Newcastle vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction as Naby Keita nets winner
Newcastle 0-1 Liverpool: Follow reaction as the Reds edge past the Magpies to leapfrog Man City atop the Premier League table
Naby Keita ensured Liverpool’s quadruple hopes remain very much alive as he fired them to victory at in-form Newcastle to keep up the pressure on Premier League title rivals Manchester City.
Keita’s assured first-half finish was enough to claim a 1-0 win at St James’ Park on a day when Reds manager Jurgen Klopp was able to rest Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Mohamed Salah from his startling line-up ahead of Tuesday’s decisive Champions League semi-final trip to Villarreal.
Liverpool might - and probably should - have won more comfortably in front of a boisterous crowd of 52,281 as they held the upper hand for much of a contest which saw the Magpies’ hopes of a fifth successive league win and a seventh on the trot at home wilt in the face of almost constant pressure.
Eddie Howe’s men were never able to build up the kind of head of steam which has eased them clear of the relegation battle, perhaps a reminder of how far they have to go before they can once again compete with English football’s best on a sustained basis.
Follow all the reaction from a crucial Reds win at St James’ Park below:
Leeds 0-0 Man City
6 mins: Well, if Manchester City were somewhat sleepwalking into this match then they are well and truly awake now.
The champions get back to their passing play after a worrying moment for Cancelo and Pep Guardiola’s side.
That could have been a huge moment in the match, so early on.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
4 mins: CHANCE FOR LEEDS! Oh it was nearly a slip which blew the title race open! Where have we seen that before?!
A Man City corner ends up with Joao Cancelo picking up the ball on the halfway line but he slips! Rodrigo is clean through but he takes way too many touches, ends up too wide to take the shot on and Laporte is back there to clear away.
Leeds had to make them pay there. Nearly catastrophic for Cancelo.
Leeds 0-0 Man City
3 mins: Manchester City straight into their passing rhythm as Leeds get organised into their defensive structure.
You imagine a lot of the game will be spent with this pattern of play.
Real Madrid clinch La Liga title as Carlo Ancelotti completes the ‘grand slam’
Breaking news related to Man City, given their midweek European adventures: Real Madrid have claimed the title in Spain.
Last season the championship was won by their local rivals Atletico Madrid, but Los Blancos bounced back to seal title number 35 in relative comfort this season following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as head coach.
Indeed, their success means the Italian boss becomes the first and only manager to win each of La Liga, the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga - the top five leagues in European football.
He was in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu from 2013 to 2015, failing to win the title on that occasion, but has succeeded this time around after returning following a spell with Everton.
Real Madrid clinch La Liga title as Ancelotti completes the ‘grand slam’
Carlo Ancelotti becomes the first manager to win the ‘grand slam’ of titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues
Leeds 0-0 Man City
2 mins: Gabriel Jesus has started off on the right-hand side, with Jack Grealish on the other flank and Phil Foden through the middle.
KICK-OFF: Leeds 0-0 Man City
1 min: We are underway at Elland Road! The Premier League champions get us going in Yorkshire.
Leeds vs Man City
Kick-off is just a few minutes away.
Liam Cooper was injured in the warm-up so Mateusz Klich is in for him at the last moment.
Leeds vs Man City latest news
We are just a few minutes from kick-off now and today’s results mean this game is vital at both ends of the table.
Obviously, City need to win to go back to the top and stay in control of the Premier League title race. A draw will leave them one point behind Liverpool with four games to play.
At the other end, Burnley’s late turnaround sees them now five points clear of the relegation zone, which has seen Norwich confirmed as down today. Watford are all but there too, only one point ahead.
But then it’s a three-way fight between Everton (29 points), Leeds (34) and Burnley (34) for the other place. Following this fixture, the Clarets will have played 34, Leeds the same and Everton only 32 - they face Chelsea at home tomorrow.
Mino Raiola: Agent of Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland dies after illness
Elsewhere, there’s sad news from the football world this afternoon as Mino Raiola has been confirmed as having died following illness.
The Italian had been hospitalised earlier in the year and on Thursday, his Twitter account posted to dismiss misinformation spreading that he had passed away.
However, the same social media platform has been used now for his family to release a statement confirming he had lost his battle to regain health.
More here:
Mino Raiola: Agent of Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland dies after illness
A noted figure in the world of player intermediaries, he was fluent in several languages and secured some extremely high-value transfers for his clients
Jurgen Klopp salutes ‘role model’ James Milner as Liverpool march on
Jurgen Klopp saluted “role model” James Milner after Liverpool maintained their quadruple challenge with a 1-0 Premier League victory at Newcastle.
The 36-year-old former Magpie, who made his senior debut for Leeds almost 20 years ago, was one of five men drafted into Klopp’s much-changed starting line-up for a vital league game sandwiched between the two legs of the Champions League semi-final clash with Villarreal, and turned in a fine individual display.
Asked if he had come across a fitter 36-year-old, Klopp said with a smile: “No, but it would be interesting to look at Luka Modric. Is he not 36 as well? It was obviously a good generation.
“No, it’s difficult to be fitter than Milly. He’s a role model. I have told him, I can tell the whole world – nothing we have achieved in the last few years would have happened without James Milner, it’s as easy as that.
“Whether he was on the pitch or not, he’s set standards in a way not a lot of people can set standards, and it educated all of us.”
Read more:
Jurgen Klopp salutes ‘role model’ James Milner as Liverpool march on
The 36-year-old starred as the Reds kept their title challenge alive by beating Newcastle.
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