No word from Steve Bruce, though you can probably guess his mood. But never mind! Andy Hunter was at Anfield, and his match report has landed. Get that finger a-clicking! Thanks for reading this MBM, and see you later hopefully for West Ham v Chelsea.
Updated
To further illustrate Klopp’s point, BT Sport offer up a pithy stat. Liverpool have had 146 attempts on goal at Anfield in 2021; they’ve scored four times. That’s a 2.7 percent conversion rate!
A glum but realistic Jurgen Klopp reacts. “I don’t think you can create much more chances, better chances. But we don’t finish the game off. We didn’t play enough. We have to keep going, keep playing. But we kept them alive. And they deserved the goal because they scored before. It is another one with the new rules, unlucky for Wilson but it is hand ball, and we don’t even take this present. We were lucky with that decision, but gave another chance away and it makes no sense. It’s really tough to take. Why it happened, I don’t know. How it looked, I saw: you just have to keep the ball. In a specific way, we don’t fight enough. We had 70 percent of the ball and should have 80, we created a lot of chances. So we had to create more and use them. But we don’t do that well at the moment. It feels like a defeat. But if you deserve it, you deserve it. I didn’t see us that we deserved today to play Champions League next year. But we will see what we can do. In a few days [laughs wearily] we will play Man United which will be a tough one as well. But we learn ... or we don’t play Champions League. That’s it.”
Liverpool move into sixth place, on 54 points. That’s one ahead of Spurs, but they’re still a point behind Chelsea and West Ham, who play out their extra game later this evening. Liverpool have now shipped four precious points late on in their last two games, and while their top-four hopes aren’t yet extinguished, this week has been a huge blow. And that’s before we even get to that ESL nonsense! Newcastle meanwhile consolidate 15th spot, on 36 points; they’re now nine clear of the dropzone, having played the same number of matches as 18th-placed Fulham. A great day for Steve Bruce, not so much for Jurgen Klopp.
That’s almost certainly put an end to Liverpool’s hopes of salvaging something from their season with a top-four finish. They couldn’t get that crucial second goal, despite carving out a plethora of opportunities, and Newcastle deservedly punished them. The hosts were even thrown a huge lifeline with a contentious late VAR decision that ruled out Wilson’s late goal, but couldn’t take advantage, and they were sent spinning with the last kick of the game. “I’m happy to help the team,” says the Newcastle hero Joe Willock. “Apart from the sloppy goal we gave away, the boys did well again. I’m just trying to give my best. I’m really enjoying my football at Newcastle. I’m not too sure about the VAR decision, but we didn’t lose confidence. It shows how much we’ve grown in the last two weeks. What we are showing on the pitch is brilliant and if it continues we are safe for sure.”
FULL TIME: Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle United
Liverpool had all those chances ... and now look! Willock celebrates wildly as Salah storms down the tunnel in despair. No more than both teams deserve, for wildly differing reasons.
Updated
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle United (Willock 90 +5)
What drama here! A simple long ball ins’t cleared. Gayle heads down into the path of Willock, whose shot is deflected past Alisson and into the corner!
Updated
90 min +4: That’s a huge decision, and one that could have saved Liverpool’s hopes of a top-four finish. It was probably the correct decision, but it’s so unfortunate for Newcastle.
NO GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Newcastle United
VAR saves Liverpool! The ball sprung up off Alisson onto the top of Wilson’s arm. The goal’s chalked off!
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle United (Wilson 90+2)
This had been coming! Wilson is sent scampering down the middle! He beats Kabak and Alexander-Arnold and shoots at Alisson, who parries. The ball pings up towards Wilson, who bundles over!
Updated
90 min +1: Ritchie crosses from the left. Willock heads over from ten yards. Liverpool are hanging on here.
90 min: Murphy works his way down the right, reaches the byline, and stands one up for three team-mates in the middle. Fabinho flicks over for a corner, under severe pressure, and nothing comes from the set piece. There will be four added minutes.
89 min: Newcastle suddenly spring out from the back, with Saint-Maximin preparing to launch a speedy counter down the left. Fabinho comes across and executes the perfect cynical body-check. He happily takes the booking for the team. Newcastle, as you can imagine, are far from pleased.
88 min: Liverpool calm it down with some sterile possession.
87 min: Some nervous head tennis in the Liverpool box suggests the hosts know full well that this is not yet over.
86 min: Thing is, this surely can’t end 1-0, can it? So many opportunities, so many chances. Mainly for the hosts, but Newcastle have had their moments. Which way is this going, then?
85 min: Almiron makes way for Gayle, who famously did for Liverpool’s hopes in 2014 while at Crystal Palace. Those in the away end at Selhurst Park that day are permitted one large shudder.
Updated
84 min: Now it’s Almiron’s turn to go down with cramp. Bulk order of salt for St James’ Park, please!
82 min: Firmino barges his way through a couple of challenges down the inside-left channel, but his subsequent pass forward for Mane has too much juice, and Fernandez can shepherd it out for a goal kick.
81 min: ... Milner shoots again from distance, but Liverpool’s 21st attempt sails straight at Dubravka, who claims confidently.
80 min: Alexander-Arnold finds Mane down the left with a glorious rake. Mane shoots low, towards the bottom left. Dubravka palms wide. From the corner, Milner’s shot is deflected and loops out for a corner on the right. And from that ...
79 min: Milner, Firmino and Salah combine crisply to open up Newcastle down the right. Milner, in space just to the right of the six-yard box, chips delicately towards the far stick, but it’s a couple of inches too high for Mane, who can only eyebrow the ball away from goal.
77 min: Thiago, who has been excellent today, makes way for Jones.
75 min: Alexander-Arnold’s free kick pings off the wall and out for a corner. Roberson takes. Fernandez heads clear. Thiago meets the dropping ball on the edge of the D, cushioning it to Alexander-Arnold, who volleys a Le Tissieresque screamer inches wide of the top left. So close to a goal for the ages!
Updated
74 min: Longstaff plays a dismal pass out from the back. Mane intercepts and slips Salah into space down the right. Salah enters the box but only ruffles the side netting. Newcastle learn nothing, shipping possession cheaply again, and this time Thiago is barged over by Saint-Maximin. Free kick, in Alexander-Arnold Country, just to the left of centre, 25 yards out.
73 min: Fernandez goes down with cramp, then after a good old rub, gets back up again.
72 min: A lull! A lull? Yep, a lull. Strange times.
70 min: Ritchie shovels a pass down the left for Wilson, who is offside this time, but is clearly bothering the Liverpool back line.
69 min: Almiron threads a lovely pass down the right for Wilson, who takes his first run at the Liverpool defence. He spreads the play wide left for Ritchie, who can’t find anyone in the centre. Alexander-Arnold blocks and clears. But that’s better from Newcastle, who had gone quiet for a bit.
68 min: Salah plays a cute reverse pass down the right channel to release Milner, who should stride on and take a whack, but unselfishly opts for a quick return pass. The move breaks down and the Toon clear their lines.
66 min: Corner for Liverpool on the right. Alexander-Arnold takes. Dummett clears. At long last, this game has calmed down a bit. Meanwhile Jon Collin writes: “I applaud Mr Millings for playing fast and loose with the definition of ‘best XI’ in order to shoehorn Randi Q. Sexhair in there.”
65 min: Willock comes on for Clark, as Steve Bruce responds to his opposite number’s midfield-bolstering antics.
64 min: Robertson advances and whistles a low diagonal shot inches wide of Newcastle’s right-hand post.
63 min: Liverpool stroke it around, but without the speed and precision of the first half. “See, this is why you need the Super League,” begins Paul Griffin. “Libpool are dominating the game but not killing it off, and their wastefulness is risking John W Henry’s earnings before tax, interest, depreciation and amortisation. The boot room would surely have concurred.”
61 min: Shelvey plays a strange pass back to Dubravka from deep inside Liverpool’s half! The keeper struggles to control the bouncing ball, and is nearly robbed by Mane, but the bounce is kind to Newcastle and the ball deflects away to safety. That was all fairly odd. A weird decision by the Newcastle captain.
60 min: Callum Wilson, who led Everton a merry dance on Merseyside earlier this year, replaces Joelinton.
58 min: Jurgen Klopp decides to tighten things up a bit. Off goes Jota, who has been uncharacteristically profligate today. On comes former Newcastle midfielder James Milner.
57 min: And so it continues. Alexander-Arnold curls in from the right. The ball drops to Firmino, who creams one goalwards from a tight angle on the right. Dubravka parries well.
Updated
55 min: A simple ball down the middle, and Liverpool are exposed. Joelinton enters the area and blasts a low, hard shot straight at Alisson. This second half has picked up where the first half left off, open as you like, with a basketball rhythm.
53 min: Shelvey crosses from the right. Alexander-Arnold wins the aerial challenge, but bundles Joelinton over in doing so. Newcastle claim loudly for a penalty, but they’re never getting one for that.
51 min: Shelvey scoops a fine pass down the inside-right channel for Joelinton. He’s clear, but can’t reach the ball in time, Alisson coming out to smother at his feet and paw it away.
50 min: Some space for Saint-Maximin down the left, but there’s nobody infield to look for. He eventually runs out of road and whips into Alisson’s grateful arms.
48 min: Salah works his way infield from the right and feeds Firmino, who spins on the right-hand edge of the Newcastle D and shoots towards the bottom right. It’s an easy claim for Dubravka.
Newcastle get the second half underway. No changes. Meanwhile here’s Shaun Wilkinson: “In response to Digvijay Yadav, the first 4-3 was every bit as good as people say. The one in the following season, on the other hand, was a poor game. Liverpool went 3-0 up without breaking sweat, then decided the game was over and before you knew it, it was 3-3. 60 seconds of injury time went up on the board, but after 90 seconds, Liverpool scored and the ref blew for full-time as soon as Newcastle kicked off again. I’m not bitter though.” We were all getting ready for a third 4-3 in a row, too, but then Princess Diana died the night before and the match was postponed. When it was finally rescheduled a few months later, it was a tedious 1-0 win for Liverpool.
Some more half-time entertainment, courtesy of everyone’s favourite Saturday morning layabout, Mac Millings. “I’ve taken the best XI from these two sides, and turned them into a Liverpool-Newcastle anagram XI. I’ve no idea why. Bonus points if you can work out who’s who, or something.
- T-Rex renter Alan Donald
- Snort on, Beardy
- Ha, a sham model
- Anime soda
- Meme Snail Jr.
- I Beat Yank
- Randi Q. Sexhair
- Ace W. Millions
- Satan’s Golf Fen
- Max Animal-Stalin
- Lone Joint
Just like the Oscar Peterson Trio, we get requests. “For those of us too young to remember the 4-3, can you please confirm whether it is all that it’s cracked up to be or is it one of those games whose reputation is embellished by the passage of time?” asks Digvijay Yadav. Your wish is my command, Digvijay. So, for your entertainment and edification, there’s this ...
... and also this episode of Nessun Dorma podcast. Enjoy!
HALF TIME: Liverpool 1-0 Newcastle United
How is this only 1-0? There is no logical explanation. Liverpool have passed up an absurd number of chances ... but Newcastle could easily have notched two or three themselves. Great fun. More please!
45 min +1: Jota crosses from the left. Mane heads wide. This is getting old.
45 min: There will be two extra minutes. Time for six or seven more chances, then. “It says something about the nature of Liverpool’s season that I’m increasingly convinced Newcastle are going to equalise in the 85th minute, if not before,” sighs Tony Barr. “Probably Shelvey from 30 yards. I was going to make a reference to him shying away from crosses, but not sure how many Athletico Mince listeners are in today.”
44 min: Salah bustles down the middle and feeds Alexander-Arnold on the right. Alexander-Arnold whips a low cross towards Mane, who falls backwards as he sidefoots wide right from ten yards. Another fine chance goes begging.
42 min: This could quite feasibly be 4-3 already, you know.
40 min: The number of chances Liverpool have passed up is becoming preposterous. Salah, sent clear down the right by Alexander-Arnold, rolls infield to tee up Mane on the penalty spot. He’s one on one with Dubravka, and inexplicably gifts the keeper the ball as he tries to round him in super slo-mo.
Updated
39 min: Incidentally, Jota and Murphy have fallen out, after toppling on top of each other, Jota standing on Murphy’s thigh, Murphy on Jota’s chest. The referee waves play on, but let’s keep an eye on this duel.
38 min: It’s end-to-end entertainment. Up one end, Firmino nearly gets a header on goal; up the other, Joelinton is denied a free run at Alisson by Alexander-Arnold’s telescopic leg. Then yet another chance for Jota, who one-twos with Firmino down the right before wafting a shot straight at the keeper. How on earth is this still only 1-0?
36 min: From a tight spot on the left, Firmino flicks a gorgeous ball down the middle to release Salah on goal. Salah never quite gets the ball under control, though he should still have scored. But he shoots straight at Dubravka, who nevertheless saves brilliantly. He shouldn’t have been given the chance.
35 min: Liverpool have had 83 percent possession during the last five minutes. And yet Newcastle look dangerous every time they nick the ball and attempt to break. Liverpool are in fear of Saint-Maximin, and who could ever blame them?
33 min: Jota, Mane and Thiago draw some pretty triangles down the middle. They nearly open Newcastle up, but the visitors hold firm. This is a lovely free-flowing game, both sides looking more than capable of troubling the other.
31 min: Saint-Maximin is basically unplayable when he gets going. Here he is, surrounded by four red shirts ... and he still wins the throw! He’s such an entertaining player. Liverpool are only just keeping him at arm’s length.
Updated
29 min: From 12 yards, Jota scuffs his third chance in quick succession wide left. What a chance to double Liverpool’s lead! It came about as Clark faffed around in the grand style while playing out from the back, gifting the hosts possession.
27 min: An awful lot of space for Salah down the right. He slides a pass inside for Mane, who spins and sends a diagonal low shot wide left. There’s a deflection, so it’s a corner, but thankfully nothing comes of that, because it looked like Mane was well offside in the build-up. No controversy here!
26 min: Saint-Maximin breezes forward again, with Joelinton and Almiron in attendance and Liverpool light at the back. But communication breaks down and everyone gets in each other’s way. The ball breaks through for Alisson to claim.
25 min: The ball hits Clark’s arm in the Newcastle box. Salah wants a penalty, but nobody else is particularly interested.
24 min: Another chance for Jota, who meets Mane’s left-wing cross with his shin, the ball sailing softly into Dubravka’s arms.
23 min: Thiago threads a forensic pass down the middle to find Salah on the edge of the Newcastle box. Salah tees up Jota, who blazes over the bar. That would have been a hell of a goal.
21 min: From the resulting corner, Clark heads the ball into the net. But he was one of three players offside, and one of the others had blocked Alisson illegally. This is impressive pressure from the visitors.
Updated
20 min: Shelvey shovels a long pass down the inside-left for Longstaff, who is clear on goal! But he can’t quite sort his feet, and though he gets a shot away, it’s parried well by Alisson.
19 min: Saint-Maximin is a constant threat. He drops a shoulder to ease past Salah down the left, then whistles in a dangerous cross. Kabak hacks clear. Newcastle have responded really well to going behind.
18 min: Kabak barrels into the back of Saint-Maximin. Just a garden-variety foul, nothing more, though Newcastle’s players take the opportunity to remind the ref that Kabak has already been booked, piling the pressure on the young defender. A fair chance we’ll see him walking at this rate.
16 min: Jurgen Klopp’s not happy. Jota took a forearm in the chops when coming second best in an aerial duel with Fernanedez. That was ... interesting. You could read that as accidental. You could also read it as needlessly aggressive. He’s booked for it, though Klopp wants red. VAR sticks with the onfield decision.
15 min: Some good news for Newcastle: Saint-Maximin looks to have run off that early knock. And here he is, flicked free down the right by Longstaff. Saint-Maximin cuts back. Fabinho intercepts, though he sends the ball back towards the goal. Fortunately for Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold is on the line to clear, and it turns out Saint-Maximin was offside anyway.
13 min: Alexander-Arnold, quarterbacking from a deep position on the right, curls towards Mane in the middle. Mane flicks over Dubravka, but only into the stand behind. Turns out he’s offside anyway, though Newcastle were worryingly open through the middle there.
11 min: Saint-Maximin limps off, then jogs back on. He’s not moving in his usual smooth style.
10 min: Saint-Maximin stays down awhile, having taken quite a whack. He gets up after some pressure, but he’s limping gingerly. He doesn’t look happy at all.
9 min: Saint-Maximin drops a shoulder to make some space down the middle. It’s a fine run, and he’s brought down in full flight by Kabak, who goes into the book and faces a testing afternoon now.
Updated
7 min: Liverpool get the ball back and continue to pass and probe. This is a lively start from the hosts, who have enjoyed 73 percent possession so far.
5 min: Newcastle try to respond immediately, Saint-Maximin testing Kabak down the left and earning a corner. Nothing comes of it, but there’s early promise of a cracking match. Robbie Fowler opened the scoring in 1996 at the same end, early doors. Just saying.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Newcastle United (Salah 3)
This is one hell of a finish. Mane sashays down the inside-left channel and dinks inside. Firmino challenges for a header six yards out, but Clark eyebrows it on. It drops to Salah, on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. He takes a gentle touch to trap, swivels Ritchie, and unleashes an unstoppable rising shot into the top right. Wow.
Updated
2 min: It’s a lovely sunny day at Anfield. Liverpool quickly establish a modicum of control, stroking it around the middle of the park, just so everyone can get an early feel.
1 min: In this first half, Newcastle are kicking towards a Kop stripped of a few of its banners, which have been returned to their owners as requested in the wake of The Nonsense.
Liverpool get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee of love, solidarity, fairness and respect. There’s no room for racism. Challenge it. Report it. Change it. Kick it out.
The teams are out. It’s a classic old-school look, as Liverpool wear their storied red while Newcastle sport those famous black and white stripes. We’ll be off after a quick blast of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Some transfer news to whet the appetite, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano. Here he goes!
BT have a word with Steve Bruce, smooth politician. “Whenever you come here, it’s in the air that it’s a big place. So it’s always going to be difficult. But if you’ve got something about you, you’ll enjoy taking it on. They’re still the champions, they’re a wonderful club, with history, it’s one of the big ones when you enjoy coming. I’m sure they’ve had a difficult week but they’ll want to put it behind them with a decent performance today. Just at the right time, we’ve got a few people back, which has certainly helped us, and in the last few weeks we’ve found that resilience you need when you’re up against it. Back-to-back wins have been vitally important to us. The return of Saint-Maximin and Wilson has given everyone a lift. The starting team have done very well of late, so I’ve kept to those who have done very well.”
Klopp, ever the professional, segues seamlessly into football chat. “Nobody can not talk about [the ESL], it feels like. But we are the department who has to play football as well, and that’s what we try to do today. If we don’t defend at the highest level, it will be really dumb [but] there is a moment now where the [attackers] are all fit so we have to give that a try. Milly played a lot of games. That’s the only change and the rest hopefully show some good football.”
That interview was, naturally, followed by a long segment featuring three pundits discussing the matter in-depth while frowning earnestly. Meanwhile outside Anfield, fans applaud the team bus while demanding FSG do one ...
... and also calling for the club to implement the 50+1 ownership model. “Both Liverpool and Newcastle team coaches safely at the stadium. Approx 150 persons gathered to applaud the home team in. Supporting your club in the way your manager and captain asked,” report the local bobbies on Twitter.
Updated
Jurgen Klopp, talking to BT Sport, comes out swinging on the subject of the ESL fiasco. “It hurt a lot. The thing was, yes, our owners made a mistake. We said it often enough, they know it. What I didn’t like - and Leeds supporters were a good example, they’re not worse than others or better than others - it’s just that they went on us. We had nothing to do with that. We are just the faces of the club. Just as our supporters had nothing to do with that obviously, but other teams are saying: you were in that. No they were not. We were not. We had not even an idea, we didn’t even know about it, so we had nothing to do with that. It is really important we don’t forget that. It is constantly mentioned Liverpool Football Club; no it was not Liverpool Football Club, it was representatives of Liverpool Football Club, we have to make a difference, that’s really very important. I see the pictures of Arsenal and Chelsea, you all have to calm down, three journalists on Sky talking all day about it, it’s winding up people, we are still in a pandemic, people without facemasks shouting their opinion out, all the pundits have to calm down a little. Yes, nobody wanted it, definitely, but let’s deal with it and not constantly show: yes, we didn’t want it. It’s all clear now, and the people who made the decision learned the lesson, I am 100 percent sure. So just relax a little bit, because we have to carry on. And that’s what we try now.”
Liverpool make one change to the team that drew at Leeds on Monday, and it’s an attacking one. Mohamed Salah takes the place of James Milner, which means the home side are really going for this, with all four of their big-name attackers starting. Nat Phillips is still injured, so Fabinho partners Ozan Kabak in the centre of defence.
Meanwhile it’s not often Steve Bruce has had the opportunity to hit the big If It Ain’t Broke button this season. He does so this morning, naming the same Newcastle XI who beat West Ham last weekend. Jonjo Shelvey returns to his old stomping ground as captain.
The teams
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Kabak, Robertson, Thiago, Wijnaldum, Salah, Jota, Mane, Firmino.
Subs: Milner, Keita, Adrian, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Tsimikas, Shaqiri, Rhys Williams, Neco Williams.
Newcastle United: Dubravka, Murphy, Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie, Sean Longstaff, Shelvey, Almiron, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Carroll, Gayle, Wilson, Lewis, Hendrick, Krafth, Manquillo, Willock, Gillespie.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).
Preamble
This is one of those fixtures that needs no introduction. All you need is this …
… though you could do worse than also listening to this.
Newcastle could easily have won that night, just as they’d done at Anfield a couple of years previously, Andy Cole and Rob Lee scoring the goals in a 2-0 win. But they haven’t won away at Liverpool since then, a 27-year stretch that includes 20 home wins and four draws. A tall order for the Toon this afternoon, then, but these runs are there to be broken, and we’ve already illustrated that anything can happen when these two meet. It’s on!
Kick off: 12.30pm BST.
