Newcastle 1 Liverpool 2: Premier League analysis

A rivalry that has produced some of the classic encounters of the Premier League era added another chapter in this early-season clash. A torrid first half-hour for visitors Liverpool looked to have destroyed any hopes they had of maintaining their unbeaten start to the season. First, an already-booked Trent Alexander-Arnold miscontrolled to let in Anthony Gordon to finish calmly past Alisson; then Gordon's through ball to Alexander Isak provoked Virgil van Dijk into a challenge adjudged worthy of a red card. One goal and one player up at half-time, Eddie Howe and his Newcastle team were firmly in control.

It would have been two, had Alisson not saved superbly from Miguel Almirón late in the first half. The Paraguayan, a threat all game, then watched as his curved shot struck the Liverpool woodwork in the second half. Jürgen Klopp made changes, and both Diogo Jota and Darwin Núñez offered a threat Liverpool hadn't carried before them. It was the latter, an inconsistent contributor since his big-money move from Benfica in the summer of 2022, who had the final say. Two glorious late strikes past Nick Pope turned the game, and potentially already Liverpool's season, on its head. 

How the managers saw it

“In my more than 1,000 games as a coach, I never had a game like this,” said Klopp after the game. “Not with 10 men in an atmosphere like this, against an opponent like this. These moments are rare and super-special. It was obviously pretty wild, but I thought the boys deserved it.

“Darwin was not happy to not be starting, but I gave him a hug and encouraged him to try for the team. We need to create a new way to play football, and Darwin can be a key part of that. His key strengths are exceptional.”

Howe took some responsibility for the defeat, having withdrawn key performers Anthony Gordon, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali. “In hindsight you would always do things differently,” he said. “Sometimes when you make those changes, it doesn’t go as you foresee. It was painful. We were excellent, very strong in the opening stages. We had the chances to kill the game, but we didn’t take them. Liverpool had two chances and they took them.”

Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have picked out three tactical themes that decided the match. They start, not surprisingly, with the game's defining battle.

Trent Alexander-Arnold v Anthony Gordon

Both Eddie Howe and Jürgen Klopp set their teams up in familiar 4-3-3 formations, but the key battle from very early on came down the Newcastle left. Howe may have identified Anthony Gordon’s potential to get at Trent Alexander-Arnold before kick-off, but after the latter’s early yellow card this focus only intensified.

Newcastle subsequently built their attacks around Gordon’s threat from 1v1 dribbling situations against the Liverpool vice-captain. The movements and positioning of his teammates only enhanced this approach. Left-back Dan Burn didn’t push forward in support of Gordon, potentially wary of Mo Salah’s threat on the counter-attack; while both Joelinton and Alexander Isak drifted centrally to create an even larger space for Gordon to attack inside on his stronger right foot (below).

After making an individual error in possession that allowed Gordon through to give Newcastle the lead, and conscious of his booking, Alexander-Arnold backed even further off the former Everton winger. This placed more pressure on Liverpool’s centre-backs, as Gordon was now freer to combine with Newcastle’s forward runners ahead of the ball. It was from an unopposed Gordon through ball (below) that Virgil van Dijk fouled Isak – as the last man, the Liverpool captain was sent off. Gordon’s supremacy in his battle with Alexander-Arnold looked to have put his team in an unassailable position.

Newcastle’s attacks against 10 men

With Liverpool a player down, and defending almost entirely in a mid or low block, Newcastle readjusted their attacking shape for the second half. Kieran Trippier moved inside to join Bruno Guimarães in a double pivot (below), which worked to draw the attention of both central midfielders – Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister – in Liverpool’s revised 4-4-1. This in turn allowed the Newcastle number eights to start higher, and threaten the Liverpool defence earlier with their penetrative runs.

This shape also created even more cover against the counter-attacking potential of Salah, who had moved central as Liverpool’s highest player. Salah’s move away from the right gave Burn more opportunity to push higher in support of Gordon, who continued to drive inside Alexander-Arnold from the left. On the opposite side, Miguel Almirón held the width he had maintained throughout the game.

With the extra man, the hosts dominated both the ball and territory throughout the second half. If Trippier moved wider, Liverpool had more potential to counter-attack because of easier central access into Salah. That said, Newcastle’s focus on wide combinations on both sides of the pitch worked to stretch Liverpool’s midfield four across the pitch.

This gave Howe’s team the chance to exploit central spaces between the Liverpool midfield and defensive lines (above). This could be through a dropping number nine, advancing number eights or wide players moving inside. Gordon and Almirón both worked shooting opportunities by attacking inside on their stronger side, with the latter hitting the post. But they were unable to find a second goal to kill off the game, which cost them dear.

How Liverpool won it

After the dismissal of Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s attacking play featured very narrow combinations. Salah operated as the central forward, where he was supported in the inside channels by Cody Gakpo on the left and Dominik Szoboszlai on the right (below). Endo and Mac Allister now formed a double pivot, with any width the team played with offered by the full-backs. Both Andy Robertson and Alexander-Arnold were cautious with their movements, however. They focused on stabilising the back four and supporting the double pivot against any attacking transitions, with the priority of getting to half-time without conceding any more.

While Klopp’s team kept the score at 1-0, they were always in the game. The manager’s first substitutions – Harvey Elliott for Endo and Diogo Jota for Gakpo – gave the visitors fresh legs to better track Newcastle’s wide attacks. Then, the introduction of Darwin Núñez for Mac Allister with around 15 minutes left gave Liverpool extra counter-attacking threat to end the match. Salah switched back to the right, while Jota moved inside from the left to receive between the lines (below).

Núñez offered a different physical presence to affect the Newcastle centre-backs, and got on the end of two incisive attacking combinations that exploited the gap between the home team’s left-back and left-sided centre-back. The Uruguayuan combined intelligent and well-timed runs with two brilliant finishes across goal to complete a sensational turnaround. Liverpool duly maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, condemning Newcastle to a second straight defeat in the process.

To learn more from the professional coaches of The Coaches’ Voice, visit CV Academy