Skipper nears perfect campaign
Steven Gerrard could move a step closer to his first ever-present season when the Reds travel to Newcastle on Saturday – pore over a selection of pre-match facts and figures courtesy of club statistician Ged Rea.
Earlier this season the sides drew 1-1 at Anfield in Gerrard's 600th game for the club. Yohan Cabaye gave the Magpies the lead two minutes from the break before Luis Suarez scored an equaliser on 67 minutes. Fabricio Coloccini was sent off six minutes from time. It was Newcastle's first point won at Anfield in eight years.
It was also the first time in 15 league meetings between the teams home and away that the game had not produced a winner since a 1-1 draw at Anfield in May 2004 in Gerard Houllier's last game in charge of the Reds.
There has not been a goalless draw in the last 55 meetings between the teams - a run stretching back to February 1974.
In the last 13 meetings home and away the Reds have won nine and lost three. They have scored in 12 of those games.
Liverpool's biggest ever win at St James' Park came in December 2008 when they won 5-1. Steven Gerrard was on target twice that day along with Sami Hyypia, Ryan Babel and Xabi Alonso (pen). 12 of the 18-man squad that day are no longer at Anfield.
On the last six occasions Liverpool have faced the Magpies in the North East they have scored 13 goals in total.
Liverpool have won 21 and lost nine of the 37 Barclays Premier League meetings between the sides. At St James' they have won six, drawn four and lost eight.
They have kept just two clean sheets in their last 20 league visits - in September 2001 and November 2007.
In six of the Reds' last eight wins over Newcastle when he has started, Gerrard has scored. The skipper now has seven goals in total against Saturday's opponents. Only Michael Owen with 13 has netted more against the Geordies than Gerrard for Liverpool in the Premier League.
The Reds have scored 74 goals against Newcastle in the Premier League (more than against any other team) and the total of 116 by both clubs in those meetings is only one short of the 117 scored in Liverpool v Tottenham fixtures.
They have scored 28 league goals at St James' Park - more than they have netted at any other away ground in the Premier League era.
Only two Liverpool players have ever scored a hat-trick at St James' Park, Steve Nicol in September 1987 and Owen in August 1998 - both in 4-1 Reds wins.
Glen Johnson scored the first goal of his professional career against Newcastle in November 2003 in a 5-0 Chelsea home win.
Lucas Leiva scored his first league goal for Liverpool against the Geordies in a 3-0 win at Anfield in May 2009.
Gerrard has played in all of Liverpool's 34 league games so far this season - he has never been a league ever-present before.
Only Manchester United (35), Chelsea and Tottenham (31 each) have scored more away league goals than Liverpool (29) in the top flight.
Alan Pardew's reign at St James' Park began with a 3-1 win over Liverpool on Tyneside in December 2010.
He has won twice in the 10 fixtures he has faced the Reds as a manager during his time with Newcastle, Charlton and West Ham.
Newcastle have conceded 60 league goals - the joint-third worst record in the top flight. Reading have shipped 65 and Aston Villa 63.
Newcastle go into this game having won just one of their last seven in league and Europa League - that win coming thanks to a 93rd-minute winner from Papiss Cisse against Fulham earlier this month.
Three of their last eight goals have been scored from the 90th minute onwards and all by Cisse.
They have not scored more than once in any of the last eight games and in only one of the last 11.