In Liverpool’s Premier League title matchup with Arsenal and Manchester City, manager Jurgen Klopp has given a Kevin De Bruyne ruling. With a 4-2 victory over Newcastle on Monday night, the Reds took a three-point lead atop the table. Mohamed Salah celebrated his last game for several weeks in style.

Unquestionably, the 31-year-old is Liverpool’s talisman, but they will have to do without him in January as he travels to the AFCON to represent Egypt. Salah’s first-half penalty was saved by Martin Dubravka, but he still scored an open goal to give Liverpool the lead and received an assist during a hectic evening at Anfield.

Salah then got another opportunity to score from 12 yards out, and he seized it with all of his might to secure the victory. Both Aston Villa and Arsenal have lost ground in recent weeks; the latter has only triumphed once in their past seven games overall and has not won in their last three league games.

Unai Emery’s team, however, unexpectedly lost to Sheffield United a little more than a week after defeating Man City and Arsenal in straight days. With four victories in their past five league games, Tottenham also looks to be making a comeback.

With numerous changing elements in the title race, Klopp was asked for his thoughts on the picture ahead of facing Newcastle and his verdict reflected the multiple narratives being addressed. “It’s all positive,” Klopp told Sky Sports on the title race. “There’s no doubt about that. But last week – it feels like a few hours ago – Arsenal were running away with it. If you speak today about it then you will say, ‘That’s it for them’. Tottenham were out. Now they’re back in.

Klopp then added: “Kevin De Bruyne is warming up. The whole country is starting to shake.” As Klopp mentions, De Bruyne is beginning to become a major talking point once again as he appeared in Saturday’s matchday squad to face Sheffield United.

Having been welcomed back into the fold by Pep Guardiola for the first time in over four months, the Man City boss said: “He’s close. We asked each other to come and be on the bench and to start to be in the locker room,” he told the club’s official website. “It’s a lot of time he’s been out. But he’s close and training good and he will start to get minutes to get to his best.

“It’s incredible news. It’s so important. “I felt with the warm-up, the standing ovation was the people waiting for him to be back. Like all of us. It’s been a long injury. But it’s the last stages, the last steps to start to take minutes. He’s been training good the last week. Today he came for the picture with the five trophies, to be on the bench and to feel and to smell a little bit.”