Liverpool defeat Newcastle with ease despite trailing early on

Liverpool’s record remains perfect after defeating Newcastle United 3-1 at Anfield.

Newcastle United took the early lead at Anfield, but Liverpool woke up and got the job done against an inferior opponent to maintain their perfect record this season. A brace from Sadio Mane and a goal from Mohamed Salah led to a comfortable 3-1 victory for the Reds.

First Half

Newcastle United made things interesting very early on in this clash by taking the lead in the seventh minute through Jetro Willems. Christian Atsu enjoyed plenty of space in the middle of the park and he found Willems near the edge of the box, who then created some space with some brilliant dribbling and fired a rocket past Adrian. That goal will undoubtedly be a Goal of the Season contender.

Despite the visitors making the most of their first chance, Liverpool continued to dominate the game in terms of possession. After 15 minutes, Liverpool enjoyed 80% of the possession and completed 113 more passes, however, they only took two shots – both off target.

Liverpool should have equalized in the 23rd minute when Sadio Mane curled in a short cross for Divock Origi, but Origi, who was five feet away from goal, sent his header wide of the mark. VAR was put to work two minutes later during a Liverpool corner kick when Joel Matip was pulled down by Jamaal Lascelles during an aerial battle, but the decision on the pitch remained unchanged: no penalty.

Sadio Mane brought life back to Anfield in the 28th minute with an outstanding strike from inside the box. Andrew Robertson found Mane cutting inside box and the Senegal international drilled his shot into the top corner. There was nothing Martin Dubravka could do to stop it.

Liverpool unfortunately had to use their first substitution in the 36th minute for the injured Divock Origi, but the home fans were happy as his replacement was Roberto Firmino. Liverpool took the lead three minutes later when Dubravka failed to properly hold on to a through ball as he went to ground. The ball slipped out of Dubravka’s hands, deflected off of Mane who then tapped home his second goal.

Newcastle United looked good in the first few minutes, but Liverpool deserved their lead at halftime. The Reds created eight more chances (10) than the Magpies, completed over 300 more passes and they simply looked comfortable on and off the ball for the majority of the first half.

Second Half

Newcastle United started the second half quite differently as they opened up early on. Miguel Almiron and Joelinton linked up well at the top of the box, and Joelinton fed Emil Krafth with a good diagonal pass, but his shot was blocked for a corner kick in the 47th minute.

Liverpool came close to extending their lead in the 48th minute when former Magpie Georginio Wijnaldum’s acrobatic effort was aimed for the top corner, but just went over the bar. Both teams began trading possession after that moment as Steve Bruce’s side applied more pressure and started feeding Joelinton with more touches up top.

Newcastle United should have equalized in the 54th minute when Krafth, who was left alone near the penalty spot, received a wonderful cross from Atsu out wide, but he sent his shot way over the bar as Virgil Van Dijk closed in. It should have been 2-2.

Andrew Robertson was inches away from making it 3-1 for Liverpool in the 62nd minute when he charged towards goal from out wide, cut inside and took a shot from a tight angle, but his shot somehow went out of play instead of going into the side netting.

The Toon made two changes in the 66th minute when Yoshinori Muto replaced Miguel Almiron, and Javier Manquillo came on for Emil Krafth. Almiron had a quiet afternoon and Krafth was struggling to keep up with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah out wide.

Mohamed Salah finally got on the score sheet in the 72nd minute when Roberto Firmino’s quick backheel pass enabled the Egyptian striker to carry the ball in the box untouched right up the middle to score with ease. Martin Dubravka was, once again, left helpless.

Both teams settled down after the third goal knowing the game was in the bag. Liverpool scored another goal, but the flag went up, which ruled out Sadio Mane’s hat-trick. Overall, Liverpool dominated this game from start to finish. Jetro Willem’s gave the Magpies a great highlight with his goal, but Liverpool showcased their superiority for 90 minutes.

What’s Next?

With this difficult fixture now out of the way, Newcastle United will turn their attention to Brighton. The Magpies will host the Seagulls at St. James’ Park next Saturday. Newcastle United will be slight favorites in this game, but they must stay focused in order to claim three much-needed points.