Mohamed Salah, who has struggled with penalties recently, failed to convert his chance. His powerful shot was saved by Martin Dubravka.

This seemed to awaken Eddie Howe's team, and they thought they had scored when Dan Burn found the back of the net. However, the goal was disallowed due to Alexander Isak being offside in the build-up.

Salah, eager to make up for his missed penalty, continued to position himself well. When Nunez provided him with a perfect opportunity from six yards out, the Egyptian striker confidently scored his 150th Premier League goal for Liverpool.

Both Salah and Nunez had opportunities to extend Liverpool's lead, but their misses proved costly as Anthony Gordon, a former Everton player, set up Isak to score with Newcastle's first shot on target.

Liverpool's persistence paid off when substitute Diogo Jota selflessly passed the ball to Curtis Jones, who easily scored into an empty net. Despite having a one-goal lead, Liverpool knew it wouldn't be comfortable given the game's pattern.

However, they thought they secured the win when Salah delivered a beautiful cross for Cody Gakpo to finish.

Newcastle quickly responded with a goal from Botman, but it was only a consolation as they suffered their seventh defeat in eight games.

The night belonged to Liverpool, who extended their lead with a penalty goal from Salah, taking control of the title race.