It's becoming incredibly difficult to remember what blinking looks like watching this quite extraordinary title race. It was a night where everything flickered on a quite never-ending evening on Tyneside. However, with time and options running out, Liverpool burst back into life to snatch another late victory.

Fitting that it was a familiar face in the art of late goals to sprinkle some much-needed magic on the Reds penultimate league match of the season. Step forward Divock Origi, who saved his team late on against Everton back in December and he came to the fold once again in the 86th minute as Liverpool's title dreams survive another day.

The questions will once again turn to Manchester City as they on Leicester City on Monday night to see whether the champions can hold their nerve and go into the final day as the league front-runners.

The story of the match

It was quite a sensational game and one deserving of a curtain raiser for the St James' loyalists. Twice Newcastle United fought back and a game where Origi was only thrown on due to a serious injury to Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian was stretchered off in the second half which meant there were eight minutes of added time and enough on the clock to cue another late Liverpool fightback.

This was Liverpool's eighth successive Premier League win and while it was by no means a convincing or composed display it typified the depth of Jurgen Klopp's quite-sensational squad. Xherdan Shaqiri and James Milner were thrown on to attempt to cook up a late remedy and it was the little Swiss attacker who struck the decisive free-kick for his fellow substitute Origi to send the travelling supporters into bedlam.

A game that personified why the Premier League is the finest league in the world and a match between one side that had everything on the line and a never that played that is was the same protocol for them. Rafael Benitez's side found an unexpected level of intensity and the crowd embraced it, and some.

The first half was a chaotic exchange of events that saw Liverpool score twice before the break despite appearing bewildered by the intensity of the opposition. Klopp was an uneasy figure appearing distressed on the sidelines berating his players as well as Benitez' assistant Mikel Antia.

It was clearly a frustrating site for Klopp and his players with the home team, in their last St James fixture of the season, had set up a back-five and created a number of dangerous chances.

However, Liverpool found an opening when PFA Player of the Year Virgil van Dijk nodded in his sixth goal of the season in the 13th minute. The Dutchman ran through unmarked and met Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner to direct the ball past Martin Dubravka. Jamaal Lascelles had lost his man through a wave of Liverpool attackers and fell over in the process of failing to track his fellow centre-back.

Despite their lead, the visitors were infuriatingly sloppy with possession and it almost proved to be their coup de grace. Newcastle quickly drew level when Matt Ritchie was picked out on the left side of the area. His shot was miscued but fell to Salomon Rondon who turned it goalwards. The ball then struck Alexander-Arnold's elbow in what would have been a certain red card had Christian Atsu not been there to swoop in the rebound and equalise.

It proved to be a blessing for Liverpool as minutes later the Englishman delivered a first-time cross into the path of Salah who sweetly connected with the ball first time with his right foot past Dubravka and into the back of the net.

Sturridge made his second successive Premier League start in the absence of Roberto Firmino, who is also unlikely to feature in the club's Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona on Wednesday.

Despite Klopp's faith to favour Daniel Sturridge over Origi appeared to turn to dismay after the forward missed a glorious opportunity to extend Liverpool's stronghold on the game following another relentless overlap from Andy Robertson who gave another tireless performance on the left flank. Sturridge skied the Scotsman perfect delivery and then came Newcastle's second equaliser.

Benitez certainly displayed no emotional or sentimental attachment to such a pivotal game against his former club - whom he inspired to the Red's previous European triumph. Newcastle kept on coming and their attacking play was extremely positive, Rondon, in particular, the central figure to such devastating forward play. It was the Rondon who created the opening that led to the corner.

Ayoze Perez took the set-piece which met the head of Georginio Wijnaldum who got their first to head clear only to fall to former Liverpool player Javier Manquillo to head back in where Rondon was preying on the edge of the box who struck a clean swing at the ball and emphatically found the net past a helpless Alisson.

Rondon tormented Dejan Lovren from start-to-finish and forced Klopp to intervene and remove the Croatian following such a schooling from the Newcastle striker.

Salah's injury came 20 minutes from time when Dubravka came high for a long ball from Lovren and the Liverpool forward felt the goalkeeper's knee strike the face of the Egyptian. Following treatment, he was carried off on a stretcher whilst still clutching his face. Klopp was thrown into a dilemma as Wijnaldum was already replaced by Shaqiri.

Then followed Origi's familiar moment with destiny after connecting with a free-kick that brushed off Lascelles' head and went in. Liverpool held on and their winning run remained intact, and so does this utterly enthralling and faultless title race.

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