Newcastle 3-3 Liverpool: Salah heroics let down in frantic draw

Just as he did to Southampton a week-and-a-half previous, Mo Salah scored twice to bring Liverpool back from 2-1 down, only this time in a 3-3 draw at Newcastle.

Newcastle 3-3 Liverpool

Premier League (14) | St James’ Park
December 4, 2024

Goals

Isak 35′
Jones 50′ (assist – Salah)
Gordon 62′
Salah 68′ (assist – Alexander-Arnold)
Salah 83′ (assist – Alexander-Arnold)
Schar 90′

Newcastle 3-3 Liverpool – Player Ratings

After remarkably comfortable wins over Real Madrid and Man City, Liverpool found themselves in with more of a challenge early on against a fierce and well-drilled Newcastle side.

An Alexis Mac Allister effort, drilled through the crowd, forced Nick Pope into a low save, while the hosts looked to target right-back Jarell Quansah as he settled into the game.

Jacob Murphy struck the outside of the post in a warning for Liverpool, before Alexander Isak delivering the telling blow with a moment of magic in the 35th minute.

Isak, who was an injury doubt heading into the game, picked up the ball 30 yards out and, shifting onto his right foot to thwart Virgil van Dijk, hammered into the top corner from range.

Van Dijk somehow escaped trouble after deliberately striking Anthony Gordon after a missed chance for the summer target, with Liverpool all over the place in arguably their worst half under Slot so far.

HT: Newcastle 0-1 Liverpool

Surprisingly, there were no changes for Liverpool at half-time, be that of personnel or position, with Quansah kept at right-back and Joe Gomez staying at centre-back.

There was, however, a change in intensity, energy and movement, with an equaliser found within five minutes of the restart with the ball worked out to Salah on the right, with the Egyptian playing a trivela pass onto Curtis Jones‘ smart run for a great finish.

It should have been 2-1 as Cody Gakpo headed the ball across goal and Darwin Nunez stretched to reach it, but the Uruguayan was unable to connect and it trickled just wide.

Instead Newcastle reclaimed the lead through Anthony Gordon, who found Quansah and Gomez caught out of position and cut onto his right foot to finish despite Caoimhin Kelleher‘s save.

Slot reacted with three changes, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz coming on for Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch and Gakpo, and within minutes Alexander-Arnold teed up Salah for 2-2.

That set the tie up for a tantalising finish, and after Salah hammered the bar in a brief flash, he eventually found his brace with a turn and finish from another Alexander-Arnold assist.

Only then a calamity from the overconfident Kelleher saw Liverpool drop two points, leaving the ball to drop behind him for a finish from Fabian Schar.

The Reds were denied two penalties late on for a foul on Luis Diaz and a handball by Dan Burn, but truthfully it was their errors that led to a failure at St James’ Park.

TIA Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah

Referee: Andy Madley

Newcastle: Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali (Longstaff 87′), Joelinton (Willock 88′); Murphy (Barnes 74′), Gordon (Wilson 87′), Isak

Subs not used: Dubravka, Targett, Kelly, Almiron, Osula

Liverpool: Kelleher; Quansah, Gomez (Alexander-Arnold 67′), Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch (Szoboszlai 67′), Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo (Diaz 67′), Nunez

Subs not used: Jaros, Nallo, Endo, Morton, Elliott, Nyoni

Next match: Everton (A) – Premier League – Saturday, December 7, 12.30pm (GMT)