Liverpool told why they 'owe it' to Mohamed Salah to still be leading Premier League title race when Egyptian star returns from AFCON duty

Salah played his final game for Liverpool against Newcastle before linking up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations and signed off in style with two goals in a 4-2 victory. The win ensured Liverpool went three points clear at the top of the Premier League table and boosted their title hopes. The Reds must now cope without their talisman, and Gary Neville has explained why Liverpool's players owe it to Salah to preserve top spot over the next few weeks.

He told the Gary Neville podcast. "A lot of those players have left and they've got back to a transitional period like they were at the beginning under Klopp with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.They're not polished yet. They're not at the peak of their careers where you start to make precise decisions

"There's an electricity to them but also a frustration that in the final third the last part can go a little bit wrong. You wonder what that's going to be like without Salah but they owe it to him to get through the next month still in the title, still at the top of the league and still ahead so they can give Salah a chance to come back and have a real go at the title.

"I didn't think Liverpool would be in a title race and I still don't think they'll do it. The hesitation I have in my voice is due to those three players [Gakpo, Nunez and Diaz] but Klopp is something different as a manager."

Salah could miss as many as eight games if Egypt go all the way at this year's tournament. The Pharaohs face Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique in Group B and will be expected to progress to the knockout stages. In his absence Jurgen Klopp will look to Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo to provide the goals and maintain the Reds' title charge.

Salah scored his 150th Premier League goals for Liverpool against Newcastle, becoming just the fifth player to reach the milestone for a single club in the competition after Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry.

Liverpool head into a tricky-looking FA Cup third round tie next against Arsenal. The two teams meet at the Emirates on Sunday, January 7. Meanwhile, Salah will be in action on the same day for Egypt against Tanzania in a warm-up game ahead of the start of the AFCON tournament.