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One goalkeeper was responsible for a massive brain drop, the other for a great effort.
If Newcastle have a lock this season, it’s clearly Liverpool.
After this week, Jurgen Klopp is starting to see the light again.
Even Rafa Benitez, who has a background in both Liverpool and Newcastle, didn’t want to talk about football at first.
When Christian Atsu’s name came up in Studio Sky, the trainer chose to stray from his favorite subject matter for once. It was not the time to dig into the Ghanaian’s left foot or Newcastle’s 107 games.
First of all, Christian Atsu was an amazing person. This was also witnessed by Eddie Howe, who woke up to the tragic news that the 31-year-old had died in the terrible earthquake in Turkey.
Atsu’s latest hit in the black and white striped jersey? Coincidentally, he hit against Liverpool in the 2018/2019 season.
Shocking start
Sadness hung in the air around St James’ Park before kick-off. Heavy feelings were soon exchanged for eccentric sympathy as Newcastle flew off the starting blocks.
Then the shock began.
Shortly after Alain Saint-Maximin set the crowd on fire, Trent Alexander-Arnold was given time to kick the goal. The right-back fired a ball deep towards Darwin Nunez, who tapped the pass onto his chest and made it 1-0 for Liverpool.
The Newcastle fans barely had time before Mo Salah found his way to the next top scorer, Kwady Gakou.
Falling 0-2 down at home after 17 minutes must have come as a shock to a team that until then had the best defense in the league. The last time Newcastle conceded two goals in the Premier League was at Anfield in August.
They also have one of the best goalkeepers. However, Nick Pope isn’t very convincing when he has to use his feet, which is shown two minutes later. The Englishman was responsible for one of the biggest brain drains of the season when he fumbled the ball with his hands outside the penalty area.
A direct red card and a complete nightmare for Newcastle.
Newcastle pressed on
20-year-old Elliott Anderson, who had a chance from the start, was forced to make room for reserve goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
If Jurgen Klopp is standing along the sidelines? Very doubtful. Despite being a man down back, Newcastle pressed both Saint-Maximin and Dan Burn came agonizingly close to pulling one back before half-time.
Liverpool eventually managed to contain their opponents and persevere. Two consecutive wins mean the club is taking further steps towards the Champions League places, something that was only a foregone conclusion a few weeks ago.
Another positive aspect that should be highlighted is that Núñez and Gapko are showing that they can run wild in the back of the net. With both Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota back, he has also begun to ease up on injury.
Otherwise, there are still some question marks over Liverpool’s defence. With or without Virgil van Dijk who started today.
Luckily, the guard, Allison, is still pretty cool.
expected with a recession
The last time Newcastle won a league meeting was on January 15 (1-0 against Fulham). It’s normal to end up in a slight slump as goal shooting doesn’t flow as smoothly as it used to. After all, Eddie Howe’s men have performed at an impressively high standard for large parts of the season.
The fact that Bruno Guimarães and Callum Wilson have been missing in recent weeks could partly explain the slump. Alexander Isaacs did his best to contribute in attack on Saturday, but without scoring, like the encounter at Anfield.
With Newcastle clearly struggling to get rid of Liverpool, we could end up with another compass.
With Pope’s red card, he was suspended in the League Cup Final against Manchester United. Dubravka, in turn, already represents the opposing team this season and is therefore not allowed to play either.
This means that Howe will be left with two options next weekend: Either 30-year-old Mark Gillespie, whose final game for Newcastle came in the 2020/21 League Cup.
Or Loris Karius. Yes, Loris Karius who was the scapegoat when Liverpool lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid in 2018. It remains to be seen if the German will be trusted.