Dominik Szoboszlai strikes as Liverpool surge 13 points clear

Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister sealed the victory, but manager Arne Slot and his players refused to let the title talk overshadow a season still packed with challenges.

The Reds have been a force of nature this campaign, unbeaten in 27 of their 28 league matches and racking up 32 wins in 43 games across all competitionsâ”the most of any team in Europe's top five leagues. Their latest triumph came despite Slot watching from the stands, serving a two-match touchline ban after a heated exchange following the Merseyside derby.

"It's a long way to go," Slot said post-match. "We've got 10 league games left, a League Cup final, and two huge clashes with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Our focus is on PSG right now, not the table."

The match kicked into gear early when Szoboszlai fired Liverpool ahead after just 11 minutes, latching onto a pinpoint pass from Luis Díaz to notch the club's 100th goal of the season across all fronts.

Newcastle, missing their talismanic striker Alexander Isak due to a groin injury, struggled to find a foothold. Their best chance fell to Callum Wilson, who pounced on a Dan Burn long ball but dragged his shot wide with only Alisson to beat.

Szoboszlai nearly doubled the lead before the break, his curling effort whistling past the post after Diogo Jota's clever setup.

The second half saw Liverpool stumble out of the blocks, but Mac Allister woke the crowd up just past the hour mark. The Argentine intercepted a loose ball, linked up with Mohamed Salah, and drilled a fierce shot past Nick Pope. Salah almost turned provider moments later with a delicious outside-of-the-foot cross, but Díaz couldn't convert at the back post.

It wasn't vintage Liverpool, but it didn't need to beâ”Newcastle, now losers of four in their last six league outings, rarely threatened without Isak's cutting edge.

Szoboszlai, echoing his manager's caution, kept his eyes on the immediate horizon. "We're 13 points clear, and that's great, but we're not relaxing," the Hungarian midfielder said. "Arsenal can't catch us mathematically yet, so we focus on ourselves. Champions League is next, then the League Cup final against Newcastle on March 16. We want to stay on top, but there's work to do."

Liverpool's next test comes in Paris against PSG in the Champions League last-16 first leg, a tie Slot's men - already table-toppers after the competition's league phase - will approach with their trademark intensity.

With a scoring streak of at least two goals in their last 18 Anfield outings, the Reds are clicking, even if Slot insists the job's far from done.

Meanwhile, a recent X update from Liverpool's official account hailed Szoboszlai's strike, posting: "100 goals this season and counting - Dominik delivers again!"

Slot, ever the pragmatist, might not linger on milestones, but for fans dreaming of a trophy haul, nights like these fuel the fire.

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