Liverpool did something to ruin Eddie Howe’s pre-match message to Newcastle’s players straight away at Anfield

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Liverpool hosted Newcastle on Wednesday night at Anfield with the Reds looking to continue their charge towards the Premier League.

The Reds’ win over Man City at the weekend put a spring in the step of everyone associated with the Merseyside club and it was evident by the noise at Anfield in the first half.

News came out earlier in the day that Arne Slot would miss the match after receiving a two-match ban for his actions after full-time against Everton but that would not affect the Premier League leaders.

John Heitinga took charge of Liverpool against Newcastle and his team were magnificent during the opening 45 minutes.

Eddie Howe had a pre-match message for his Newcastle players about how to deal with the ’emotional’ Anfield crowd but Liverpool ruined that pretty much straight away in the contest.

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Liverpool ruined Eddie Howe’s Newcastle plan very early

Liverpool made a fantastic start to their clash with Newcastle as Dominik Szoboszlai continued his goalscoring form by giving the Reds the lead after 11 minutes.

Szoboszlai mentioned before the match how Slot has changed his game at Liverpool with the Hungarian growing to become a key star on Merseyside this season.

Ally McCoist was full of praise for Szoboszlai after opening the scoring early at Anfield, which was exactly what Howe warned his players about ahead of the game.

“We need to be close to a perfect game from our perspective'” Howe said in his press conference on Tuesday via the BBC. “Psychologically, it’s huge. It’s an emotional stadium – we’re going to need to start well, and we need to have a threat in the game.”

Going behind at Anfield is a big blow for any team as Liverpool have an exceptional record in front of their home fans.

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Dominik Szoboszlai has become a key player for Liverpool

Jamie Carragher described Szoboszlai’s Man City performance as ‘out of this world’ as the midfielder dominated proceedings at the Etihad Stadium.

After an up-and-down opening season at Anfield, the Hungarian has really stepped up for the Reds this season, providing his team with seven goals and six assists across the 36 games he has featured in.

Slot has rarely moved away from his favourite midfield three this season of Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, with the Hungary international playing in a more advanced role under the Dutch coach.

Fans have been comparing the 24-year-old to Steven Gerrard in recent weeks and just like the Liverpool legend, the midfielder is creating big moments along when it matters most.