Nothing to get upset about – Liverpool 2 Newcastle 0 | OneFootball

It wasn’t an easy watch, this Liverpool 2 Newcastle 0 match.

Nothing to get upset about.

Frustrating? Yes, of course.

Seeing the ruthlessly efficient Liverpool machine notch a very routine victory, uncomfortable viewing.

Like I say though, nothing to really get upset about.

In his pre-match press conference, Eddie Howe said about how it needed to play out….

“We need to play close to a perfect game.

“We are going to need to start the game well.

“We have to be aggressive, have a threat in the game.

“We need every bit of our game to be functioning.”

As it happens, I think Newcastle United did start the game pretty well.

Indeed, the first half overall I reckon United were decent, up to a point.

However, Liverpool scored with their only shot on target in that opening half, on 11 minutes. Actually, the home side only had three shots on target all match, but that can be more than enough when the opposition don’t have any at all on target.

Eddie Howe said that things needed to be perfect for Newcastle to stand any chance of getting something at Anfield. Before the kick-off we lost any chance of perfection, as the positive noises of a possible return for Joelinton and/or Botman proved overly ambitious, whilst then a ‘slight groin problem’ ruling Alexander Isak out, was the very opposite of perfect. The fact Isak was there at Anfield, suggests that this was a late call and/or nothing to massively worry about, as no way Eddie Howe would have taken the striker to Anfield unless there was a chance he would start AND difficult to imagine Isak picked up a ‘groin problem’ whilst being transported from Tyneside to Merseyside. Hopefully.

Anyway, you are playing the best team in the country, probably in Europe.

With Wednesday’s action concluded, Liverpool are now 13 points of second place Arsenal, 19 points ahead of Forest in third, 20 points of Man City who are fourth, 23 points ahead of Newcastle United who are sixth.

NUFC are in good company.

Liverpool are between 13 and 23 points better than the other teams in the top six. That is just fact.

Liverpool’s best two players Salah and Van Dijk, have now started all 28 Premier League matches, Alexander-Arnold has only been unavailable for one of the 28. When you are the best team AND you carry that luck, then very difficult for the opposition.

As for Newcastle United, Isak is easily our best player, whilst I would say Botman and Joelinton are then for sure in NUFC’s next best and most important five or so players. Add that trio at Wembley to the likes of Tonali, Gordon, Hall and others, Newcastle for sure can put up a far better challenge at Wembley than this tonight.

Liverpool have lost one Premier League match in 10+ months, Eddie Howe saying beforehand that; “We need every bit of our game to be functioning.”

In the first half, Newcastle did function relatively well.

Only one effort on target for Liverpool in that first 45.

I thought the game plan was good but then everything undone by a bit of bad defending and a moment when everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

Newcastle on the attack and Liverpool winning the ball back and countering.

The ball ended up pulled back from the left low across the box, at that moment there were six Newcastle players who had go back to defend in their box and only two Liverpool players who could potentially get on the end of that low cross. Szoboszlai had been tracked back by Tonali but as the Liverpool midfielder stopped his movement forward, the NUFC player kept on going. The Liverpool player with a low shot that went through one Newcastle player’s legs AND then through Burn’s as well. Burn not far in front of Nick Pope and it got a deflection off Burn as well. The ball just evading Pope’s outstretched arm and 1-0 to Liverpool.

Newcastle bounced back though and Wilson put one just wide after getting put through, though it was then shown to be clearly offside.

Not long after it was an action replay of that situation but Konate appearing to play him onside, Wilson advanced on goal but with just Alisson to beat, a bad fail.

Needless to say, with everything stacked against NUFC on the night, we needed those two moments to go the other way, to stand any chance of getting something. Luck and better defending when Liverpool had attacked, ruthless finishing when Wilson put through.

The second half a total non-event.

Liverpool were functioning as normal but with not a lot of goal threat, Newcastle with very little, if any, at all.

The stats show only one save made in total the entire match by the two keepers combined.

Liverpool scored another goal where they broke after Newcastle lost possession and that was that.

You can’t pick and choose your matches to win but I think fair to say that of these last three Premier League matches Forest at home was by far the most winnable, with Liverpool and Man City in my opinion still the toughest two matches of the entire season, at least on paper.

For me as well, if there was one of these matches that Newcastle had to win, it was Forest.

Fair to say Newcastle won’t be catching Liverpool and having just spent £185m on players in January on top of what they already had, I think it will be very tough to finish above Man City. So with Arsenal probably also difficult to get near, to get into the Champions League, I think Newcastle are fighting it our for two places (fourth and fifth) with Forest, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Brighton and Fulham.

Narrowing it down even more, my gut feeling is that it is two from three, with one of Chelsea, Forest and Newcastle going to miss out.

Man City and Liverpool are battles that Newcastle were almost always certainly going to lose, to win the war(s) I think wins against the likes of Forest and Chelsea at home in this run-in were always going to be essential for our Champions League chances.

Whilst when it comes to Wembley, that is a massive battle/war to target when we meet Liverpool once again in 18 days time, this time hopefully fully armed to the teeth with our best players available.

Also, worth pointing out that it isn’t exactly unimportant if NUFC bounce back from this Anfield loss, with a win against Brighton on Sunday to take us into the last eight of the FA Cup and only one win then away from another Wembley appearance.

Wednesday night has been a hard cold lesson in just how ruthless and efficient Liverpool can be, especially if your team aren’t functioning at either/both ends of the pitch.

We move on to fight another day.

Liverpool 2 Newcastle 0 – Wednesday 26 February 2025 8.15pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Liverpool:

Szoboszlai 11, Mac Allister 63

Possession was Newcastle 39% Liverpool 61%

Total shots were Newcastle 3 Liverpool 12

Shots on target were Newcastle 0 Liverpool 3

Corners were Newcastle 2 Liverpool 4

Touches in the box Newcastle 16 Liverpool 29

Newcastle team v Liverpool:

Pope, Livramento (Trippier 69), Schar, Burn, Hall, Bruno (Longstaff 88), Tonali (Miley 69), Willock (Barnes 68), Gordon, Wilson (Osula 69), Murphy

Subs:

Dubravka, Ruddy, Krafth, Targett

(Liverpool 2 Newcastle 0 – Instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction – Read HERE)

Saturday 16 March – Newcastle v Liverpool (4.30pm) Carabao Cup final – Sky Sports