Jamie Carragher has lauded Eddie Howe's Newcastle for their "intensity," a trait formerly associated with his beloved Liverpool.
The Magpies secured a dramatic 2-1 win away to Nottingham Forest on Friday, as Aleksander Isak's stoppage-time penalty boosted their hopes of playing Champions League football. They're in a battle with Liverpool to finish in the top four and while they're only fifth behind Tottenham, Newcastle now sit five points ahead of Jurgen Klopp's side with 12 Premier League games to go.
Although they had to come from behind to secure their second successive victory before the international break, it was a hugely satisfying night for Howe and co, who've impressed Liverpool legend Carragher all season. "The thing that really impresses me is their actual running power," the former Reds defender told Sky Sports post-match.
"Every time I watch them it feels like they outrun the opposition. I don't even know what the stats are but I was just watching the midfield tonight, it was like a man-to-man marking system from Forest, but every time a [Newcastle] midfield player was running it was just last-ditch [from Forest], trying to put them back.
"They couldn't really cope with them and every time I watch Newcastle, it feels like you're watching a really intense team. But also with the ball, they play really fast football, they move it quickly and the intensity about them... I love watching them."
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The intensity Carragher speaks of was once part and parcel of watching a Liverpool game, but now Klopp's men struggle to pin teams down like Newcastle have grown adept at. Take Wednesday's limp 1-0 loss to Real Madrid - meaning that the Reds were dumped out of the Champions League 6-2 on aggregate - they were lethargic for large periods when it mattered most.
After a shock 3-0 defeat to Brighton in January, Klopp urged his side to go back to basics. "We have to be more compact. The pitch looks too big when we are defending," the German bemoaned. "You have to go back to basics and from there you can make steps.
"We have to do some things slightly different and some things the same. All the success in football starts with solid defending and that's what we have to do again."
As for Newcastle, they're confident of pipping Liverpool and Tottenham to fourth place. Isak, who also scored the visitors' equaliser at the City Ground on Friday, affirmed: "We believe and we know that we have it in our own hands and have a good chance.
"We have to keep on taking it one game at a time and try to win. It is important we have gone into this break with a good feeling with two wins from two games."
