Toon have fighting spirit to battle until very end of match Skipper: Ref got it right
LASCELLES’ PRIDE IN HIS TEAM-MATES
JAMAAL Lascelles has issued a rallying cry to his Newcastle United troops after they suffered their first Premier League defeat since January 20. The Toon skipper feels he saw enough during the 2-0 defeat at Anfield to give him confidence the Magpies are still up for the relegation battle on a weekend in which they avoided slipping back into the bottom three. Liverpool won it thanks to goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, but Lascelles fronted up after the game to give some dressing room insight on the encounter. He said: “The boys were excellent all game, they gave their all and worked their socks off. “Even at 2-0 down a lot of players would have given up and accepted that it was hard to come back against a team like Liverpool. “But we kept fighting and of course because of the situation we were in, it does leave you a bit more open at the back. “We were taking a bit of gamble. “We were in a situation where we had nothing to lose and we were still trying to go for it. We don’t want to be losing or in that situation but it just goes to show the boys will keep fighting until the end of the game.”
Newcastle had operated with a five-man defence against Liverpool and managed to keep them at bay until Salah found a way through.
Lascelles said: “We defended well for 40 minutes – we were solid.
“They got a little bit impatient and their fans got a big groggy.
“Then that happened (Salah scored) so it was a kick in the backside for us.
“They scored a second and when you are in that situation against a world-class team like that, it is always going to be tough to come back.”
United’s season will now surely revolve around the next two home games against Southampton and then Huddersfield Town with Lascelles making it clear that Newcastle are up for the fight. The former Nottingham Forest captain said: “I don’t think that any team will make us look out of our depth. “Even if they do score a few past us, we are going to make it nasty for them and keep working. “We are going make it difficult. “OK, Liverpool’s goals were scored too easily for our liking but we gave a good reaction and we went for it in the end. “We did gamble at the back but we were in the situation where we had to.” United captain Jamaal Lascelles to JAMAAL Lascelles believes referee Graham Scott made the right decision after opting against showing him the red card late in the game at Anfield.
The Newcastle United defender grappled with 32-goal forward Mo Salah in front of the Kop with Liverpool fans calling for a sending-off and a penalty.
But looking back on the incident, captain Lascelles is confident the Oxfordshire official made the correct call.
He told the Chronicle: “I have looked back at the video and it’s outside the box and I do actually get a slight touch on the ball.
“I think the referee has made the right decision.
“Initially the fans all thought penalty and sending off.
“But it was outside the box and I touched the ball.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hinted he believed Lascelles should have been sent off.
But the Toon skipper – who avoided a one-game ban for the crucial home clash with Southampton – made it clear he thought Newcastle should also have had a penalty.
Joselu’s shot was blocked late in the game by James Milner before the ball struck Jordan Henderson on the hand.
Lascelles said: “There’s a few decisions in the game.
“We had a shot (Joselu) that was going in and it hit somebody’s hand (Henderson).
“It all pans out and I thought the referee was pretty good.”