Liverpool full-back duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have made Premier League assist history, and both could make more in short order.
It was Alexander-Arnold whose presence was heavily felt in the early going in Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Newcastle.
With the Reds needing a win to keep the pressure on Manchester City in the title race, Alexander-Arnold picked up an early assist when his corner kick found the head of an unmarked Virgil van Dijk to give Liverpool a 1-0 advantage 13 minutes in.
That moment secured a bit of history for the full-back pair as it brought Alexander-Arnold to 10 assists on the campaign, while Robertson sits on 11 after his two assist performance last week against Huddersfield.
They became the first pair of defenders on the same team to have 10 or more Premier League assists in the same season.
Alexander-Arnold stayed in focus not long after, as he appeared to deliberately handle a ball to block a Salomon Rondon shot from going in – only for Christian Atsu’s rebound finish to save the full-back a red card dismissal.
While the scoreline went to 1-1, Alexander-Arnold was still on the field to factor into the proceedings again, as his delivery into the area was slotted home by Mohamed Salah to re-establish the Liverpool advantage just eight minutes later.
In the process, Alexander-Arnold notched his 11th assist of the campaign, matching Robertson, and joining the Scotland international, along with Leighton Baines in 2010-11 and Andy Hinchcliffe in 1994-95 as the only defenders in Premier League history to lay on as many goals.
In fact, the pair in this season alone have accounted for two per cent of Liverpool's total assists in the Premier League era.
Both full-backs have the opportunity to take sole possession of the defender assist record if they can add to their total in Liverpool’s final game of the season against Wolves at Anfield.
Salah also picked up a milestone of his own as he put Liverpool back in front.
The goal was his 100th in European top-flight domestic league competition, with 56 coming in the Premier League with Chelsea and Liverpool. Thirty-five came in his time with Fiorentina and Roma in Serie A with another nine in the Swiss Super League with Basel.
It also brought him up to 22 goals on the Premier League season, increasing his edge over team-mate Sadio Mane and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, who each have 20 in the \race for the Golden Boot.
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