Arne Slot came into this game making jokes for the first time as Liverpool boss. He did not know whether to laugh or cry come the end.
This was a throwback to the mid-Nineties ding-dongs between these two clubs. It was not quite 4-3 this time, but there was all the drama, intrigue and spirit of those battles.
If there was an advertising board in front of the dugout, Slot would have felt like ducking behind it on full-time, a la Kevin Keegan in 1996.
Liverpool had come from behind to lead 3-2 entering the 90th minute, thanks to the genius of Mo Salah. But when those at the other end of the pitch switched off – not for the first time – Fabian Schar stole in to slide an equaliser that was very much deserved for Eddie Howe’s men. In fact, neither side deserved to lose here.
With Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City all winning, you could say this was a bad night for Liverpool. But what they lost in points they gained in being part of a contest that forced them to dig deeper than they have all season, even if it was Salah who got them out a hole. Make no mistake, Newcastle buried the visitors in the first half. If only they’d done the same with their chances.
St James’ Park always rallies for nights like this, with its team in need of support and inspiration. They circle the black and white wagons and 11 becomes 12. And so it was that those wagons slowed the locomotive that is Liverpool, the Premier League leaders in search of an eighth straight win in all competitions.
Mohamed Salah provided yet another reminder of his class with two goals and an assist
Fabian Schar provided a late sting in the tail by sliding in for a last-minute equaliser
Arne Slot’s men were ahead twice but were pegged back in a six-goal thriller at St James’ Park
This will not send Slot and his players off track, but it is a reminder that their journey to the title for which they are clear favourites will not be without resistance. Who would have thought their toughest game of the past seven days would be Newcastle, and not Real Madrid or Manchester City? That is the Premier League, and that is this fixture in particular.
A tribute to Keegan had been planned by Newcastle supporter group Wor Flags before kick-off. Sensing their team was in need of a display that talked to today and not yesterday, they scrapped that idea. Instead, a simple message: ‘Get into them’. The players listened. Newcastle stopped short of throwing punches, but they threw everything else at Liverpool.
Howe asked for a fast start. What he got was very fast, too fast for their opponents. From zero shots on, or off, target at Crystal Palace on Saturday, Sandro Tonali drew a save from Caoimhin Kelleher inside 90 seconds.
A pair of Alexis Mac Allister shots aside – one hit the post – the Reds spent the entire half defending. And given Joe Gomez was struggling to defend, that wasn’t a great place to be. Even Virgil van Dijk, so cool of late, was given a roasting by Alexander Isak.
By the time the Swede broke the deadlock in the 35th minute – or rather, detonated it – Newcastle could have been two in front. For a team who have made the creation of chances look like an attempt to split the atom of late, they were splitting Liverpool’s defence with ease.
There were seven shots come half-time, including a Jacob Murphy drive that clipped the post and a chance for Anthony Gordon at 1-0 that, when missed, felt like it could come back to haunt his side.
But first, the goal. Guimaraes stepped away from Mac Allister on halfway and slipped a pass forward to Isak. There was much to be done, with Van Dijk and 25 yards between him and the goal to be negotiated. He made easy work of the former with a drop of his shoulder and even lighter work of the latter, slamming into the top corner from the full distance. ‘Whoa’ said Slot of that goal afterwards.
Three minutes later and Gordon was sent clear on goal, by Gomez. The defender’s backpass was poor but so too was Gordon’s finish, straight at Kelleher. As he climbed to his feet, Van Dijk planted a shoulder in his face. Penalty? Howe thought so, VAR did not. It was a bizarre action by the Liverpool defender, a sign of how rattled he was.
Eddie Howe had asked for a fast start. What he got was very fast, too fast for the visitors as Alexander Isak’s rocket put them ahead
Isak rifled home from outside the area as Liverpool were put under considerable pressure
Anthony Gordon left Joe Gomez on the floor to give Newcastle the lead once again
But Liverpool were never likely to be as ragged and ill-disciplined after half-time. Within five minutes of the second half they were level. Salah, for the first time, got in behind left back Lewis Hall and rolled into the path of Curtis Jones, who snapped first time into the roof the net.
It was Liverpool landing the blows now – a sliding Darwin Nunez was a stud’s length away from giving them the lead – so when Newcastle went up the other end and scored, it was against the run of play. Isak found Gordon and, faced only with Gomez, he backed himself to beat the centre-back. That he did, chopping inside before firing through Kelleher from 10 yards.
The home advantage lasted just six minutes. Salah was the scorer, sweeping home from substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delivery for his 14th of the season. He made it 15 when accepting another pass from Alexander-Arnold before spinning and finding the bottom corner in the 83rd minute.
Game over? No chance. This was game on from the first minute, and so it proved until the last.
