Liverpool 4-1 Newcastle: Arne Slot can end Premier League "dark age" by platforming two scintillating stars

Written by David Lynch, Liverpool expert:

If you were looking for a neat summary of this Premier League season so far, then the first 30 minutes of this evening's game at Anfield would work.

It is not just that Liverpool were second-best, as has been the case so often in a title defence that has failed to spark.

Rather, it is that they found themselves embroiled in a physical battle in which the ball barely touched the pitch - just 12 minutes out of the half-hour, in fact.

This tallied with what has been a depressing trend toward risk-averse football and set-pieces across the league this term, one that is undoubtedly making the games less enjoyable to watch.

Ironically, it is a change that even Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon felt compelled to lament in a pre-Champions League press conference earlier this week.

Of course, if this is the way the game is heading, then it is incumbent upon the top teams like Liverpool to find a way of combatting it.

Liverpool 4-1 Newcastle: Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike can lead Premier League out of "dark age"

© Imago / Propaganda Photo

And perhaps they proved in winning this game that they have the tools to lead the Premier League out of the dark age that has recently been ushered in.

That is Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, who elected in the final hour of the contest to light up Anfield and show that it is still possible to play attractive, exciting football.

Both are capable of engaging in the physical contests - you cannot get away without doing so - but it is what they do outside of that that is most thrilling.

Their delicate touches, awareness of space, and deft finishing are the qualities fans pay to see, not constant tackles and shoulder barges.

And they add to that by possessing a telepathic understanding that only makes them all the more fun to watch.

The challenge for Liverpool is to ensure that, unlike in that torrid first 30 minutes here, the pair are platformed to show their best on a more regular basis than they have been in this campaign.

But, if they can use this win as a foundation to do so, then perhaps there is still hope for the Premier League yet.