Newcastle 3 Liverpool 3: tactical analysis

Newcastle and Liverpool – responsible for some of the most entertaining Premier League encounters down the years – served up another thriller here, at St James’ Park. The home side took the lead twice, only for the visiting league-leaders to put themselves on the brink of victory, thanks to the finishing of Mohamed Salah. Defeat would have been harsh on Newcastle, however, and they salvaged a point with a late equaliser, courtesy of a Fabian Schär volley.

Eddie Howe’s men were much the better side in a first half in which Liverpool were fortunate to trail by only one goal – a thumping strike from Alexander Isak. Newcastle knew what was coming. Not only have they suffered several painful reverses against the same opposition, but 16 of Liverpool’s previous 19 goals against all opponents had come in the second half of games. On cue, Curtis Jones converted a Salah pass five minutes after the break to make it 1-1. 

Liverpool had chances to make it 2-1 before Anthony Gordon restored Newcastle’s lead, then a Salah brace put his team in sight of the winning post. With time running out, Gordon sent in a free-kick that Caoimhín Kelleher allowed to float over his head, unaware of Schär at the far post. The Swiss centre-back’s marvellous finish capped a roller-coaster game, with Liverpool’s lead at the top cut to seven points after wins for Arsenal and Chelsea.

How the managers saw it

“You know that, with the quality Liverpool have off the bench, we could have an issue,” said Howe. “That is what happened, but our mental quality came to the fore and we got the equaliser. We had chances to make it 2-0, we scored three goals and looked dynamic and energetic.”

“In the first half we had a lot of problems with their intensity, aggressive playing style without the ball – aggressive in a good way,” said Arne Slot. “It wasn't that difficult for us to be better in the second half with the ball, and that's what we were. Maybe it was difficult for them to keep the intensity of the first 45 minutes going and, as a result of that, or of all of these things, we dominated the second half.”

Newcastle’s intense central midfield

Without the ball, Newcastle United utilised a 4-5-1 structure, with a flat and very compact midfield unit (below). Their second line’s aggressive duelling limited Liverpool’s ability to progress centrally, as well as proving the launchpad for counter-attacks. Joelinton, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães worked hard to regain possession in the middle third, then looked for runs from Gordon and Jacob Murphy, around centre-forward Isak.

Additional back-pressing from Isak also helped regain possession, with Gordon and Murphy dangerous on the transition – especially in spaces either side of Liverpool’s centre-backs (below). Murphy was more direct with his attempts than Gordon. He shot early with several low efforts across goal, one of which hit the post. It was Isak, though, who gave Newcastle a deserved lead. His opener came after an incisive pass from midfield found him on the edge of the penalty area, from where he smashed past Kelleher.

Despite Liverpool equalising soon after the break, Newcastle maintained their intensity in central midfield in the early stages of the second half. At the same time, their forward passing got them up the pitch to quickly find the front line. Although not every pass created a chance, their intent to put immediate pressure on Liverpool’s back line was notable.

For their second goal, forward passes from Tonali and Guimarães worked the ball up to Isak, between Jarell Quansah – in an unfamiliar right-back position – and Joe Gomez (below). Isak then fed a pass between them to a marauding Gordon, who evaded both defenders and squeezed home a finish. Within five minutes, however, Arne Slot made three substitutions that helped turn the tide. By contrast, Eddie Howe made only one substitution before the 87th minute – Harvey Barnes for Murphy – as Newcastle struggled to maintain the intensity that had served them well. 

Liverpool between the lines

In an attempt to avoid the aggressive duelling of Newcastle’s midfield, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones started to reposition higher within Liverpool’s adapted 4-3-3 shape. When between the lines, the pair also readjusted to the movements of Darwin Núñez. When the centre-forward widened to the left, Jones and Mac Allister became central points of the attack (below), as Salah stayed wide right to attack Lewis Hall 1v1 where possible. If Núñez remained central, Jones moved into the left inside channel, making penetrative runs beyond. Despite this, Liverpool’s play in the final third lacked incisiveness and quality in the first half. 

Indeed, Liverpool’s first goal came out of nowhere, with Jones breaking forward and adjusting to finish Salah’s perfectly timed cross. From then on, both Liverpool full-backs moved higher. This gave them greater numbers between the lines and better support around Mac Allister and Jones. When a Newcastle winger was drawn forward, which disrupted their second line, Liverpool played through Ryan Gravenberch and into the players they had between the lines (below) to create purposeful attacks. They also played around Newcastle, into wide wingers Salah and Gakpo, who then played quick passes back inside to teammates between the lines. Andy Robertson’s crossing from narrow positions also became an outlet. He looked to find the number eights crashing the box around Núñez.

Slot’s triple change

At 2-1 down, Slot brought on Luis Díaz (for Gakpo), Trent Alexander-Arnold (for Gomez, with Quansah shifting to centre-back), and Dominik Szoboszlai (for Gravenberch). Within a minute Liverpool were level and had an attacking platform to threaten the hosts’ back line. Alexander-Arnold’s overlapping from right-back complemented Salah and Szoboszlai, not least in crossing for Salah. From the left, Núñez was supported by Díaz, who started wide before cutting in, as Mac Allister made runs from deep. These runs had previously been performed by Jones, who dropped as the single pivot with Gravenberch off. He then supported attacks from underneath, often assisted by Robertson.

Liverpool’s attacking flourished, with Salah more central and working around Núñez, as Alexander-Arnold repeatedly advanced. Mac Allister offered extra central support, with Jones, Szoboszlai and Robertson breaking Newcastle’s midfield line (below). Slot’s changes gave Liverpool the energy and quality in the final third that had been missing in the first half. They created multiple chances, including Salah hitting the crossbar, before he spun to score his second from another Alexander-Arnold cross. 

Newcastle kept going, though, and on the overall balance of play got a deserved equaliser through Schär’s skilful finish. In a fixture famous for its 4-3 scorelines, on this occasion neither team could conjure a fourth goal. There is always the return fixture in February, however.

To learn more about football tactics and gain insights from coaches at the top of the game, visit CV Academy