Though still six points behind Newcastle, a 2-0 win on Saturday has given Liverpool a golden opportunity to catch up with them in the Premier League.
Goals from Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo were enough to clinch victory over 10-man Newcastle, though the hosts had chances to peg the Reds back.
It comes on a vital evening for Liverpool, with three sides ahead of them in the top-four hunt at the start of the day all dropping points.
Brentford drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace, Brighton lost 1-0 to Fulham and Newcastle suffered only their second league loss of the season.
Liverpool leapfrogged Brentford into eighth with their three points, and are now level with seventh-placed Brighton on 35 points.
They are three behind Fulham in sixth but hold two games in hand, and only four off fifth-placed Tottenham having played one game fewer than Antonio Conte’s side.
By beating Newcastle, too, the Reds have seized an opportunity to draw level with the Magpies before Eddie Howe leads them into their next league game.
Next up for Newcastle is the Carabao Cup final, where they will play Man United without both the suspended Pope and the cup-tied Martin Dubravka, meaning Loris Karius is expected to start.
And between now and the Magpies’ trip to Man City on March 4, Liverpool will play Crystal Palace (Feb 25) and Wolves (Mar 1), meaning they can close the six-point gap with two wins.
Newcastle, who are certainly not guaranteed to beat City at the Etihad, would however hold a game in hand, but they are currently on a run of just one win in seven in the league and showing signs of crumbling.
It is certainly a positive situation for Liverpool, who can take confidence into their Champions League last-16 first leg at home to Real Madrid on Tuesday.
With key men returning from injury and form picking up, a top-four finish could still very much be on the cards.
