Shortly before the last World Cup Gareth Southgate had the humility to admit that his in-game management still contained room for improvement. The England coach’s sole problem is that his side simply do not play sufficient matches to allow him to make enough of the inspired mid‑match substitutions and tactical switches which set managers such as Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp apart from the crowd.
No matter; at least Southgate was on Tyneside to study a Klopp masterclass in overcoming adversity and winning against all odds at first hand.
With Liverpool reduced to 10 men after Virgil van Dijk’s 28th-minute sending-off and having fallen behind to Anthony Gordon’s fine opener three minutes earlier, Klopp used his substitutes brilliantly. He was duly rewarded by two exceptional late goals from the perhaps unlikely figure of Darwin Núñez.
If the Uruguay striker’s winner in stoppage time demonstrated why he was worth the record £85m Liverpool paid Benfica for his services last summer after all, his manager’s earlier introduction of, among others, Diogo Jota, helped not only to bring the best out in Mo Salah but put Eddie Howe firmly in his place.
The home manager had hoped to confirm a changing of the guard in football’s northern powerhouse by choreographing Newcastle’s first Premier League win against Liverpool since 2015 and things certainly began well for him.
If the duel involving Newcastle’s Gordon and Liverpool’s sometimes inverted right back, Trent Alexander‑Arnold, always promised to prove an intriguing subplot few onlookers can have expected it to provoke match‑changing controversy quite so quickly.
After only five minutes Alexander-Arnold received a yellow card for flicking the ball away in frustration after being unceremoniously shoved into the technical area by Gordon. It seemed harsh, pedantic even, but under the latest edicts on the laws, the referee, John Brooks had little option but to issue the booking.
A minute later a seething Alexander-Arnold blocked Gordon’s path by flinging out an arm, catching the left winger with a stray elbow. It seemed worthy of another yellow card but – resisting considerable pressure from Howe and Newcastle’s captain, Kieran Trippier – Brooks resisted.
Perhaps unnerved, Alexander-Arnold swiftly lost concentration at a vital moment. In permitting Salah’s admittedly awkward pass to squirm beneath his studs the full-back allowed Gordon to steal in, seize possession and show off some impressive acceleration before sending a low shot whizzing under Alisson en route to the back of the net.
High on adrenaline and exhibiting the sort of change of pace which suggested he might have hired Usain Bolt as a sprint coach, Gordon was simply irrepressible at this point. As a former Evertonian the England Under‑21s winger certainly appeared to be enjoying running Alexander-Arnold and the increasingly ruffled Joël Matip ragged in front of Southgate.
When Gordon – who else – slipped a ball through to Alexander Isak, the Sweden forward had a clear sight of goal only to be sent crashing by Van Dijk’s scything challenge just outside the penalty area.
Although a VAR review vindicated Brooks’s controversy-tinged decision to issue a straight red card, neither the centre-half nor Klopp took that call too well but things could have deteriorated even further for Liverpool had Alisson not performed acrobatic wonders to somehow keep out Miguel Almirón’s goal‑bound volley. It is not yet September but we have a worthy save-of-the-season contender.
Klopp had responded to his side’s reduction to 10 men by sacrificing Luis Díaz in order to introduce Joe Gomez’s defensive qualities and afford a struggling midfield a measure of protection.
Although Dominik Szoboszlai – a Hungary international also much admired by Howe – looked very good at times, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo, making his first Liverpool start, struggled for touches and made minimal impact.
It left Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, ably assisted by Joelinton to pull the midfield strings, creating a framework in which Gordon’s stream of menacing crosses repeatedly unhinged Klopp’s backline.
Whether or not Salah wants to leave Liverpool for a new life in Saudi Arabia remains a matter of conjecture but, whatever his innermost feelings, the Egypt striker offered Liverpool fans a glimmer of hope courtesy of the odd menacing attacking cameo. That Salah rarely broke through was less about him and more about the excellence with which Sven Botman generally dealt with his cleverly insidious movement.
Indeed a visiting side that improved almost beyond recognition after Klopp replaced Endo and Cody Gakpo with Harvey Elliott and Jota were denied a near certain goal by Botman’s fabulous 11th‑hour sliding, stretching block on Salah.
Although Almirón’s swerving left‑foot shot rebounded off the base of a post, Newcastle fans turned fretful. With hindsight Howe would most definitely not have withdrawn the immensely influential Gordon, Joelinton and Tonali during a flurry of second‑half substitutions which self‑destructively ceded control to Liverpool.
When Salah and Jota combined to highly intelligent effect even Botman failed to subdue the latter’s pass. The fallout permitted another substitute, Núñez – newly on for Mac Allister – to pounce. Advancing seamlessly, the Uruguayan directed a low drive into the bottom corner, destroying Nick Pope’s hitherto fine afternoon. Howe looked flabbergasted.
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Then, three minutes into stoppage time, Salah intercepted Bruno Guimarães’s tired pass. Núñez took the Egyptian’s subsequently fine delivery in his stride and, having outpaced Dan Burn, whipped another glorious finish beyond Newcastle’s keeper. As Howe retreated into head-in-hands mode, Klopp indulged in a bout of alpha male chest beating.
