Liverpool’s last-gasp win leaves Newcastle ‘kicking ourselves’ and searching for answers

Before then it was a wild afternoon, dominated by red cards, phantom yellow cards and the spikiness simmering between the two benches. But Liverpool swiped the spoils, braving the storm with a performance of impressive maturity to land a significant early season blow.

Related Article

“Super special,” Klopp said afterwards. Like nothing else in his 1,000 game coaching career, he added later on. It was that kind of day.

For Newcastle, a hugely chastening defeat. “As painful as [losing in injury time] last season. We are kicking ourselves not to have got something from it,” a deflated Eddie Howe said. He looked pained. Of five home Premier League defeats suffered on his watch, three have come against Liverpool.

Later in his press conference he bemoaned John Brooks’ call not to send off Trent Alexander-Arnold for a second yellow card in the first half but he also conceded that having a man advantage “harmed” Newcastle – and he had a point.

Their evolution from relegation fodder to Champions League pretenders has felt so supremely smooth under Howe, but a double from Darwin Nunez brings with it searching questions for a team that have made no secret about their desire to upbraid English football’s traditional powers.

Were they too passive against 10 men? Did Howe’s changes – made in search of control over the game – cede a second half advantage to Liverpool’s 10 men?

Howe’s management has been so faultless that questions have rarely arrived at his door. But his substitutions – as opposed to Klopp’s game changers – were curious.

Withdrawing the class of Sandro Tonali for the industry of Sean Longstaff seemed to unsettle rhythm. And the departure of Anthony Gordon, a black and white agent provacateur throughout, blunted Newcastle’s attack.

“My role here is to calm everything and see persepctive,” Howe said afterwards. He will need to before Newcastle resume their Premier League programme at Brighton next week. There will be moments of discomfort on Tyneside.

For Liverpool, though, a timely fillip for a side partially rebuilt in the summer and a feather in the cap of Klopp against a Newcastle management duo that he holds in barely concealed antipathy. On the sidelines he implored Jason Tindall, Newcastle’s high-profile No 2, to sit down as the home dug-out called for Alexander-Arnold to go.

After the second of Nunez’s goals he pursed his lips and placed a solitary finger on them. It must have felt like vindication because after threatening to unravel in a first half that bore many of the hallmarks of last season’s frequent collapses, this was a heck of a response from his team.

Much has been made of Liverpool’s off-season midfield reset but it was the canny movement of skilfully summoned late replacements which put the seal on a second half performance of impressive control.

Before then it had been Newcastle’s game to lose as Alexander-Arnold threatened to implode. An early yellow – harshly doled out – for time wasting was followed a few seconds later by a body check on Gordon that should have been a second caution.