This is an article about the times when Newcastle have won at Anfield. So it’s quite short.
The negativity among some ahead of Thursday night, when Newcastle United play Liverpool on Merseyside, is a little overblown though: it's only eight months since the Magpies managed a 1-1 draw. The mighty Mohamed Salah scored on that occasion, but so did the mighty Joe Willock - the team could do with that again.
There have been other recent draws too, with a 2-2 in 2016; a 1-1 in 2012; another 1-1 in 2004; and a 2-2 in 2002. But victories? To be fair, they are a lot harder to find. In fact you have to go all the way back to November 1995 for the last time Newcastle won at Anfield, and that was in the League Cup, not the league.
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The Magpies had ammunition then: Warren Barton, John Beresford, Keith Gillespie, Rob Lee, Lee Clark, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and Peter Beardsley. Liverpool meanwhile had Steve McManaman, Jason McAteer, Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore - very good players, but not a great side.
Ferdinand had to come off in that match with a head injury (Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan said afterwards: “How is Les Ferdinand? Well, he thinks we won 4-1 and he got a hat-trick.”). Steve Watson came on and chipped David James from 20 yards - “a goal of supreme audacity,” wrote the Guardian. Newcastle won 1-0.
Liverpool finished third in the league that season Newcastle finished second and got knocked out of the League Cup in the following round by Arsenal.
The last time Newcastle won at Anfield in the league was April 1994, which was only five years after the Hillsborough tragedy. Newcastle and Liverpool fans joined together in singing You’ll Never Walk Alone.
It was Keegan’s first time at Anfield as a manager. He waved at both sets of fans and they both chanted his name. The Kop also sang for Terry McDermott, Peter Beardsley and Barry Venison, all returning in different colours.
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Newcastle were superb back then, with Ruel Fox and Scott Sellars on the wings, but it was Rob Lee, recently called up to the England squad, who scored after four minutes. Then it was Andy Cole who got the ball and scored a goal, his 39th in all competitions so far that season, an unthinkable number now.
Liverpool’s top scorer that season was Ian Rush with 14 league goals. They finished in eighth place. Newcastle's top scorer that season was Andy Cole with 34 league goals. The Magpies finished third, galvanising the ethos that it was the goals that brought success and they were worth paying the defensive cost.
The last win before that was back in less uplifting times: October 1988. Newcastle were in Division One, which of course was the top-flight then. Big money had just been spent on Dave Beasant, Andy Thorn, John Robertson and John Hendrie. Exciting, except the money had come from selling Paul Gascoigne.
Earlier that season Newcastle were knocked out of the Littlewoods Cup by Sheffield United, prompting manager Willie McFaul to take the ‘I’m just being honest’ approach to talking to the media, describing players as “worse than rubbish”. McFaul was under pressure. So were his players.
Liverpool meanwhile hadn’t lost at home for 18 months, so nobody expected much. They had Mike Hooper in goal, they had Peter Beardsley running rampant, and Ian Rush was on the bench. Cheery Scot Kenny Dalglish was their manager. It was no surprise when they went into the lead.
But then John Hendrie got a goal back. Then Hendrie was fouled in the box and Mirandinha put away the penalty. Rush came off the bench but he and John Aldridge missed a hatful of chances. The match ended 2-1.
Kenny Dalglish said afterwards: “They contributed to the result, but we were the culprits.”
McFaul said: “I am so proud of them today.”
It didn’t stop McFaul being sacked though. Newcastle got relegated. Liverpool finished second in the league and won the FA Cup, but everything that season was overshadowed by the deaths at Hillsborough.
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Before that there was a 4-2 win for Newcastle at Anfield in 1950. George Robledo scored a hat-trick. Joe Harvey was captain. Jackie Milburn was in the team. George Martin was manager. Bob Paisley was in the Liverpool side. Newcastle won the FA Cup that season, a period that can genuinely be described as 'glory days'.
Then, nearly a hundred years ago, there was a decent period in Liverpool for Newcastle: wins in 1933, 1927, 1923, 1922, 1920, 1911, 1907, 1902. The one in 1923 came on Christmas Day, a 1-0 win, a result that would make a very happy festive period indeed if it were to be repeated in 2021.
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