Beyond the obvious entirely insignificant factors like winning a game with relative comfort and getting to keep his job, Arne Slot must have been mightily relieved that Liverpool beat Newcastle.<\/p>\n
Their only defeat in 19 meetings with the Magpies had been in last season\u2019s Carabao Cup final; Slot\u2019s dig at Jurgen Klopp<\/a> losing to them in December 2015 would have felt particularly hollow.<\/p>\n The Dutchman was spared the ignominy of having to trawl back through several seasons\u2019 worth of results in desperate justification by a player who continues to steadfastly reject his casting as a background character, and a team putting in one of their best performances of the season.<\/p>\n That they did so from behind was another sign of progress at a time of immense uncertainty.<\/p>\n That they had to was further proof of Liverpool\u2019s general sense of malaise and insecurity. Newcastle led deservedly on the back of a strong opening 40 minutes, in which they had twice as many shots as their hosts and hit the post through Ashley Barnes.<\/p>\n It was Anthony Gordon, once central to Liverpool\u2019s attacking succession plan<\/a>, who led the line and scored the goal as both Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa watched on from the bench.<\/p>\n But it was Hugo Ekitike, whose snub of Newcastle triggered their summer transfer spiral<\/a>, who almost single-handedly dragged Liverpool out of their collective haze.<\/p>\n That is perhaps unfair on Florian Wirtz, whose deft assist for the equaliser meant that \u00a3169m combination between him and Ekitike had produced a league-leading six goals in all competitions so far this season.<\/p>\n Wirtz rounded off a breakthrough month for the Reds with an inch-perfect finish from Mo Salah\u2019s lay-off, before Ibrahima Konate provided some emotional heft with the fourth goal on his return to the side after the passing of his father.<\/p>\n \u201cThe manager said to me I can take my time, I don\u2019t have to rush back,\u201d the centre-half said after the game. \u201cBut with this situation I think it was important for me to come back and help the team.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is what I did today with the team, with Anfield. The atmosphere was unbelievable today. This is what we need until the end of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n