Give them Isak, they really need him - Liverpool’s on a "luck" streak

Liverpool managed to thread the needle and secure a win in a second consecutive match. A bitter taste remains due to the manner in which they achieved it, while Newcastle showed they definitely have a competitive squad.

Tensions were running high at St. James’ Park right from kick-off, with plenty of aggressive challenges setting the tone. The rivalry between Newcastle and Liverpool, already stoked in recent weeks over Alexander Isak’s future, only added more intensity to the occasion.

Liverpool had the first real sight of goal in the 13th minute, when Florian Wirtz capitalized on a defensive lapse and unleashed a strike from the edge of the box, only for Nick Pope to deny him with a sharp save.

Newcastle responded strongly. In the 28th minute, Harvey Barnes delivered a teasing cross to Anthony Gordon, whose header narrowly cleared the bar. Just seconds later, Gordon again found himself in a dangerous position after combining well with Elanga, but his effort once more went just wide of the Liverpool goal.

The hosts continued to press, with Sandro Tonali leading a counter-attack in the 32nd minute, though he wasted the chance by hesitating on the final pass to Gordon.

And just when it seemed inevitable that Newcastle would take the lead, Liverpool struck against the run of play. In the 35th minute, Ryan Gravenberch unleashed a precise long-range effort from around 25 meters, beating Pope to give the visitors a 1–0 advantage. This is the GOAL!

The half ended in controversy. Deep into stoppage time, Gordon lunged recklessly into Virgil van Dijk. Referee Hooper initially showed him a yellow card, but after a VAR review, upgraded it to a straight red — leaving Newcastle a man down as they headed into halftime trailing 1–0.

Liverpool started the second half strongly. In the 46th minute, Cody Gakpo fired a shot from the edge of the box, which was blocked, but he managed to slip the ball through to Dominik Ekitike. The French striker finished with surgical precision, beating the Newcastle goalkeeper to restore Liverpool’s lead. The goal is HERE!

Newcastle responded in the 57th minute, almost out of desperation. Following a Tonali cross, Bruno Guimaraes was perfectly positioned to head past Alisson, pulling the score back to 2–1 and giving the home side renewed hope. You can see the goal HERE!

Liverpool faced another scare in the 64th minute when Kieran Trippier attempted a direct shot from a corner, but Alisson was alert and successfully neutralized the attempt.

Just when it seemed Liverpool would see out the match, Newcastle pulled off an almost impossible feat in the 88th minute. Down to ten men, they launched a counterattack after Pope cleared the ball deep into Liverpool’s half. Osula found himself in a perfect position and calmly finished past Becker, leveling the score at 2–2 and snatching a dramatic late draw. The goal is HERE!

Right at the end of a magical night for Newcastle, in the 100th minute, a brilliant piece of play by Liverpool unfolded. After a combination between Chiesa and Salah, Szoboszlai perfectly laid the ball off to Ngumoha, who managed to beat Pope and secure victory for Liverpool in this crazy match. The goal is HERE!

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Friday

West Ham - Chelsea 1-5 (1-3)

/Paqueta 6 - Pedro 15, Neto 23, Fernandez 34, Caicedo 54, Chalobah 58/

Saturday

Man.City - Tottenham 0-2 (0-2)

/Johnson 35, Palhinha 45+2/

Bournemouth - Wolverhampton 1-0 (1-0)

/Tavernier 4/

Brentford - Aston Villa 1-0 (1-0)

/Outtara 13/

Burnley - Sunderland 2-0 (0-0)

/Cullen 47, Anthony 88/

Arsenal - Leeds 5-0 (2-0)

/Timber 34, 56, Saka 45+1, Gyokeres 48, 90+5 pen/

Sunday

Crystal Palace - Nott.Forest 1-1 (1-0)

/Sarr 37 - Hudson-Odoi 57/

Everton - Brighton 2-0 (1-0)

/Ndiaye 23, Garner 52/

Fulham - Man.Utd. 1-1 (0-0)

/Smith-Rowe 73 - Muniz 58 og/

Monday

Newcastle - Liverpool 2-3 (0-1)

/Guimaraes 57, Osula 88 -Gravenberch 35, Ekitike 46, Ngumoha 90+10/