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Liverpool came from behind to secure a remarkable 2-1 win against Newcastle United at St. James' Park in the Premier League on Sunday, August 27.
The Magpies entered this game on the back of two highly-contrasting games. They smashed Aston Villa 5-1 in their opening game before losing 1-0 to Manchester City last week. However, Eddie Howe and his men will look to give their best season with the club also back in the Champions League after nearly 30 years. Howe named a strong lineup for this game.
The Reds, on the other hand, drew 1-1 against Chelsea on opening day before securing a 3-1 win over Bournemouth with 10 men last week. Having seen their midfield deplete over the summer, Jurgen Klopp handed Wataru Endo a start as he named a competitive lineup in search of a positive result.
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The first half was began evenly-poised, with both sides attacking in phases at a good tempo that was exciting to watch. However, the tide turned in the hosts' favor soon after. While Newcastle did play good football, most of their dominance was down to Liverpool's mistakes biting them in their own behind.
Trent-Alexander Arnold made a critical error, failing to control a pass and allowing Anthony Gordon a free run at goal to make it 1-0 after 25 minutes. Just three minutes later, Reds' captain Virgil van Dijk was given his marching orders for a last-man foul on Alexander Isak.
Liverpool would probably have been worse off if not for Alisson between the sticks as Newcastle led 1-0 at the interval.
The second half saw the game burst into life in terms of urgency shown by both sides and the exciting football they played. Both managers made multiple changes as they looked to alter the course of the game. However, Klopp's changes paid off better as Darwin Nunez stole the show late on.
Capitalizing on an error by Sven Botman, Nunez latched onto a loose ball before darting forward and firing in the equalizer in the 81st minute, just four minutes after coming on. He continued to get in great positions and found himself on the receiving end of a lovely ball by Mohamed Salah in stoppage-time. The Uruguayan kept his cool and scored the goal to win the game for Liverpool.
On that note, let's take a look at the five major talking points.
#5. Alexander-Arnold's early booking gave Newcastle an advantage
High-stakes games in the Premier League are decided by the finest of margins, forcing teams to try and be as close to perfect as they can. Trent Alexander-Arnold's booking in the sixth minute, albeit arguably soft, put Liverpool's plans in temporary jeopardy.
The right back was booked for showing frustration following a decision he did not agree with. Eddie Howe used this opportunity to instruct his players to play most of their football down the left flank, where Anthony Gordon could run at Alexander-Arnold, who was in foul trouble.
Gordon ended up giving his side the lead following a mistake by Alexander-Arnold in the 25th minute to send St. James' Park into raptures.
#4. Virgil van Dijk was sent off for a last-man foul
Shortly after conceding, things went from bad to worse for Liverpool as captain Virgil van Dijk was shown a straight red just minutes later.
Alexander Isak found himself in a great position to run at goal and was clear of the defenders. Van Dijk made a recovery and brought the Swede down with the faintetst of touches. But since he was the last man, referee John Brooks showed no hesitation in brandishing the red card straight away. VAR did not come to the Dutchman's assistance either. It was his first red card since 2016.
Although it seemed harsh looking at the contact in the replays, the decision made sense going purely by the rules. However, a yellow card would have been more apt.
#3. Alisson put in a heroic display to keep Liverpool in the game
Following captain van Dijk's red card, Newcastle United had the opportunity to control the tempo of the game, and they did. Jurgen Klopp was forced into making a defensive substitution as Luis Diaz was sacrificed and subbed off to bring Joe Gomez on to plug their backline.
This allowed Newcastle more space in midfield and also more time on the ball in their own half as the Reds' press was a man short. They were forced to rely on their goalkeeper to pull them out of tough situations.
He made three saves in the first period, coupled with four more in the second period to help his team over the line.
#2. Newcastle United became complacent for no apparent reason
Newcastle had one of their best phases of the game midway through the first period as they scored and saw Reds' captain Virgin van Dijk being sent off within minutes of each other, putting them in the drivers' seat for the game. It was theirs to lose from that point, and somehow, they managed to throw it away.
Their urgency to attack also dwindled as the game progressed at a time where it should have doubled. Giving a team like Liverpool time and space to formulate their comeback can cost any team in the world regardless of who they think they are.
#1. Super-sub Darwin Nunez wins the game for Liverpool
Darwin Nunez came replaced Alexis Mac Allister in the 77th minute and made an instant impact, scoring to level the game within four minutes of coming on. He made the most of a defensive lapse by Newcastle and pounced on the mistake before firing a lovely shot into the left side-netting.
Then in second-half stoppage time, Mo Salah played Nunez through on goal with a lovely pass, which the Uruguayan tucked into the net in similar fashion to his first. Liverpool held on to secure an important 2-1 win over Newcastle.
