Not so long ago, Jürgen Klopp allowed Eddie Howe access to all areas of Anfield, as he allowed an unemployed colleague to monitor almost his every move, but as the start approached, the Liverpool manager probably regretted such generosity.
Klopp may not have managed to persuade Howe to pursue one of his key analysts, Mark Leyland, almost as soon as he took office in Newcastle – or breathed so much new life into Steve Bruce’s old country that they posed an unexpected threat to the four chances. Liverpool.
In case it was narrow, but not as close as the result might suggest. Although heavily but skillfully, the rotated Liverpool XI, with Mo Salah and Thiago Alcantara on the bench, was forced to work hard for a precious victory stamped by the winner in the 19th minute by the impressive Nabi Keita, Alison had no precious things to do in the purpose of the guests. Klopp’s gambling paid dividends in his choice.
With another unused reserve Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Liverpool manager showed the exceptional strength of his team in depth, and although he made five changes from the country that started the victory in the first Champions League match against Villarreal, he increased the chances for the team title you are.
Also, as pressure on Manchester City remained at the top of the Premier League and Newcastle’s record-breaking six-game winning streak came to a halt, suspicions grew that James Milner had uncovered the secret of eternal football life.
Twenty years after making his Leeds debut as a 16-year-old, the midfielder looks indestructible and, making a rare start in the league, has shown no signs of relegation. As Milner prepares to assemble new silverware this spring, the words of his former Newcastle manager, Graham Sunes, sounded empty again. “You’ll never win anything with a James Milners team,” he had once mocked.
Joelinton of Newcastle and Diogo Jota of Liverpool clashed during a highly contested first half. Photo: Ian MacNicol / Getty Images
Just one was enough to create Keïta’s winning goal. This preamble included that Milner came out of a 50/50 challenge with Fabian Cher unharmed and with the ball. In contrast, the collision left the center-half on the grass for a few minutes.
Keita, usually far from a guaranteed Liverpool starter, then made his way around Martin Dubravka before firing through the hastily built, distinctly ersatz wall of defenders.
How Klopp was celebrating, Howe didn’t look impressed. Along with most of the crowd of over 52,000, he seemed worried that Andre Mariner had made a mistake in signaling a game after Milner’s game. After a VAR review decided otherwise, the goal remained and Cher returned to action.
Although Miguel Almiron thought he had leveled after bypassing Alison, the Paraguayan striker’s efforts were rightly described as offside. As Almiron and Alan Saint-Maximin failed to have the desired counterattack against Virgil van Dyke and company and even Bruno Guimaraes for failing to summon his distinctive killer despite the balls, Liverpool took control, enjoying more than 70% ownership.
Jordan Henderson was heavily involved in this monopolization of the ball, with the former Sunderland midfielder apparently inspired by the booing that greeted his every touch. Not content with overtaking Jonjo Shelvey, Henderson nearly scored a goal for Diogo Giotto before half-time with the kind assistance of a fine cross, which Dubravka had previously done wonders to somehow direct the shock, high-speed header with Giotto’s head to safety.
In the second half, Sadio Mane made a shot that whistled narrowly and lavishly, wide, after meeting the superb shot of Joe Gomez from the right. This proved the line for Howe to replace Joe Willock, reduced to a disappointingly peripheral figure from Kate, with Chris Wood and shortly after Klopp to bring Salah out.
The Fiver: register and receive our daily football email.
Salah’s wonderful first touch created a great start for Luis Diaz, which, had it not been for a brilliant interception by Newcastle’s underestimated left-back Matt Target, would surely have resulted in a goal. He soon made Dan Byrne look unusually sharp, though he wasn’t as worried as Klopp appeared when Saint-Maximinine briefly appeared in life. The Frenchman played in Wood only for the New Zealander to shoot straight at Alison. It looked like a big omission at first, so it was probably just as good for Wood that the offside flag on the line made it academic.
The equalizer always seemed unlikely. In fact, with the overworked Dubravka, who managed to keep the late shot of Giotto, and Target, who perform best in Newcastle, Manchester City was left with many reasons to be clearly nervous.
Add Comment