Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool: Intense battle between rivals for Isak sees 16-year-old claim headlines
After all the kerfuffle surrounding Alexander Isak, there was no doubt that a Liverpool visit to Newcastle would be marked by intensity and bite.
And from the start at St James’ Park both sides went at each other, demonstrating through action everything that has been left unsaid for professional reasons.
And after a cathartic experience that culminated in 11 minutes of added time, it was neither Bruno Guimaraes, nor Hugo Ekitike, nor Mohamed Salah, not even Isak’s foil William Osula – who had threatened to be the hero on the night – but the young and fresh 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha who would claim the headlines.
There was almost something soothing about this, that after all the bigger players on a mission had huffed and puffed, it was a newcomer, a fresh, talented teenager making his Premier League debut, who would have the final say.
Liverpool had worked the ball well on the inside-right channel with the score 2-2 and the clock ticking down, the 100th-minute mark reached. Then they shifted it wide for Mohamed Salah to deliver a low pass into the box. Then Dominik Szoboszlai’s clever dummy allowed Ngumoha to steal victory for his side with an excellent curled finish to the right that kept Nick Pope rooted to the spot.
Just a few minutes before that, a draw had seemed the most likely resolution to the game. Newcastle had strangely outfought and outplayed Liverpool for most of the match. Even after going down to ten men, and then 2-0 down, they clawed their way up with verve and fight.
Anthony Gordon playing as a No 9 had been Newcastle’s most potent threat, although the spaces around the box as the home side delivered ball after ball into it in the first half showed just how badly they need a striker.
Gordon came close on a few occasions, his best perhaps a header from an in-swinger by Tino Livramento that came within inches of creeping into the roof of Alisson’s goal.
Then almost out of nowhere came Liverpool’s opener, against the run of play. Ryan Gravenberch collected the ball outside the area and then struck a low shot that caught Pope off guard and went into the bottom left corner.
The goal cooled some of the pressure that Newcastle had been mounting. There was a chance to make it two soon afterwards, but Salah’s almost perfect flick into the front of the six-yard box was wasted by Curtis Jones, who completely fluffed his attempt to finish it.
Then Newcastle were reduced to ten men when Gordon, eager to close down Virgil van Dijk, lost his head and lunged at the Liverpool captain. The forward was initially awarded a yellow card but a VAR intervention led to its cancellation and his dismissal.
Immediately after the restart Liverpool doubled their lead, so fast that even their manager missed it, not having come out of the tunnel yet. The goal came through Ekitike, who could have moved to St James’ Park this summer but chose Anfield instead. Here he punished his former suitors when he drove into Newcastle’s third and combined with Cody Gakpo, before firing into the bottom left corner.
It seemed as if Newcastle were dead and buried, but then out of nowhere captain Guimaraes snuck in between the Liverpool defence and headed in a cross from Livramento. The home side came alive again, pressuring their rivals for Isak in a manner that belied their one-man deficit.
Soon their efforts were rewarded. After winning a freekick in the middle of the park, Newcastle pushed up and goalkeeper Pope delivered the ball into the box. It evaded a few bodies and Osula was able to get ahead of Gravenberch and then poke the ball beyond Alisson, sending the home fans into raptures.
It seemed like a draw was a fair result, even if it shamed Liverpool while honouring the valiant effort of Eddie Howe’s men. But then came Ngumoha’s moment.
