Newcastle United’s last-minute trip to Liverpool is ninth on the Premier League table in terms of minutes the ball is “in play” - busting the myth that the Magpies were time-wasting.
Jurgen Klopp, Fabinho and former Reds defender Jamie Carragher hit out at Toon players post-match for supposedly running down the clock on Wednesday night. Referee Andre Marriner allowed play to continue until the 98th minute as Liverpool snatched a crushing winner, three minutes more than originally signalled.
This incensed Newcastle coaches, players and supporters - who were visibly dejected at the full-time whistle. The spin from Liverpool is how Newcastle deserved to concede late for time-wasting, with ex-Reds star Carragher even calling it “karma” for their perceived underhand tactics.
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After the game, Klopp even called for punishments to be dished out to teams who are found guilty of excessive time-wasting. He said: “Everybody wants to see a football game. When it is interrupted that often, it is not nice.
“I think the only chance we have, in general, is for the referee to use yellow cards earlier. Just to show that, you can do it once, but do it again and you’re gone for pretty much nothing.”
However, unlikely advocate Richard Keys - who frequently tussled with United supporters throughout the takeover process - has leaped to Newcastle’s defence. The former Sky Sports broadcaster published a graph on social media showing how the game compared to other top-flight fixtures.
Liverpool vs Newcastle ranked ninth for the amount of time the ball spent in play out of the 49 matches played so far. Shockingly, top of the table was Leicester City vs Brentford with 64 minutes, highlighting just how much time is lost during games.
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