That’s a fine result for Newcastle, who defended admirably against a Liverpool side who dominated most of the game. They stay ninth, Liverpool drop below Burnley into seventh. Thanks for your company, bye!
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Full time: Newcastle 1-1 Liverpool
That’s it!
90+3 min Diame’s shot actually hit Lovren’s hand but, as with the appeal against Newcastle in the first half, it deflected onto the arm after he originally blocked it with his feet. A penalty would have been extremely harsh.
90+2 min Ritchie’s left-wing corner dips over everyone at the near post and falls to Diame, whose snapshot has the sting taken out of it by Lovren and is claimed by Mignolet.
90+1 min There will be three minutes of added time. Newcastle have their first corner of the match ...
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90 min Newcastle bring on Mohamed Diame for Ayoze Perez.
88 min Matip screams a long pass towards Moreno, who lobs the ball back into the area from the left touchline. Oxlade-Chamberlain gets to it first, under pressure from Manquillo, and heads over on the stretch. What a chance! I think the ball was out of play before Moreno crossed it, but it wasn’t given so the goal would have counted.
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88 min “There’s a fantastic player somewhere inside Shelvey,” says Matt Dony. “It’s a shame he seems like he’ll never truly fulfil his potential, or at least not with any consistency. He’ll always have a special place in my heart though, thanks to the magnificent verbal volley he unloaded at Ferg while trudging off the pitch for an early shower.”
87 min A long goalkick from Elliot is headed down by Lovren to Perez, who sees Mignolet off his line and tries his luck from 30 yards. It goes well wide.
85 min Another Coutinho blast is blocked by the admirable Shelvey, who looks weary now.
84 min Coutinho’s flat cross towards the near post is headed just wide by Solanke, who did well to stoop and twist his neck to divert the ball anywhere near goal. Elliot may have had it covered.
84 min Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Mo Salah, who has been the best attacker on the pitch.
83 min Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is about to come on. Liverpool are attacking with an urgency that verges on desperation, but Newcastle are just about managing to repel them.
79 min Newcastle bring on Liverpool’s bogeyman, Dwight Gayle, to replace the goalscorer Joselu.
77 min Newcastle have settled, or been forced to settle, for a draw. They are under increasing pressure and look pretty tired. When Salah swings a corner beyond the far post, Lovren’s looping header back across goal is cleared from under his own bar by Shelvey.
75 min Gomez’s excellent cross just evades Solanke before Elliot punches clear. Liverpool have moved Salah back out to the right, with Coutinho on the left and Firmino playing behind Solanke.
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74 min Liverpool make a double change, with Roberto Firmino and Dominic Solanke replacing the disappointing pair of Sturridge and Mane. Newcastle are also making a change, with Isaac Hayden replacing Merino in midfield.
72 min Shelvey gets plenty of criticism but he has been excellent today, without and especially with the ball.
69 min For all Liverpool’s dominance, Elliot has not had that much to do. Newcastle’s defence has been excellent.
67 min Salah is playing as a No10 now, with Liverpool switching to a 4-2-3-1, and Newcastle can’t get close to him.
65 min Salah plays another dangerous through pass to Sturridge, who this time is rightly flagged offside.
64 min Salah clips a fine pass over the defence, and Elliot hares from his line to get to the ball a split-second before Sturridge.
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63 min There’s an excellent atmosphere at St James’. Just imagine the scenes when they next win a trophy.
60 min Joselu drives an excellent crossfield pass to Perez, who is nonetheless going nowhere when Moreno hacks him down. He might have been booked for that. The resulting free-kick is cleared and then tossed back into the box. Ritchie heads it right across the face of goal, with Mignolet unsure whether to stick, twist or pray. It’s headed back in the six-yard box by Clark and eventually Liverpool clear.
57 min Gomez is booked for an inept high tackle on Atsu. Newcastle’s players and supporters wanted him sent off, and for time it looked as if that might happen. Don’t ask me whether it was the right decision; I no longer have any idea what is and isn’t a red card.
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56 min Coutinho’s free-kick hits the wall. Actually it was Perez who was booked, for kicking the ball away, rather than Merino.
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55 min Merino is booked for an innocuous-looking tackle on Salah. It’s a free-kick to Liverpool, 30 yards from goal, and Coutinho is over it...
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54 min Perez plays a good pass down the left to Atsu, who brushes Gomez aside and scoots into the box. Matip comes across to make a vital tackle, diverting the ball onto Atsu. This time it rebounds for a Liverpool goalkick rather than a Newcastle goal.
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53 min Joselu screams in agony after a challenge with Mane, whose studs landed on his ribs. I’m pretty sure it was accidental.
51 min Moreno’s cross deflects towards Coutinho, whose shot is blocked by the charging Merino.
50 min Clark makes a monumental Horlicks of a routine clearance, slicing it behind him to put Sturridge clear on goal. His first-time shot is blocked by the right foot of Elliot, and Salah volleys the rebound over the bar. Both should probably have scored.
50 min Tacticswatch: Salah and Mane have switched sides.
48 min Salah’s outswinging cross from the left is just too high for Wijnaldum, whose header curls away from goal as a consequence.
47 min “Liverpool today remind me of Liverpool at the tail end of the 1990-1991 season,” says Stephen Worsley. “All over opposing teams but still managing to throw away matches by conceding goals against the run of play. If Liverpool then were to descending towards mediocrity, are Liverpool now emerging towards greatness? Probably wishful thinking on my part.”
46 min Peep peep! Liverpool begin the second half.
Half-time chit chat
“Liverpool today remind me of Liverpool at the tail end of the 1990-1991 season,” says Stephen Worsley. “All over opposing teams but still managing to throw away matches by conceding goals against the run of play. If Liverpool then were to descending towards mediocrity, are Liverpool now emerging towards greatness? Probably wishful thinking on my part.”
Half time: Newcastle 1-1 Liverpool
Peep peep! It’s deja vu for Liverpool, who have played some thrilling attacking football and should be ahead, but aren’t due to the concession of a vaguely shambolic goal. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
45+1 min “My uncles are Maltese Geordies (now that makes for an impenetrable accent) and members of the Toon Army, so we were talking this morning about whether Klopp would move to Bayern and Rafa would then return to Anfiel,” says James Debens. “Newcastle’s loss would, I feel, be our gain; I was guilty of implicating Rafa in the shenanigans of Gillett and Hicks back in 2010. I do admire Klopp but our league performances would improve. We’re rather like Keegan’s Newcastle at the moment, somewhat behind Rafa’s Liverpool. Eddie Howe would be a good match for Newcastle.”
45 min Two added minutes. It’s still all Liverpool.
42 min “Ah,” says Matt Dony. “I’m going to really miss Coutinho after January...”
41 min Liverpool have responded with furious anger to that equaliser and are camped in the Newcastle half. I’m not surprised. That goal wasn’t just against the run of play; it was an affront to the run of play.
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39 min Liverpool win a corner on the left, and when it comes into the area Matip is wrestled away from the ball by Clark. It could have been a penalty, but it wasn’t.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-1 Liverpool (Joselu 36)
Joselu equalises for Newcastle! It was a comedy goal, but who cares? Joselu looked fractionally onside as he galloped into a huge gap between Matip and Lovren to meet Shelvey’s superb long through pass. He dithered for ages as Mignolet came out, so much so that Matip was able to get back and make a desperate tackle from the side - only for the ball to hit Joselu and spin past Mignolet into the net!
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33 min Coutinho wallops another 25-yarder towards goal. This time it’s high over the bar.
33 min Salah leads another superb break, running sixty yards before Clark makes a crucial tackle to concede a corner.
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GOAL! Newcastle 0-1 Liverpool (Coutinho 29)
Pick that beast out! Coutinho has given Liverpool the lead with a storming 25-yarder. He moseyed infield from the left, away from Shelvey, and whipped a fast rising shot that curled away from Elliot’s right hand and into the net.
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27 min Liverpool are starting to control this match, with Newcastle struggling to get out just now. They really need to get out more.
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23 min: Liverpool hit the post! Gomez’s good low cross is volleyed over his own bar by the stretching Clark. The corner is swung out towards Wijnaldum, who hooks a clever volley that smacks off the near post. The ball ricochets around the box, with Lovren having a shot cleared off the line and Mane dragging the rebound wide. File under How The Eff Did That Stay Out?
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21 min “I’m feeling all Natalie Imbruglia right now as this match leaves me torn,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “Liverpool is the team of both my boyhood and what’s laughably termed my maturity, yet when I lived in the Northeast I developed a real love of Newcastle and the Geordie fans. It’s like having a son and a daughter, both brilliant tennis players and it’s easy to cheer for both, except today is a mixed doubles match and they’re on opposite sides. Torn.”
19 min Sturridge turns smartly on the halfway line and plays a good pass behind Clark for Salah, who eats up 40 yards before Yedlin comes across to make a vital interception. Salah is so good to watch: decisive, electric and intricate.
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18 min Gomez’s deep cross is volleyed wide from an impossible angle by Mane.
16 min Coutinho’s brilliant first-time pass finds Sturridge, whose shot hits the arm of Lascelles. Liverpool want a penalty but Craig Pawson turns down their appeals. I don’t think there’s much Lascelles could have done - the ball hit his leg and then, as he fell, rebounded onto his arm.
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12 min Ritchie tests Mignolet with a nice curler from the edge of the box after a crisp forward pass from Shelvey. It wasn’t right in the corner and Mignolet held on comfortably as he plunged to his right. Shelvey and Ritchie book look sharp, as does Salah for Liverpool.
9 min Both sides have started brightly, with Newcastle certainly not parking the bus.
5 min Shelvey hits a long-range curler too close to Mignolet; at the other end, Sturridge chips high over the bar from 20 yards.
3 min A super counter-attack from Liverpool. Shelvey’s shot was blocked by Henderson and ricocheted to Salah. He moved past the halfway line and waved a wonderful through pass to Mane with the outside of his left foot. Lascelles did well to hold Mane up on the left side of the area, and eventually Mane overhit a return pass to Salah.
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2 min “I can see this ending as a draw,” says James Debens. “Lascelles will trouble us all afternoon at set pieces and shackle Sturrridge as well. I’ve been hugely impressed with Newcastle’s defensive setup this season. In fact, could we buy Lascelles please in January, and perhaps allow Rafa to jobshare with Klopp, each man taking half of the pitch and half of the outfield players?”
If Klopp ends up at Bayern Munich, there must be a chance of a return, no? If anybody can make a silk purse out of this Liverpool defence, it’s probably Rafa.
1 min Peep peep! After a rousing blast of Going Home, and a minute’s applause for the late Freddy Shepherd, Newcastle get the match under way.
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“How can you do this to me, Rob?” says Ian Copestake. “Not only do I have to put up with the return of “football’s nicest man” and his inspirationally positive team assessments, but you have to rub my face in his face rub! I thought you were special.”
You’re about as useful as a winger from Wolves playing centre-forward, mate.
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First World fears department
“My big concern is seeing Liverpool go in 3-0 up at half-time,” begins Matt Dony, “and Rafa walking down the tunnel with a glint in his eye...”
This fixture has produced so many great moments. I’m sure we all agree which one sits top of the list.
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Team news
Newcastle (4-2-3-1) Elliot; Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Manquillo; Shelvey, Merino; Ritchie, Perez, Atsu; Joselu.
Substitutes: Darlow, Lejeune, Gamez, Hayden, Diame, Murphy, Gayle.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Mignolet; Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Coutinho; Salah, Sturridge, Mane.
Substitutes: Karius, Milner, Klavan, Can, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Firmino, Solanke.
Referee Craig Pawson.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to coverage of Rafa Benitez Day, when the fans of Newcastle and Liverpool compete to demonstrate their love for a shy Spaniard. The background entertainment will be provided by 22 men attempting to win a football match.
Liverpool need the points more than Newcastle, who have done enough in the first few weeks to suggest this will be a season of relatively comfortable consolidation. Liverpool start this game eight points behind Manchester, so even a draw would be unsatisfactory.
Their brilliant attack should be improved by the return of Sadio Mane, though they are up against a team who have conceded only five goals. Benitez certainly knows how to organise a defence. It’s one of the many reasons Liverpool fans love him so much.
Kick off is at 4.30pm.
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