Liverpool kept themselves firmly in the fight for the quadruple as they overcame a spirited Newcastle to move back to the top of the Premier League - for a few hours at least.
Jurgen Klopp made five changes at St James' Park, including leaving top scorer Mohamed Salah on the bench, after the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
It looked like it would backfire as in-form Newcastle started strongly, pressing Liverpool high and forcing them into a couple of early mistakes.
But Liverpool grew into the game and were dominating possession when Naby Keita struck in the 19th minute.
The midfielder showed great composure as he dribbled across the box and past Martin Dubravka before slotting into the net.
Sadio Mane should have made it 2-0 before the break when his shot on the counter was too close to Dubravka, who also made a fine save from a Diogo Jota header.
The Newcastle fans, who were aggrieved that play continued in the lead-up to Liverpool's goal because Fabian Schar was down injured, thought Miguel Almiron had equalised after rounding Alisson, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
The hosts also made a lively start to the second half, but Liverpool went closest to adding a second with Mane shooting wide from close range before Jota's shot was pushed over.
It was not a vintage Liverpool display, but they got the job done to go two points clear at the top and put the pressure back on Manchester City, who face Leeds at Elland Road at 17:30 BST on Saturday.
Reds fullback Andrew Robertson later said: "Newcastle worked really hard, they're in fantastic shape. They're in the top ten, so we knew it was going to be difficult. Luckily we got the goal and I don't think they had too many chances after that. We had a few to kill the game off but we're just happy with the three points.
"Joelinton was causing us a couple of problems early on, but in the second half I thought the lads were excellent against him. They started better than us but then we got a foothold in the game. We got the goal and we got a bit better after that.
"They didn't have many chances. I thought the two centre-backs and Joe Gomez were different class. We're blessed we've got everyone fit just now - maybe apart from Bobby [Firmino]. We made five changes today, but the lads that are coming in are putting in big performances. We need that between now and the end of the season."
On being top of the league, he added: "We'll see how long it lasts, but we just have to win our games."
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