Newcastle 0-2 Liverpool - Match Report: Pope sees red as Magpies falter

Liverpool got the best of Newcastle United once again as Nick Pope was sent off for handling outside of his area.

Newcastle actually started very well with Allan Saint-Maximin consistently causing problems for Liverpool’s defense. It was the Frenchman who carved open the first chance of the game with a great run and pass to Miguel Almiron who was through on goal but couldn’t beat the onrushing Alisson.

It was the Reds, though, that took the lead when Trent Alexander-Arnold picked out Darwin Nunez in behind the Magpies’ defense before he converted after just 10 minutes.

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Newcastle remained the better side but were undone by an excellent team goal by Liverpool. Coady Gakpo connected with Mo Salah’s dinked pass ahead of Pope to make it two goals in two games for the Dutchman.

The game unraveled for Newcastle after that as Pope was sent off for a deliberate handball to deny Salah a goalscoring opportunity. The ‘keeper completely misjudged the flight of the ball when trying to clear it with his head, and got it all hopelessly wrong before instinctively handling the ball.

You know the rest by now.

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Newcastle didn’t let that incident deter them as Saint-Maximin ran Liverpool’s defenders ragged before seeing a left-footed effort tipped onto the bar by Alisson after half an hour.

Burn then hit the bar again with a header just before the break with a chance he probably should have scored from.

Eddie Howe’s side were still on top in the second half as Saint-Maximin dragged the team forward with a brilliant individual performance before Schar missed a free header from a corner, sending his effort wide of the post, with Liverpool looking rather shaky from set pieces.

Photo by Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images

Tottenham’s win over West Ham on Sunday saw them leapfrog the Magpies into the fourth spot as Newcastle’s 17-game unbeaten run finally came to an end a day earlier.

As frustrating as it may be, the unbeaten run was starting to feel more of a hindrance. This could well be the shock they needed to re-energize them going into the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

A fifth-place position in the Premier League and a League Cup final at the end of February... If someone told any Newcastle supporter that at the start of the season, let alone a year ago, they’d have snapped both hands off.