Liverpool saw their lead at the Premier League peak cut to seven points as they threw away a late edge in a 3-3 draw against Newcastle United.
When Sandro Tonali produced a sharp save out of Caoimhin Kelleher in the early moments at St. James’ Park, Liverpool likely realized they weren’t in for a smooth evening. But after surviving an initial Newcastle surge, the Reds started to impose their dominance on the contest, and after Alexis Mac Allister forced a remarkable stop from Nick Pope, the Argentinian struck the post from the ensuing corner. It was Newcastle’s chance to hit the frame next, as after Alexander Isak released Jacob Murphy down the wing, his fierce attempt deflected away off the far post.
Liverpool didn’t exactly heed that warning shot, and they appeared surprisingly lackluster this evening, which was finally punished 10 minutes before halftime. They were punished in ruthless fashion too, as Isak received the ball, twisted Virgil van Dijk around, and then blasted a shot into the top of Kelleher’s net. The Reds had their keeper to credit for the fact they didn’t head into the interval two goals behind, as after Joe Gomez’s weak backpass allowed Anthony Gordon through on goal, the replacement Liverpool goalkeeper denied his attempt.
There was a feeling Liverpool couldn’t perform as poorly in the second half as they had in the first, and that proved accurate within five minutes of the restart, when Mohamed Salah set up Curtis Jones to drive home a leveller. But they never truly exploited their momentum and instead found themselves trailing shortly after the hour mark when former Everton player Anthony Gordon drilled a shot past Kelleher. Yet in a back-and-forth contest, Liverpool didn’t lag for long, and it was that man Salah who redirected Trent Alexander-Arnold’s near-post cross.
It was obvious Arne Slot’s team was relying on Salah for a match-winning contribution in the dying moments, and he duly delivered when, after striking the bar earlier, he turned sharply inside the box and completed Liverpool’s turnaround. Or so he believed. A chaotic encounter had one last surprise when Fabian Schär tapped in at the far post to finish Bruno Guimarães’ free-kick after a goalkeeping error from Kelleher, which cost Liverpool dearly on a night they seemed poised to display all the traits of champions in the making.