A
fine goal by Raheem Sterling and a second-half Joe Allen strike saw off
the challenge of Newcastle, who should have had a penalty but had
Moussa Sissoko sent off late on
Updated
Raheem Sterling celebrates after curling the ball into the back of the net. Photograph: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty
A fair result, that. Liverpool controlled matters
save for a spirited flurry either side of half-time by Newcastle, who
should certainly have had a penalty and came close through Ayoze Perez’s
well-saved header. But Brendan Rodgers’ side, hit by injuries at the
moment, did enough and Raheem Sterling – who broke the deadlock with a
fine goal – should have gone home with a hat-trick. It keeps Liverpool
on the tails of the Champions League sides; Newcastle didn’t phone this
one in, to be fair, but just don’t have a lot of quality and have the
added complication of a one-match ban for Sissoko looming. They could do
with a result now – that’s five defeats in a row for them. Anyway, that’ll be all for tonight. Thanks for your company, it’s appreciated as ever. Enjoy the rest of your evening!
Job done for Sterling and Rodgers as Liverpool move up to fifth, four
points behind champions Manchester City. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action
Images/Reuters
90 min: Moreno is booked after a fairly cynical foul
on Gouffran, who had sprung onto a poor pass from Coutinho inside the
Newcastle half. We will have four added minutes here.
89 min: Rickie Lambert now replaces Sterling, which
won’t matter much either. But Sterling is applauded warmly, which
doesn’t suggest too much bad blood from his contract wranglings.
87 min: Sissoko, who had played quite well, will now
miss Newcastle’s game with Spurs. Gouffran has just replaced Perez by
the way, but that won’t matter at all.
85 min: Sterling with another big miss now!
Henderson with yet another fine right-footed delivery and, arriving on
his own inside the area, he tries to take it on the half-volley. Harder
than his first chance, but then so are most chances. High and wide it
goes.
That’s it for Newcastle now. The midfielder goes in high and stampily
on Lucas’ right shin – it’s nasty actually and could have been a
straight red – and does not wait around for his second yellow. If his
first booking was a bit harsh, this one was possibly worth two.
Not a good night for either Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko or manager John
Carver after the captain sees red. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters
82 min: Fifa 2015 update from Graeme Hull – “I tried
it again but for some reason 4 of my players just stopped running and 3
others gave interviews while on the pitch, saying that while they were
fully committed to Newcastle, they wanted to move to a ‘big club’ to
further their career.”
81 min: This one almost results in a goal,
Williamson doing just enough to deter Lovren at the back post and Lucas
seeing an effort blocked in front of the line.
81 min: Coutinho produces an outrageous flick-up and
jabbed pass for Sterling, managing to do both with the same foot and in
the same motion. A corner is won and Newcastle eventually have to
concede another.
79 min: Good from Liverpool as Johnson and Coutinho
play a one-two but the right-back cannot quite play Borini in. Krul has
to dive upon Janmaat’s slightly wayward interception.
78 min: Sissoko and Johnson have a few handbags
after the former tries to retrieve the ball for a throw-in. Both are
booked, rather pettily.
Moussa Sissoko and Glen Johnson square up. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters
72 min: Nearly three, as Lovren beats Williamson to
another right-sided Coutinho corner and thunders a header a foot over.
Liverpool have stepped things right up in the last 15 minutes and their
two-goal lead is just reward.
Philippe Coutinho celebrates with his team-mates after Joe Allen scored Liverpool’s second. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
That might be that. The corner is cleared out to Sterling, who finds
Can, who hooks the ball towards the six-yard box. It comes off
Williamson rather limply and Allen, quick as a flash, seizes upon the
loose ball to lash into the roof of the net! Two-nil!
Joe Allen reacts quickly to smash the ball past Michael Williamson and score the second. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty
69 min: Williamson fluffs a clearance under the
attention of Borini and the Italian sets off down the right. He takes a
touch too many when a shot or a cross towards Sterling would have
worked, and Krul comes out to block for a corner...after which....
67 min: Oh that’s very nice indeed. The Liverpool
supporters rise as one to welcome Gutierrez. Ryan Taylor returns the
kind gesture by slicing a volley wide shortly after the corner.
67 min: Yes, Newcastle’s fire has dimmed a bit and
Liverpool enjoy a bit of camping inside their half until Krul gathers a
cross. And he then sets in train a counter from Obertan, who wins a
corner.....and is promptly replaced by Jonas Gutierrez and shakes his
head at the realisation.
64 min: Borini cranes to head a Lucas chip back to
Allen, but can’t quite get the purchase. Then Sterling, whose miss some
might say was no laughing matter, is robbed by Colback.
61 min: In the meantime, Liverpool have a corner but
Janmaat heads Coutinho’s ball away. It’s eventually worked back to
Coutinho on the left; he jinks inside and his low, hard shot is gathered
by Krul.
Philippe Coutinho is looking dangerous, this time driving past Daryl Janmaat. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
61 min: Lou Roper laments a Liverpool absentee –
“The Liverpool performance in this match provides further endorsement of
the view that Skrtel has been our player of the season for all of the
excitement/furore over Sterling, Coutinho, et al. He is 30 years old:
who will replace him? The GBP 20 million waste that is Lovren?”
60 min: Cabella almost picks out the surging run of
Sissoko, but Lovren makes a vital interception. Then Colback does much
the same as Allen seeks Sterling.
57 min: What a miss from Sterling! Oh my word.
Henderson’s low centre from the right is completely, disastrously
miskicked by Taylor and it falls absolutely perfectly for Sterling, six
yards out and looking Krul in the eyes. He plants his left foot upon it –
and shoots wide! Wow. Had to score.
Raheem Sterling reacts after missing an easy chance, hitting the ball wide from close range. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
56 min: Justin Kavanagh speculates – “We knew things
were grim at Liverpool of late, but when you have to discipline players
for wanting laughing gas, maybe the plot been lost. Or maybe young
Raheem was seeking the same ‘helicopter view’ of life that his manager
used to bang on about.”
55 min: Sissoko then wins a fair physical tussle
with Can and, although he is dispossessed as he marauds forward, that
kind of sums up the way of things at the moment. Newcastle have come out
fighting.
53 min: Newcastle are really taking the game to
Liverpool now and a clever flick by Obertan releases Sissoko into a
pocket of space just beyond the left corner of the area. His daisycutter
is dived upon by Mignolet.
51 min: Another sortie from Newcastle, which stems
from a poor kick out by Mignolet. Cabella arrows a cross towards Perez
from the right and the goalkeeper has to be out sharply to paw it away.
Newcastle win a corner moments later and it finds Abeid at the back
stick. His shot is blocked. Then Newcastle come yet again and win an
iffy-looking flag kick off Lovten.
49 min: Can has a knock now – ankle I think – after
colliding with Lucas when challenging Obertan for that header. He’s
having treatment and looks a bit pained, but limps up and I think he’ll
continue.
48 min: Confident stuff from Newcastle though as an
Abeid flick finds Perez nicely and Lucas has to concede the corner. It’s
half-cleared by Lovren and put back in by Perez but Obertan’s header is
well wide.
Ayoze Perez reacts after a missed opportunity but Newcastle look better
at the beginning of the second half. Photograph: Jon Super/AP
Paul Devlin – not the ex-Birmingham forward I presume – has another take on the penalty shout:
“Having watched replay after replay, I’m far from convinced that
Lovren actually made any contact with Perez. There seems to be clear air
between both player’s legs. That said, I thought that trying to kick
someone was enough to allow the referee to award a penalty, intent being
key.”
John Carver was prevented from talking to Lee Mason as the teams went off by an insistently-placed police officer, by the way.
Newcastle’s Jack Colback and manager John Carver speak with referee Lee Mason as they walk off. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters
Yes, as I was saying, a strange half. Slow start,
then a fine goal by Sterling and 20 minutes of near-incessant Liverpool
attacking that could and should have seen them nick another goal or two.
From nowhere, Newcastle really should have had a penalty when Lovren
clearly fouled Perez and they ended the half the stronger, the willing
Perez seeing a header superbly saved and Abeid slashing over. From
looking as if this might turn into another of their roll-over-and-die
performances, Newcastle may still be in this one....
45+1 min: Save from Mignolet! Newcastle play some
nice, patient stuff and the ball is eventually worked back to Janmaat,
whose dink into the box is fairly straight but aimed accurately for
Perez, 12 yards out, who still has a fair bit to do but twists and loops
a very good header towards goal....clawed out of his top right corner
by Mignolet!
Then Newcastle come again and Sissoko cuts back from the right for
Abeid, who takes a swipe at goal and should perhaps do better than shoot
over!
43 min: If Lee Mason wasn’t to give a penalty for
that Lovren foul, shouldn’t he have booked Perez for a dive? Poor
decision – the more you see it, the more it looks a clear penalty.
41 min: Lucas than wafts a leg at Obertan and you
can hear the intake of breath around Anfield as he does so. Doesn’t go
down though. Newcastle still feel aggrieved at that earlier call and
Carver is still talking to the fourth official.
40 min: The visitors would have been even angrier if
Ibe had scored just then. He receives the ball on the right, gets half a
yard and blasts the ball wide. John Carver is currently haranguing the
fourth official about that penalty call.
John Carver not happy with that decision. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty
38 min: Did Lovren get lucky there? Newcastle make
some inroads and the defender waves a leg at Perez inside the area. He’s
nowhere near the ball and...well....I’ve just seen the replay, that
should be a penalty, no? Perez may have gone down a bit easily but there
is clearly contact.
Ayoze Perez is floored by a reckless challenge in the area by
Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren, nothing given. Photograph: Andrew
Yates/Reuters
37 min: News just in from our very own Andy Hunter:
A Liverpool spokesperson has commented on a breaking story concerning
Raheem Sterling allegedly inhaling nitrous oxide - laughing gas to you
and me. Sterling, pictured in the Sunday Mirror yesterday allegedly
smoking a shisha pipe, has also been filmed allegedly inhaling the legal
high at a party. A club spokesperson has said: “We are
aware of the story and intend to speak to the player. Any subsequent
action will be taken internally.” Brendan Rodgers will address the
matter further in his post-match press conference.
36 min: What a save/what a miss! Henderson puts in a
superb delivery from a right-sided free-kick and Lucas – who is
actually flagged offside so it wouldn’t have counted – gets a free
header away that Krul superbly repels one-handed to his left.
35 min: Coutinho overcomplicated things after
Sterling finds him in the left-sided pocket that Newcastle just haven’t
been able to close down. He checks inside, as Sterling did earlier, and
should probably shoot for goal but tries to pass and the chance goes.
33 min: This time it’s Sissoko striding down the
right for Newcastle, and his low cross – again aimed at Perez – just
beats him on the stretch. Liverpool’s whirlwind has calmed down a tad.
28 min: Newcastle haven’t really got near Liverpool
for 15 minutes but the ball breaks to Obertan on the right and he can
stretch his legs. Eventually he crosses towards Perez, and it’s cleared
as far as Abeid on the edge of the area. He makes reasonably good
contact on the volley but it’s straight at Mignolet.
26 min: Slid cutely by Henderson, who had shaped to
shoot, down the right side of the wall to the alert Coutinho, whose shot
needs to be blocked by Perez. Then Sterling makes some more space and
Krul saves his shot. Liverpool are rampant at the moment.
Liverpool and Raheem Sterling are now rampant at Anfield but the score remains 1-0. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
24 min: Sterling in space again as Coutinho weaves a
lovely ball through to him in a similar position from the one that
resulted in a goal. This time he snatches at a first-time cross-shot and
it’s into the arms of Krul.
22 min: But Liverpool are well in control now and
passing the ball about confidently. Moreno is playing like a winger on
that left flank and swings another tempting ball in that Anita heads
away.
Then a chance! Liverpool take the throw-in and Coutinho works the
ball beautifully past Williamson and is in on goal....but tries to
centre to his left for Sterling, who isn’t actually there. Should have
shot.
21 min: Better from Newcastle as Abeid finds
Sissoko, who finds Perez on the byline. He twists well to cross from the
left but it’s over the head of Obertan.
18 min: Liverpool are finding a lot of space in
front of the Newcastle back four now and Henderson, appearing in a
threatening position again, only just overhits a slide-rule ball that
would have put Sterling in the clear.
Jordan Henderson battles with Mike Williamson at Anfield as Liverpool
take control against a fragile Newcastle. Photograph: Paul
Ellis/AFP/Getty
17 min: Moreno and Sterling seem to have the numbers
of Obertan and Taylor on that left side now, and the former puts in a
cross that Janmaat has to intercept. Then Williamson has to get across
sharply to stop Coutinho running onto a Lucas through ball.
15 min: Graeme Hull, Newcastle fan: “As a Newcastle
fan, you take your pleasures where you can – I just played this game on
Fifa 15 and managed to beat Liverpool 8-0. Admittedly it was on the
beginner setting, but somehow that seemed appropriate.”
I’d have another go, Graeme, and shoot for more. Your team has been at sixes and sevens since conceding.
13 min: Moreno comes close-ish for Liverpool,
running onto a fine Lovren ball forwards and, from a tight angle on the
left, getting a shot in that Krul beats away. Newcastle don’t really
clear and Henderson nearly brings the ball down inside the box moments
later. If he had, there’d have been a clear chance.
12 min: Newcastle try to battle back but Mignolet
claims Taylor’s cross. How will they respond? Sterling’s goal came from
Liverpool’s first attack.
Sterling celebrates after his sublime opener. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters
That, though, was brilliant. Henderson is allowed time, midway inside
the Newcastle half, to play a radar-like right-to-left pass for
Sterling on the left side of the area. He controls it superbly, cuts
onto his right foot, isn’t really challenged by Taylor or Obertan – and
Newcastle did have plenty of bodies in attendance – and picks his spot.
Beyond the despairing leap of Krul, diving to his left, it goes...and
into the far corner!
Raheem Sterling curls the ball into the net after receiving the ball
from Henderson’s floated pass. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
8 min: Anita crosses with his right foot but it’s
nowhere near Perez. It’s not particularly high praise but Newcastle have
started slightly the better.
5 min: Pretty cagey early stuff, this, but Newcastle
certainly getting close to Liverpool, who claim a free-kick when
Williamson muscles Sterling off the ball but nothing is given. Then
Newcastle counter and a Cabella shot deflects off Lucas for a corner....
The teams are on the pitch. You’ll Never Walk Alone – which still gets me every time, sucker that I am – is being sung.
The Liverpool players observe a minute’s silence to commemorate the 26th
anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. Photograph: Paul
Ellis/AFP/Getty
On Wednesday it will be 26 years since the Hillsborough disaster.
Wreaths have been laid at Anfield and the players are wearing black
armbands. There will also be a minute’s silence before we get underway.
Peter Oh writes in:
“Moussa is excellent with the French guys” does not exactly exude
rock-solid team unity, although I must admit I haven’t seen this many
Frenchmen in a castle, in an English production, since Monty Python and
the Holy Grail.”
Legacy of Alain Depardieux, who is doing a fantastic job at Palace
and did ok at Newcastle all told, but whose recruitment a couple of
winters back probably hampered the team all told.
John Carver says his three changes were indeed “a reaction”
to last weekend’s indignation and is particularly looking forward to
seeing Jack Colback in his preferred midfield role. “We’re not going to be here just defending,” he adds.
Brendan Rodgers says he is looking for a continuation of the level shown during last week’s FA Cup win at Blackburn.
David Flynn kicks off tonight’s emails on a that’s-the-spirit kind of note:
“Yesterday I was totally disgusted at Yaya Toure for not feeling he
had to run to justify his enormous weekly wages. Today I feel total
sympathy for an Liverpool side shorn of confidence and having to play
this dreadful Newcastle team on a dreary Monday night. Large wages and
privileged lifestyle or not, I sense this won’t be a game full of
urgency.”
David speaks only for the players, I hasten to say. I just sprinted
back here from the canteen in order to read and reproduce that.
The captain is your leader and what people don’t see is that Moussa
is excellent with the French guys,” Carver said. “He keeps them in
check, he is the enforcer, which is good. Sometimes you give extra
responsibilities to players and they thrive, sometimes they freeze. I’ve
seen Moussa have excellent games as captain but he had one of his
quieter games against Sunderland.
So Emre Can and Jordan Ibe come back into the Liverpool team for the injured Mamadou Sakho and Daniel Sturridge. Mario Balotelli does not make it either. John Carver wields the knife (like a carving knife! Carver! Carving knife!),
meanwhile, upon Jonas Gutierrez, Yoann Gouffran and Sammy Ameobi,
replacing them in the starting lineup with Mehdi Abeid, Gabriel Obertan
and Vurnon Anita.
Liverpool. Newcastle. A Monday night. It can only mean much more of this.
That, of course, is not true. We’d be relying on a few things for it
to happen again. We’d need Liverpool, so chirpy and upwardly-mobile
until a couple of weeks ago, to cast off the disappointment of those
deserved defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal and convince
themselves that a place in the Europa League would be pretty nice after
all. We’d also need Newcastle not to phone this one in. What’s the
bigger ask?
You’d hope that these two will be spurred by some form of urgency.
The wind might have gone from Liverpool’s sails but they would go fifth
with a win and that would take them four points (although effectively
two wins given their inferior goal difference) behind Manchester City.
With Pellegrini and company/Kompany in freefall, could there be another
chapter in the top-four story to come? You can bet that Brendan Rodgers
will be telling his team so.
Newcastle...well...kings of the no-show that they are, it’s probably
best to expect little from this one. But they could probably do with one
more win to ease any faint relegation fears that may have crept in
after four consecutive defeats, the most recent of them being the spawn
of that completely lifeless performance in the derby at Sunderland eight
days ago. It would be heartening to see some cojones from them.
Perhaps that would take us closer to the glory days of ‘97, which of course directly followed the glory days of ‘96.
This fixture was certainly flogged to death as a sure-fire
white-knuckle ride after those two wonderful games, to the extent that
it became slightly awkward when the narrative stayed the same despite
the fixture having long since stopped delivering. Others have put it better than me. But let’s be optimistic. This one’s going to be another classic. So stay close.
0 Comments
Good day precious one, We love you more than anything.