A Kelleher’s late error costly as Newcastle shine again after a stunning goal from Alexander Isak opened the scoring, with Liverpool fighting back through Mohamed Salah to take a 3-2 lead late on — only for goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to misjudge a free kick and allow Fabian Schar to squeeze in a spectacular later equaliser.
Kelleher’s late error costly as Newcastle shine again
| Newcastle FC 3 | Liverpool FC 3 |
|---|---|
A. Isak (35′)Goal 35 minutes A. Gordon (62′)Goal 62 minutes F. Schär (90′)Goal 90 minutes | C. Jones (50′)Goal 50 minutes Mohamed Salah (68′) Mohamed Salah (83′) |
| Venue: St James’ Park | Attendance: 52,237 |
Newcastle and Liverpool served up a 3-3 draw in keeping with their history of thrilling Premier League matches. It had one of the best atmospheres you’ll see in a premier league, The Toon army were spectacular and really got behind their team as you could see the players feeding off the energy.
Liverpool FC had gone into this game on the back of an impressive defeat of defending premier league champions Manchester City that ensured they started these midweek fixtures nine points clear at the top.
What happened in the game?
Liverpool gave the Toon army a head start with a poor performance in the first half, but that doesn’t take anything away from Newcastle, who were spectacular; with a perfect display, 100% work rate, 100% effort and courage on the ball.
But they looked out-of-sorts against a Newcastle side who showed their intent from the outset.
Jacob Murphy issued a warning when he clipped the post with a shot, before Alexander Isak stunned the visitors with a brilliant strike from distance.
Anthony Gordon almost made it 2-0 moments later after a mistake by Joe Gomez but his shot was denied by Kelleher.
It looked like being a crucial save as Liverpool levelled early in the second half when Curtis Jones fired home a first-time strike from Salah’s cross.
But Gordon sent St James’ Park wild when he cut inside a defender before his strike squirmed past Kelleher.
However, Mo Salah equalised with a scooped finish before slotting in what he believed would be the winner – until Schar’s late finish.
Newcastle give Liverpool rivals hope
Everyone is happy with a draw as Newcastle give Liverpool rivals hope of mounting a title challenge.
At the final whistle both managers looked satisfied with a draw, especially with the way the game went, in the first alf liverpool were hanging on, and at 3:2 Newcastle probably felt ‘not another Liverpool night at ST James park’.
But they will not be the only sides happy with the draw, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City – second, third and fourth respectively – all picking up wins on Wednesday. Fifth-placed Brighton, meanwhile, play Fulham on Thursday.
It means Liverpool’s lead is cut from nine points to seven at the start of a busy December that could see things change dramatically at the top of the table.