Mo Salah stakes his claim as world’s greatest in dominant Liverpool win; Manchester United’s struggles persist

Hello! The struggles from Boxing Day subsided for some Premier League teams on Sunday, and a few more have the chance to join them and end the year on a high. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest as 2024 comes to a close.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Dec. 30
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Aston Villa vs. Brighton, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Peacock
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Ipswich vs. Chelsea, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Peacock
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Manchester United vs. Newcastle, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network

Tuesday, Dec. 31
🌏 Gulf Cup of Nations: Oman vs. Saudi Arabia, 9:30 a.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🌏 Gulf Cup of Nations: Bahrain vs. Kuwait, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

⚽ The Forward Line

1️⃣ Salah shines again in Liverpool’s big win

Liverpool closed out 2024 with a lopsided 5-0 win at West Ham United on Sunday, showcasing the ease that’s become their trademark under manager Arne Slot and taking them eight points clear at the top of the table.

The game offered a multifaceted view of Liverpool’s dominance, complete with five different goalscorers. The focus was squarely on Mohamed Salah, though, who added to his goal count by scoring his 20th goal across all competitions this season. The Egypt international’s latest strike came despite West Ham’s attempts to keep him at bay, but as James Benge observed from the London Stadium, there’s simply no stopping the person who might just be the world’s best player right now.

• Benge: “West Ham could have stuck another three men on him. They could have rotationally kicked him around the field. It wouldn’t really have mattered. The best player in the world is gonna best player in the world sometimes. A brilliant flick of the heel with his back to goal left Konstantinos Mavropanos trying a penalty-conceding foul Salah was strong enough to shake off, the ball rolling for Gakpo to double the lead. By the half, it was three. Carlos Soler ran into trouble, what else could he do given the paucity of options ahead of him. Alexis Mac Allister nicked the ball, Jones cycled it to Salah, a low drive at the near post and another 20-goal season in the bag before the new year.”

Salah is already just five goals shy of his total from last season, marking an impressive uptick in form for a 32-year-old. Coming into the campaign, few might question Liverpool’s decision to let the goalscorer leave on a free when his contract expires in the summer. His output dwindled from the 2022-23 campaign to the following season, especially as he enters his post-peak years as a player. Salah’s impressive form this campaign, though, has bolstered arguments that the club should offer him a new deal as he becomes an early candidate to win next year’s Ballon d’Or.

Salah has hinted at this season being his final one at Anfield, but he has hit another level with eight goals and seven assists in his last seven games. His increased output means he’s had more chances to answer questions about his future, and on Sunday he quickly offered a reminder that it has not changed his contractual status, saying, “No, we are far away from that.”

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🔗  Midfield Link Play

🔴 Manchester United’s big test against Newcastle

The final day of Premier League action this year will be headlined by Manchester United, who host Newcastle United on Monday in a faceoff between two teams in contrasting form.

Newcastle’s rocky start has subsided and Eddie Howe’s side now find themselves in the hunt for a spot in the top four with a chance to rise up to fifth with a win at Old Trafford. The Magpies are unbeaten in their last four and have outscored the opposition 14 to one in that time, making them the favorites to take home all three points in their final game of the calendar year. It is the opposite of United’s situation heading into their year-end fixture, with things slowly going from bad to worse over the last year and change.

United have lost their last three games and have just two wins in their last seven, including their surprise win over Manchester City earlier this month. Newcastle’s scoring exploits offer a stark reminder that United are defensively wobbly, as the last several weeks have shown – they have conceded 16 goals in their last seven games, nine of them coming in the last three. The results do not necessarily reflect badly on new manager Ruben Amorim, who has received the backing of many famous and vocal ex-United players who felt the need to offer their two cents in the last few days. It is still Amorim’s responsibility to fix the Red Devils’ problems, though, and they are not limited to a leaky defense.

The Red Devils have not scored in their last two games and have scored just nine goals in their last seven. The low goal count goes hand-in-hand with United’s inconsistent offensive output, which saw them go from 23 shots and 2.28 expected goals in their 3-0 loss to Bournemouth last Sunday to 11 shots and 0.44 shots in their 2-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday. United’s goalscoring record is even patchier against teams that have been in and around the top spots in recent years – Amorim’s team has lost each of their three games against teams in last season’s top five, teasing that it might still be too early for big wins as the new manager settles into the job.

The big questions for United, then, are when they will actually begin to show signs of improvement – and how long is too long to make those changes.

🔗  Top Stories

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League grades: Liverpool and Nottingham Forest earned top marks for their performances on Sunday, while Manchester City still look average despite winning only their second game since October.

🩹 Pulisic injury: Former AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca said Christian Pulisic suffered a setback while recovering from a calf injury, but did not offer a specific timeline on his return before Milan replaced Fonseca with Sergio Conceicao on Monday.

🔴 Arsenal minus Saka: Arsenal picked up a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town in their first game since Bukayo Saka picked up a hamstring injury, which will keep him out a further two months after he underwent surgery.

✈️ Alexander-Arnold to Madrid?: Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold may have lined up Real Madrid as his next move, but the Reds will be prepared for life without him even if he opts to leave in the summer.

💬 Ronaldo sounds off: In a wide-ranging discussion, Cristiano Ronadlo argued that the Saudi Pro League is better than France’s Ligue 1 and also believed Vinicius Junior should have won the Ballon d’Or over Rodri earlier this year.

📺 Thuram on TV: Inter’s Marcus Thuram said he hopes to emulate Thierry Henry in retirement and work on American television.

🇺🇸 Aaronson scores: Brenden Aaronson scored in Leeds United’s win over Derby County on Sunday, equalling his career-best total of seven goals in a single season.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Premier League: Aston Villa vs. Brighton and Hove Albion, Monday, 2:45 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Ollie Watkins to score (+135) – Aston Villa will be without Jhon Duran after his red card on Boxing Day, but Ollie Watkins is a natural contender to lead the hosts’ goalscoring plans. Watkins already has seven goals across all competitions this season and will be as likely as anyone to score at Villa Park on Monday.
• Premier League: Ipswich Town vs. Chelsea, Monday, 2:45 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Chelsea to win 2-0 (+700) – Chelsea may have surprisingly lost on Boxing Day, but there’s little reason to suggest that will become a habit. Expect the Blues to return to winning ways on Monday with second place in sight, especially against 19th place Ipswich Town.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.   

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽  Call it What You Want (Monday and Thursday): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 1 p.m. ET and Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.