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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Fabio Carvalho nets last-gasp winner as Liverpool beat Newcastle - 5 talking points

Fabio Carvalho came off the bench to score a last-gasp winner for Liverpool as they came from behind to defeat Newcastle in a dramatic Premier League contest on Wednesday night.

Carvalho, who turned 20 on Tuesday, powered in off the underside of the bar following a 98th-minute corner to send Anfield into frenzy. The youngster's goal came after Roberto Firmino maintained his brilliant form to equalise after Alexander Isak opened the scoring.

Isak struck on his debut for the visitors in the first half, finishing powerfully beyond Alisson after the Reds failed to clear their lines. Firmino responded after the interval, finding the bottom corner from Mohamed Salah's cut-back in the 61st minute.

Jurgen Klopp rolled the dice with a triple substitution with 20 minutes remaining and one of his changes came up trumps as Carvalho made it two goals in two games with a poacher's effort at the back post.

Here are five talking points after an astonishing finish on Merseyside.

1. First-half frustrations

Luis Diaz was the most threatening player for Liverpool in the first half (Getty Images)

By the time the half-time whistle blew on the previous Saturday, Liverpool were already 5-0 up against Bournemouth, basking in the Merseyside sun as they cruised to three points.

The mood was drastically different just over four days later as Newcastle successfully frustrated their hosts to keep the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz at bay. While there were some occasions when the Magpies were required to put their bodies on the line in last-ditch fashion, in truth, the Reds were largely kept at bay.

Liverpool only registered a handful of shots in the first half and their best chance fell shortly after the half-hour mark to the feet of Diaz, who collected Firmino's through-ball and took the ball round Nick Pope only to blaze over from a tight angle.

2. Dream debut

Alexander Isak slotted past Alisson with a powerful effort (Getty Images)

In the absence of many regular Newcastle starters, the spotlight was firmly fixed on club-record signing Alexander Isak, who was making his first Magpies appearance following his £58million arrival from Real Sociedad.

The towering striker had a fairly innocuous first half an hour in black and white, firing high and wide from the edge of the area in the 11th minute before he was later cleaned out by Alisson during a foot race with Joe Gomez. But Isak showed Newcastle he has that gift so treasured by fans and managers alike - an eye for goal - when a clear-cut chance presented itself.

Sean Longstaff collected the ball from Jordan Henderson's prodded clearance in the Liverpool third and fed the ball to his new teammate. Showing composure and awareness, Isak allowed the ball to roll across him before rifling high into the net, leaving Alisson with no chance.

The 22-year-old almost doubled his tally and his team's lead shortly after the interval, too, after bursting into the Liverpool third, leaving two defenders in his wake and powerfully firing past Alisson. Fortunately for the Reds, the linesman's flag went up and VAR confirmed Isak was indeed offside by the finest of margins.

3. Touchline temper

Jurgen Klopp grew more and more frustrated in his technical area (CameraSport via Getty Images)

Jurgen Klopp was already a pretty animated figure in his technical area even before Newcastle took the lead - and this was escalated to a whole new level once Liverpool fell behind.

The German manager was clearly furious with Magpies players for staying down after alleged fouls, especially in the defensive and midfield thirds, in a bid to break up the play and damped their hosts' fluency - not that there was much of it. The Reds were able to ramp up the pressure towards the end of the first half but a series of corners were easily gathered by Nick Pope or cleared by the organised Newcastle defence.

In a damning indictment of Liverpool's recent sloppiness, especially early on in games, Alexander Isak's goal means the Reds have conceded first in eight of their last nine games. It was no surprise that there was more than a smattering of boos as the half-time whistle blew at Anfield.

4. Roberto responds

Roberto Firmino brought Liverpool back on level terms (PA Images)

At one point during the second half, the out-of-action Liverpool trio of Darwin Nunez, Thiago and Diogo Jota could be seen talking from just behind the home substitutes' bench.

It was a slightly painful sight for the home fans, reminding them of the talent which has been unavailable throughout much of what has been a challenging season so far, either through suspension or injury. However, once again, Liverpool had two of their longest-serving players to restore smiles to the faces of the Anfield faithful as Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah combined just after the hour mark.

It was a simple goal - not the kind Newcastle had looked like conceding - as Salah drove to the byline and cut the ball back to his Brazilian teammate, who found the bottom corner with panache. Having scored twice and assisted three times at the weekend, the in-form Firmino was never going to pass up the chance to haul Liverpool back on level terms.

Why have Liverpool struggled in the early stages of the season? Have your say in the comments...

5. Clinical Carvalho

Fabio Carvalho's goal prompted hysteric celebrations around Anfield (Paul Greenwood/REX/Shutterstock)

Jurgen Klopp gambled in the 71st minute by making changes at full-back and in midfield, sending on James Milner, Kostas Tsimikas and Fabio Carvalho for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Jordan Henderson.

The Liverpool manager may have been keen to give a breather to three of his most important players ahead of Saturday's Merseyside derby against Everton. That being said, none of those who were taken off had been particularly effective against a well-organised Newcastle side.

One player who was brilliant throughout the contest was Luis Diaz, who scored twice against Bournemouth on Saturday and could have had a couple again in midweek. The Colombian forced crucial saves from Nick Pope and blocks from the Newcastle defence, while his darting movement between the lines was about as close as Liverpool came to truly troubling the visitors.

That was until Carvalho popped up at the back post deep, deep into added time to latch onto a loose ball and power beyond Pope. It was a goal which prompted extraordinary celebrations around Anfield and in the home dugout, ensuring Liverpool did not give up further ground to the Premier League pace-setters at this early stage. The result leaves them five points behind defending champions Manchester City and seven behind leaders Arsenal.

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