Liverpool welcomed Newcastle United at Anfield earlier this afternoon hoping to earn a victory and make up some ground in the Premier League top-four race. The Reds made a bright start to the game and took the lead in the third minute courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s excellent finish. They kept pushing for the second goal but lacked the cutting edge as usual in the final third. The away team defended valiantly and went into the half-time break only a goal down.
The Tyneside outfit kept themselves in the contest and scored a dramatic injury-time equalizer when Joe Willock got the better of Alisson Becker from close range. The contest ended with Jurgen Klopp’s men being held to a lacklustre 1-1 draw at home.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the clash against the Magpies.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper made some key saves to keep his team ahead. However, he couldn’t do much to deny Joe Willock, who scored a late equaliser with his deflected attempt.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English full-back had some lively moments in the Newcastle half and delivered some inviting crosses during the game. He was also solid at the back.
CB: Ozan Kabak – 7/10
The Turkish defender was quick to react to the danger and cleared his lines when required. He did well to keep Joelinton frustrated for the majority of the game.
CB: Fabinho – 6/10
The Brazilian defender controlled the game well and came to his team’s rescue on a couple of occasions late in the game. However, he could have done better to prevent Willock’s late equaliser.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 6/10
He went close to scoring with a driven attempt in the second half. However, he could have been a bit more accurate with his crossing and got caught napping late in the game when Newcastle were desperately looking for the equaliser.
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 7/10
The Spaniard ran the show at the centre of the park and was at the heart of every good move Liverpool created going forward. Hence, Klopp’s decision to replace him in the second half was quite baffling.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 5/10
The Dutch midfield ace lacked creativity with his passing and failed to gain control in midfield after Thiago’s substitution. Wijnaldum needs to be dropped as he is clearly not playing up his usual standards this year.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7/10
The Egyptian winger scored a superb goal in the third minute but was guilty of missing some excellent chances to find the back of the net again.
CAM: Roberto Firmino – 6.5/10
The Brazilian attacker created some meaningful openings for others around him. However, he was a bit sloppy towards the latter stages of the game due to fatigue.
LW: Sadio Mane – 6/10
The Senegalese winger tried to make things happen and looked like a player low on confidence. He got several chances to double Liverpool’s goal-tally but never looked like he would score.
ST: Diogo Jota – 5/10
The Portuguese striker gave away the ball far too often and was wasteful in the final third. He got substituted early in the second half.
Substitutes:
CM: James Milner – 7/10
He brought some control and fight back to the Liverpool midfield.
CM: Curtis Jones – 5/10
Jones struggled to get into the flow of the game.
