During their 4-2 victory over Newcastle on New Year’s Day, Liverpool surpassed the record for the highest Expected Goals (xG) statistic in a Premier League game. 

With 34 total shots on goal, Jurgen Klopp’s team blasted the Anfield goal, moving them up to three points clear of Aston Villa atop the standings. 

Despite giving up four goals, Newcastle custodian Martin Dubravka was in excellent form, making ten saves, including one from Mohamed Salah in the first half. 

The Reds did, in fact, have several good chances to break through the visitors’ goal; Trent Alexander-Arnold’s missed rebound attempt being one example. And their dominance was demonstrated by the xG from their evening’s effort. 

Since statisticians have only been tracking the metric since the 2010–11 season, it is relatively new. It indicates, in light of the quality of the chance created, whether a certain shot should result in a goal. 

Liverpool’s xG was a massive 7.27 at the end of their match against Eddie Howe’s team, while the Magpies’ xG was 0.59. 

Since Opta started gathering statistics more than ten years ago, that amount represents the largest number they have ever seen in a single Premier League game. 

Despite controlling the game, Reds supporters still had a nervous finish as Sven Botman reduced the lead that had been established by goals from Mohamed Salah, Curtis Jones, and Cody Gakpo after Alexander Isak’s equaliser. 

However, Salah made good on his second penalty kick of the match to guarantee that the Reds made a significant advancement in their pursuit of the Premier League title.