Liverpool vs Newcastle - Premier League: Live score, team news and updates as Jurgen Klopp's side aim to stretch lead at the top of the table with a win

Alexander Isak is ruled offside but that was a let-off for Liverpool!

His one-two with Sean Longstaff in the box left Liverpool like statues and the striker won a corner with his shot at the near post.

The Reds were stuck in sand and will have to defend better than that or could be punished.

Bruno Guimareas is booked for a foul on Wataru Endo. A late challenge which sent the midfielder sprawling.

That's his eighth yellow card of the season.

Here's a recap of the penalty save.

Mo Salah's penalty is saved by Martin Dubravka!

It deflects out to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who skies his follow-up from yards out!

A penalty has been awarded after Sven Botman brought down Luis Diaz in the area!

Luis Diaz will not have his first Liverpool goal in eight games!

It was a tight call, but his assister, Darwin Nunez, was ruled offside against Dan Burn.

Both teams have come out of the blocks in full-blooded fashion.

Newcastle maybe need to watch themselves after giving away a few free-kicks in useful areas for Liverpool.

It's a combative game, but one with plenty of quality as well, and it's mostly about the Reds so far.

Darwin Nunez just headed over after Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped in a delicious cross from a dead ball.

A flurry of shots for Liverpool, and well done to Martin Dubravka!

He saved a flick from Darwin Nunez from, what, four yards out? Then a shot from Curtis Jones was blocked by a body before Wataru Endo lashed a wild shot high and wide.

All Nunez needed was to change the direction of the ball a little bit more after Mo Salah prodded it in and that could have been 1-0.

Lewis Miley blasted a shot at goal from about eight yards out but Joe Gomez sacrificed a leg to deflect it out for a corner... a leg is probably raw after blocking that!

Newcastle are looking a bit more assertive now and Miley, only 17, fits in seamlessly.

After four minutes, Liveprool had had 28 successful passes to Newcastle's two.

The home team have dominated possession, cracked off a couple of shots, and had a couple of free-kicks. Newcastle don't look super comfortable in possession against a furious press.

Chance for Trent Alexander-Arnold!

His first-time half-volley shot on the edge of the box deflects off Sean Longstaff and out for a corner. Just wide.

A minute later, the Reds win a free-kick on the left side of the area after a foul on Curtis Jones.

Liverpool get us going as they seek to go three points clear at the summit of the Premier League.

Some nice play down the right saw Dominik Szoboszlai try a shot inside the area but that was blocked.

Anfield is in full song as the players and mascots high-five each other.

'Allez, allez, allez' rings out of the stands as the fans hope to invigorate the players before 'You'll Never Walk Alone' is recited.

To quote Fabrizio Romano, here we go. Moments away now.

The eyeballing is back!

Jurgen Klopp likes to stare down his opponents as they prepare for the game, chilling them to the bones when they're supposed to be warming up.

Call it mind games or honest analysis... will it get to Newcastle?

Five minutes until kick-off.

Alright, there's ten minutes until kick-off, so let's have some pre-match predictions out of you!

Who've you got down as winners? Special prizes (pride) if you can successfully predict any scorers.

Alexander Isak has popped up with a very respectable haul of 10 in 20 games this season. One more and he beats his record from last campaign.

In the absence of Callum Wilson, he has led the line with invention. Able to hold the ball up or take a man on, he could be critical tonight if Newcastle find themselves on the back foot.

He netted against Liverpool on his Magpies debut last season. Thoughts on Isak?

The rise of William Saliba has given Virgil van Dijk some company in the elite central defender category in the Premier League.

Liverpool's Dutchman has been domineering this campaign, as Jamie Carragher points out.

As pundits often say, title-winning teams are built on great defences...

Barely a week passes without Eddie Howe being asked about, or bemoaning, his team's nightmarish injury troubles.

Tonight Kieran Trippier, arguably their key man, joins the litany of souls on the treatment table.

Howe told Sky Sports: 'We weren't able to train normally as you'd expect with the schedule that we had. So it was a case of as I said, earlier, it was play, recover for the for the next game, which was three days later, it was an incredibly tough month because we didn't have the ability to rotate the team.

'So it was the same players going again and again. So without making excuses for our, our month, it wasn't the best month that we've ever had.'

Oliver Holt, who is covering tonight's game, believes danger is lurking for Eddie Howe.

He wrote: It is not a good look for the ‘richest club in the world’ to be languishing in ninth place in its domestic league. It is not a good look for it to finish bottom of its Champions League group and not even make the Europa League. It is not a good look for it to be staring at another year without a trophy.

It is not a good look for the manager to be moaning about injuries all the time as if Newcastle are the only side to have to cope with absences. Putting two goalkeepers on the bench, as Howe has often done, is a clumsy way of drawing attention to those injuries that betrays the fact Howe is feeling the pressure.

Jamie Carragher is concerned that Liverpool - despite being among the league's top scorers - are lacking in their attacking trident.

While Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez are actually one of the league's most prolific partnerships, it's fair to say Jurgen Klopp's forward line isn't as consistent or iconic as it was when Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were around.

Reckon they could still get a game?

Roberto Firmino and Fabinho are back at Anfield tonight as the Saudi Pro League is on a break until mid-February.

How highly do you rate these in the pantheon of greats, Liverpool fans?

Jurgen Klopp recently told Ben Foster that Alisson was the best goalkeeper in the world - and an even better guy off the pitch, in a deployment of the old cliche.

He makes his 250th outing for the Reds tonight.

Luis Diaz is back in Jurgen Klopp's first 11 and needs to recover his form.

Jamie Carragher suggested before Christmas that the Reds might even need to turn to the transfer market in the summer if he doesn't pick up his form. He has three goals in 18 games this season, and one assist.

Eddie Howe has just confirmed that Kieran Trippier is out with an injury.

Tino Livramento takes his place, while Joelinton steps in and Miguel Almiron drops to the bench.

Nine first-teamers are unavailable for the Magpies. Quite the injury crisis!

Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Luis Diaz are back in for the Reds.

Defeats to West Ham and Fulham have temporarily derailed Arsenal's title charge - or at least inserted some question marks into it - and Jamie Carragher thinks Liverpool's experience will count when it comes to crunch time.

He told Sky Sports: I agree with Gary that Liverpool have got something Arsenal haven't got, which is a manager who's won the title before and I've got players in that squad, who are genuinely world class players.

Jurgen Klopp rejected discussion about league placements, asking: 'who cares?'

The Liverpool boss said he was impressed with how his side has gelled but knows the season is far from over... especially with a particular playmaker awakening at the Etihad.

He told Sky Sports: 'How quick we grew together as a group [impressed me]. That's very important for us. We lost key players in the dressing room and how the boys dealt with that was pretty exceptional.

'It's all positive, no doubt, but actually nothing happened until last week. Arsenal were running away.

'Kevin De Bruyne is warming up - the whole country is starting to shake!

'It's nothing to do with us We just want to be as good as possible!'

Newcastle have sauntered into one of the Premier League's most fearsome dens.

Will they pull off a shock tonight?

They can beat anyone on their day... remember a certain 4-1 drubbing of PSG in October.

Plus, Liverpool don't have Chris Wood.

Tonight will be Mo Salah's last game before heading out for Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt. He is the Egyptian king, after all.

Liverpool have dealt with this in the past but it always throws up questions about their depth and title credentials. They need magic from their other forwards more than ever - even if Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Cody Gakpo have been misfiring.

READ MORE on Klopp's title tilt hopes below.

Lewis Steele is one of our scribes at Anfield tonight, getting drenched just for your benefit!

Make sure to follow Lewis, our Merseyside football reporter, on X as we head into the transfer window. He brings regular updates from Jurgen Klopp's camp... and their fierce rivals, Everton.

Liverpool came from behind thanks to a late double from Darwin Nunez when these sides met at St. James' Park in August. Anthony Gordon had put the home team ahead.

It's been a funny old season for the Uruguayan, who followed his early-season form with a 12-game drought, but he got back on the scoresheet against Burnley on Boxing Day.

Fighting talk from Newcastle centre-back Sven Botman.

With the Magpies under fire, he has vowed that they will return to form.

Does that start tonight? Newcastle haven't won a Premier League game at Anfield since 1994! It's a big ask.

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport's live blog as Liverpool welcome Newcastle to Anfield in their first test of 2024.

Not many would have had Jurgen Klopp's men top going into the New Year - especially not when Arsenal were top at Christmas - but the Reds are playing with lots of self-belief and are unbeaten in the league since September.

Newcastle? Well, they've lost four of their last five in the league and are in freefall. Eddie Howe hopes to claw his Magpies away from their current position of ninth.