Incredible Liverpool stat after Newcastle win bettered only by Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne and Erik ten Hag

Liverpool set a remarkable Premier League record in last night's 4-2 win over Newcastle that has only been beaten by Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne and Erik ten Hag.

Mohamed Salah scored twice for the Reds on his final appearance before joining up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, with Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo also finding the net.

The Reds recorded a staggering 34 shots during the match, with 15 of those being on target.

A scoreline of 4-2, therefore, suggests that the match was closer than it actually was, with a deficit of two goals perhaps fortunate for the visiting side.

Liverpool's xG (expected goals) for the match stood at an incredible 7.27 - the highest ever recorded in the history of the Premier League since the statistic was first counted.

Newcastle's xG, meanwhile, stood at just 0.59, meaning a difference of 6.68. Only three other games have seen a higher xG difference between the two teams.

As per Andrew Beasley, only three games in the history of the FiveThirtyEight database - which formerly compiled xG data from 36,193 games - were higher, with Barcelona, Manchester City and Erik ten Hag's Ajax all involved.

Barcelona's 4-0 win over Deportivo in 2017 saw an xG difference of 6.73, while City's 8-0 win over Watford in 2019 - which featured De Bruyne - had a difference of 6.79.

But it is a match involving Ten Hag's Ajax that takes the crown - and by some margin.

Their sensational 13-0 win over VVV Venlo in 2020 had an xG difference of 8.04. We can't see that being beaten any time soon, in truth.

Liverpool are currently three points ahead at the top of the Premier League table, with Unai Emery's Aston Villa in second place.

The Reds now have a break from league action until January 21, when they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Before then, however, they travel to Arsenal for an FA Cup third round tie, before facing Fulham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield.