Bedlam at Anfield as Newcastle snatch late draw

Joe Willock scored deep in injury time to give Newcastle United an unlikely 1-1 draw against Liverpool. The Reds held a slender lead for over 80 minutes, they thought they’ve done enough to earn the win, but they could have easily lost after a breath-taking ending to this classic Premier League fixture.

Callum Wilson scored to seemingly equalize, but saw his strike denied due to a handball. And just as Liverpool breathed a huge sigh of relief, up popped another substitute Joe Willock to beat Alisson and stun Champions League-chasing Reds. It was a fitting ending to a pulsating game at Anfield.

In a week that’s seen an overwhelming amount of bad publicity for the club, fans protests, media-bashing due to Super League project, Jurgen Klopp and his team needed a win to ease some nerves and put the fans’ focus on the pitch rather than club owners. And even though the Reds did do enough to earn the points against Newcastle, they weren’t looking too confident.

Liverpool team selection suggested that they will attack their guests with every weapon available. The big attacking quartet of Mane, Salah, Firmino and Jota were all deployed as the Reds aimed to climb into fourth place in the Premier League for a couple of hours at least.

Sure enough, the Reds were ahead inside three minutes of the kick-off, Mohamed Salah slamming a left-footed rocket in with Newcastle defenders looking on.

The Magpies arrived to Anfield with little pressure, having won seven points in their last three matches, and they did look capable of snatching a goal on the counter-attack, but for their sloppy passing and lack of concentration in the final third.

Jurgen Klopp’s side put black and whites under pressure for long periods of the game and would have been out of sight will less than an hour gone, but goalkeeper Martin Dubravka made a few very good stops to deny Salah and Mane and keep Newcastle in the match.

Newcastle’s misfiring Brazilian Joelington was presented with a golden chance to level ten minutes after the break, but his compatriot Alisson Becker got down to beat the shot away in the Anfield sunshine.

Ozan Kabak has had a good game for Liverpool as he made a few crucial clearances to keep Newcastle at bay at the game approached its dying minutes. The young Turkish international recovered from his early yellow card and was tidy at the back as Steve Bruce brought Callum Wilson and Dwight Gayle on in search for an unlikely point. And it was the pair of strikers that had a huge influence in the end. Wilson’s “equalizer” did not stand, but a clever knockdown from Gayle was swept home by Arsenal loanee Joe Willock to spark huge celebrations for the black and whites.

Jurgen Klopp could hardly believe his eyes as his players allowed two points to go down the drain. It was a result that could prove scarring at the end of the troubled Liverpool campaign.

PREMIER LEAGUE - Round 33

Friday

Arsenal - Everton 0-1 (0-1)

/Leno 76 og/

Saturday

Liverpool - Newcastle United 1-1 (1-0)

/Salah 3 - Willock 90+5/

19.30: West Ham United - Chelsea

22.00: Sheffield United - Brighton and Hove Albion

Sunday

14.00: Wolverhampton Wanderers - Burnley

16.00: Leeds United - Manchester United

21.00: Aston Villa - West Bromwich Albion

Monday

22.00: Leicester City - Crystal Palace