LIVERPOOL 2-1 NEWCASTLE UNITED: MATCH REVIEW

Liverpool earned a hard fought comeback victory over Newcastle United last night. A debut goal for Isak put the Magpies ahead, before Firmino replied after the hour mark, setting the stage for Carvalho to strike a 98th minute winner. Here’s the match review.

You can check out player ratings from the match here.

° Lineup. There were no changes to the lineup, with the manager maintaining the same XI that demolished Bournemouth. Joel Matip and Curtis Jones gave the bench more of a senior feel after returning to training on the eve of the game.

° Yet another slow start. The sluggish start was back last night, with the Reds not allowed to build any early momentum by Newcastle cleverly slowing play down and causing stoppages. In fairness, the hosts should have done more to sustain pressure on the Magpies goal.

° Diaz misses a sitter. The Colombian was played through on goal by an inch perfect Firmino pass, but after rounding Pope, could only fire wildly into the stands. He was off balance but should have done better with what was the Reds only real opportunity in the first half.

° Isak nets on debut. It was coming really. If you’ve watched Liverpool intently over the past few months you’d have seen that goal coming a mile off. A slow start meant Newcastle looked comfortable throughout the first half.

They had a clear gameplan to utilise the space in behind on the break. When Trent played a suicidal diagonal straight to a Newcastle shirt, you could sense what was coming. Robertson was caught up the pitch so Van Dijk stepped out to engage Almiron.

Henderson should have got his foot on the attempted pass but could only touch it straight to Longstaff. Fabinho (who was covering for Van Dijk at centre half) had to step out to engage, leaving a gaping hole for the pass to be played into Isak who finished with aplomb.

Liverpool have been behind at halftime in four of their five Premier League fixtures this season.

Worry.

° More midfield muddle. Fabinho and Henderson especially have struggled this season. This coupled with the numerous injuries has seen the midfield not fit for purpose. It has offered no real protection (we’re giving away a one on one nigh on every game), and no creativity bar Elliott.

The 19 year old was once again the best player on the pitch and had to take the game by the scruff of the night at times last night. A huge indictment on his more senior colleagues.

° Bobby bangs again. A minute after Elliott had registered the Reds first shot on target, Firmino slotted home the equaliser with a sweeping finish after a Salah layoff. The move came from Fabinho passing through the lines to Elliott who then played Salah in behind.

° Harvey continues to shine. We looked most dangerous whenever the teenager picked the ball up in the half spaces. He might be evolving away from the sidekick to Salah and Trent on the right hand side and into a proper number ten. He continues to catch the eye.

Harvey Elliott completed the most take-ons (4) in Liverpool’s win over Newcastle United last night.

Twinkle toes.

° We need to talk about the fullbacks. Trent and Robbo have had a sluggish start to the season so far. They were both hauled off after 70 minutes with the side in search of a goal. When has that ever happened? They were below par last night and need to get back to their levels quickly.

° Carvalho to the rescue. The game had 1-1 written all over it as the clock ticked closer to 90. It seemed all over when Gomez blazed a volley into row Z. The final whistle didn’t blow though and the Reds forced their 13th corner of the game.

Milner swung it in and Gomez flicked it to the backpost where Salah fought for it against the giant that is Dan Burn. Mo managed to get enough on it for Carvalho to smash home a volley in off the crossbar from about three yards out. What a letoff!

° Carvalho banging on the door. The Portuguese youngster turned 20 on Tuesday, a few days after opening his account with a sweet strike against Bournemouth. He’s now followed that up with a late winner to send Anfield wild.

He’s been unlucky not to start a single game so far, but it’s surely just a matter of time. He’s provided a dose of positivity in every cameo he’s had so far and is currently banging down the door for a start in midfield.

° Improvement required. Jürgen Klopp’s men got away with one last night. There was none of the relentless and intricate attacking moves we saw against Bournemouth. It was a panicky performance with too many crosses and long balls.

We simply can’t keep playing like that. Is it all down to the long casualty list or it’s a sign of a deep lying issue? We’ll find out soon enough, as Curtis Jones, Joel Matip, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota are all expected to be in the squad on Saturday.

° What’s next? The Merseyside derby at Goodison Park awaits on Saturday for the Reds, before they a trip to Naples for their first Champions League group fixture. The result last night was great but the performance levels need to be raised.