Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SAME FOLD STORY FOR KLOPP
Create bucketload of chances, take lead, fail to win
MOTM NO WONDER Jurgen Klopp was annoyed.
His sarcastic outburst – “is that the first game you’ve ever seen?” – when asked whether the result was fair revealed more than any amount of postmatch analysis.
It is now just one win in seven games in all competitions for Liverpool and their title ambitions already look shot after a disappointing start to the campaign.
It was easy to understand why Klopp was upset afterwards because Liverpool went ahead, had enough chances to win comfortably, and yet shot themselves in the foot. Again. Philippe Coutinho was outstanding in the first half and scored a world-class opening goal that seemed the platform for an easy win. But Liverpool defender Joel Matip’s clumsiness gifted an equaliser to Joselu and then Newcastle dug deep i n the second half to win a hardearned point.
It was tough luck on Liverpool but they have only themselves to blame.
Come the f i nal whi st l e , Newcastle’s fans gave their team a standing ovation while many of the travelling supporters had already gone.
That was as telling as the 74th-minute substitutions as Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez brought on a holding midfielder while Klopp threw on two strikers. They were like-for-like replacements but it showed the mindset of the managers.
Klopp is hell-for-leather, desperate to go for all three points. Benitez the pragmatist, cheered by both sets of fans, played it safe by going for a point.
The expectation levels are