PREMIER LEAGUE
7; NEWCASTLE (4-2-3-1): Elliot Yedlin 6, Lascelles 6, Clark 5, 7 Manquillo 6; SHELVEY 7, Merino (Hayden 74); Ritchie 6, Perez 6 (Diame 90), Atsu 7; Joselu 6 (Gayle 79). Subs: Murphy, Lejeune, Darlow, Gamez. UP NEXT: Southampton (a), Premier League, Sunday October 15. LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Mignolet 6; Gomez 6, Lovren 6, Matip 6, 7; Moreno 6; Henderson 7, Wijnaldum 8, Mane 7 (Solanke 74), COUTINHO Salah 5 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 84); Karius, Sturridge 6 (Firmino 74). Subs: Milner, Klavan, Can. (h), UP NEXT: Manchester United 14. Premier League, Saturday October Referee: Craig Pawson 7. star YOUR TURN Which Newcastle scored seven goals in 69 appearances for Liverpool from 2010-13? NO prizes for guessing who is the Premier League’s most frustrated manager right now.
If Liverpool’s failure to win in Moscow last Tuesday had Jurgen Klopp tearing his hair out, yesterday was another tortuous experience for the German.
Newcastle should have been dead and buried at half-time as Liverpool laid siege to the Toon goal. But defensive frailties and a failure to convert clear-cut chances once again proved the Reds’ downfall.
One win in seven games for a side struggling for form. Yet at times this season, Klopp’s players have scaled heights and Philippe Coutinho’s 29th-minute opener would have decorated any occasion.
But they are a team with flaws – magical one moment, just a mess the next.
And those defensive foibles allowed Joselu to equalise for a Newcastle side who showed great character not to go under during a frenzied period of pressure.
With Liverpool’s level dropping a notch after the break, Rafa Benitez’s side matched their opponents in the second half and could have won it in injury-time when they forced their first corner of the game.
Liverpool failed miserably to defend Matt Ritchie’s delivery and Mo Diame, who had only just come off the bench, should have scored but his shot deflected into the grateful arms of Simon Mignolet. The visitors’ best chance of the second half came courtesy of a Ciaran Clark air-kick, letting in Daniel Sturridge but his close-range shot was blocked by Rob Elliot and then Mo Salah fired wide of a gaping target.
Then, late on, sub Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain met Alberto Moreno’s cross at pace but could not keep his header down.
Even the most blinkered Toon fan would have to admit Newcastle were fortunate to go in level at half-time.
How the home goal survived a pinball-like assault in the 23rd minute – when Liverpool hit the woodwork twice, had an effort cleared off the line and shot wide in a matter of seconds – defied logic.
And Joselu’s second goal for the club, cancelling out Coutinho’s wonder-strike, owed much more to luck than design.
Coutinho has now scored 17 goals for the Reds from outside the box and his 29th-minute thunderbolt was as good as any of them.
Still, Benitez won’t have been happy at Jonjo Shelvey’s failure to close him down, allowing the little Brazilian to cut inside, look up and then missile a 25-yarder past a helpless Elliot.
Seven minutes later Shelvey did redeem himself with one of those trademark through balls, which bisected the two Liverpool centre-halves. Klopp would not have been happy with his side’s defending, which