Newcastle 1-2 Liverpool: The Darwin Special
Another Newcastle vs Liverpool classic to add to the collection
Note: This has been published late, due to family visiting, followed by a sinus infection, but every game gets a write up as they’re useful to reference back to.
This was Jurgen Klopp heritage. One of the classics.
The moment that Van Dijk got sent off, I’ve rarely held so little belief (under Klopp) that Liverpool are going to be able to turn a game around. I thought The Reds could be in for a battering. Last season I strongly believe they would have been.
Can you imagine last season’s midfield, with the lack of running power, trying to cope with being a man down against this Newcastle side having already gone 1-0 down?
Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, and despite the harsh criticism, to a degree, Endo, steadied the ship. Trent Alexander-Arnold seemed to get the yips after a clear foul by Antony Gordon was not given, then Trent got booked for throwing the ball back into play (?). The Yips seemed to rub off on the rest of the team but somehow the red card acted as a reset. Trent could not have been more solid once The Reds went down to ten men.
I’m still undecided about the red card. I’m happy to admit that if it’s a foul, then it should be a red, based on the rules. He is last man. But is it a foul? There is an acceptance with a slide tackle that you might take someone’s legs, as well as the ball, but as long as you get a clear touch on the ball, it’s not considered a foul. My question is if van Dijk had slid in and got the ball after getting a slight touch on Isak (which is what it was, a slight touch), would it be a foul?
Perfect example, Bailly vs Nat Phillips in 2021. Bailly catches him studs up, high on the leg. In isolation, that’s obviously a foul. But because he gets a touch on the ball, VAR changes the on field decision. So it’s considered a clear and obvious error because there’s a touch on the ball. Despite kicking Phillips studs up on the shin. Where is the consistency?
https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1392928984208392194?s=20
Another slide tackle example, van Dijk on Dele Alli in 2020. Gets the ball, but goes through the player. Decision was not even debated. I won’t keep going on about this, but if there’s one rule for slide tackles, and one for stand tackles, I find that weird.
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Newcastle have been heavily criticised for their approach after going a man up, for taking their foot off the gas, but I’m not sure I totally buy it. I think they did push for more goals, but were unlucky with Almiron’s two shots and Longstaff’s backheel, two of which were saved by Alisson, the first from Almiron being the best save I have ever seen (a view shared by Eddie Howe). They did make poor decisions in some moments, but I think they were ultimately denied by Liverpool’s superior quality.
Whether it was Alisson’s super saves, or The Red’s resilient midfield, or the bust Harvey Elliott, or the wise Diogo Jota, or the faultless Joe Gomez, Newcastle just couldn’t seem to cope. But there was one player in particular who made all the difference.
This was his moment. All the trolling, all the criticism, all the misses, led to this moment. He is my favourite footballer on the planet, and the only player who would have won that game for us in that manner. The first finish is incredible. The precision and the speed on that strike makes it so incredibly difficult to pull off, yet the shit Andy Carrol managed to smash it in. And the pace for the winner. It’s not great from Dan Burn, but the turn of pace is still frightening, and it is a fantastic pass from Salah, who is turning more and more into a provider, which is great news for Darwin. His pace allows him time to compose himself before what is not an easy finish in the slightest. Again, it has to be precise, and it’s exactly the kind of chance he kept missing last season.
It feels like this could be a turning point for this team. More than something like the 2-0 win last season would have been. This side have struggled to dig out results when in adversity for so long. Many times they felt sorry for themselves last season. But this time, we saw a different Liverpool. One that punches back harder. That is a massive three points.