With Covid outbreaks seeing games cancelled left and right, even getting onto the pitch as English football enters its busy Christmas period was a victory.
As Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho, along with Curtis Jones, tested positive, Jürgen Klopp was forced into two changes to the team that beat Aston Villa, bringing in Ibrahima Konaté and Diogo Jota. Liverpool set up in their usual 4-3-3 formation.
Eddie Howe made three changes to the side that was thrashed by Leicester City, replacing Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock and Callum Wilson with Jacob Murphy, Isaac Hayden and Ryan Fraser. Newcastle lined up in a 4-5-1 shape.
Liverpool took control from the off but fell behind early as Newcastle caught them on the counter. Thiago Alcântara gave possession away in attack, with Ryan Fraser collecting the ball, playing it on to Alain Saint-Maximin then bursting forward in support to cross. Thiago cut out Fraser’s cross but his clearance was poor, going only as far as Jonjo Shelvey, who took a touch and fired a shot from the edge of the area past an unsighted Alisson Becker.
Newcastle had already primarily been looking to defend but taking the lead meant they took this even further, often forming a 6-3-1 shape as Murphy and Fraser dropped back into defence.
Liverpool attacked in a 2-3-5 shape. Sadio Mané, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jota took up central attacking positions with Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah on the wings, while Trent Alexander-Arnold tucked inside next to Jordan Henderson in midfield and Thiago was out towards the left. The Spaniard had started the game dropping in next to Henderson, drawing Hayden out to press him and creating space for the attackers between the lines, but this disappeared after just a few minutes as he pushed on down the left, not quite in line with the attackers but rarely in line with Henderson or Alexander-Arnold either. Both Joël Matip and Konaté took the opportunity to push forward on the ball and break the lines with brave passes.
It didn’t take long for Liverpool to equalise. Fabian Schär and Hayden went down at a corner clutching their heads, with the former rising back to his feet when it became clear the referee wasn’t stopping play. Liverpool won the loose ball and sent it out to Mané down the right, who crossed to Jota at the back post, left so free he got two chances at it – Martin Dubravka saved his initial header but could do nothing to stop the follow-up. Newcastle could rightly feel aggrieved as Mike Dean should have stopped play, but at a certain point they should have realised he wasn’t going to blow his whistle and done something to cover for the gaping hole Jota was waiting in. They didn’t and the Portuguese took advantage.
Minutes later Liverpool took the lead through counterpressing. Konaté underhit his cross-field pass, allowing Fraser to intercept, but then Liverpool’s players surrounded him to get the ball back. He moved the ball on to Joelinton as Liverpool’s players closed in, and the Brazilian turned back and played the ball to Shelvey, whose rushed backpass put Mané through on goal. Dubravka saved the Senegalese’s shot but Salah was on hand to score the rebound.
As Liverpool now had the lead they were happier to simply hold onto possession, with Thiago or Oxlade-Chamberlain sitting deeper, meaning Newcastle had to go chasing after them if they were to get back into the game. They refused to be drawn into this though, continuing to sit back in a deep 4-5-1. This stopped Liverpool from being able to cut through them and add to their lead, but it made it practically impossible for Newcastle to get back on even terms. Newcastle tried to break forward on the counter but Saint-Maximin was generally left too isolated to make this a success. Eventually Joelinton did start to push forward to partner the striker once Wilson replaced Saint-Maximin but this was too little, too late.
With Liverpool permitted to have full control with little resistance, it was hardly surprising when they secured their victory a few minutes from time. Not wanting to be outdone by Shelvey, Alexander-Arnold picked up the ball just outside the box and fired a screamer past Dubravka into the top corner. Dubravka hopped as Alexander-Arnold shot, meaning the ball was already well in flight as he started his dive, but to be honest the shot was so well-placed there was little chance of him getting a better hand to it than the fingertips he managed.
Newcastle shouldn’t be judged by their performance against one of the league’s best, but they will struggle to maintain a Premier League place if they continue like that.
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