Newcastle United played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Premier League leaders Liverpool at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe made one change from the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday with Jacob Murphy replacing Joe Willock. Meanwhile, Alexander Isak was passed fit, despite going off with a hip issue at Selhurst Park.
Isak was the Magpies’ chief creator in the first-half. While Murphy and Bruno Guimaraes failed to convert promising chances, the Swede did not when he handed his side the lead in the 35th minute.
Guimaraes found Isak in a pocket of space and he unleashed a powerful effort from distance, leaving Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher with no chance.
Newcastle relentlessly pressed Liverpool’s players in the opening 45 minutes but stepped off in opening stages of the second-half. The visitors took advantage and equalised through Curtis Jones.
Against the run of play, the Magpies re-took the lead when Isak found Anthony Gordon, who slotted the ball past Kelleher from close-range.
Isak put the ball in the net for 3-1 but the offside flag was raised. Arne Slot then introduced Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz from the bench and it paid off instantly when Salah converted Alexander-Arnold’s cross.
Alexander-Arnold and Salah then linked up again for 3-2. And that looked to be that until Schar capitalised on a mistake from Kelleher to equalise in the 90th minute.
Our writer Jordan Cronin was at St James’ Park - and here are his Newcastle United player ratings:
9. Joelinton - 7
Superb out of possession but not as impactful on the ball, summed up when he won the ball but immediately misplaced a pass leading to Mo Salah’s equaliser. | Getty Images
10. Jacob Murphy - 6.5
Restored the starting XI for the first time in six weeks. A good defensive job but missed two chances to score, first striking the post and then hitting a shot wide with Caoimhin Kelleher rushing out his goal. | AFP via Getty Images
11. Anthony Gordon - 7.5
Put in a sturdy display down the left and showed flashes of quality. Missed a big chance one-on-one after robbing Joe Gomez of possession but redeemed himself to put United 2-1 up. | Getty Images
12. Alexander Isak - 9
Liverpool couldn’t live with the Swede. He dropped deep and created some big chances for his teammates. Assisted Gordon’s goal. Then, what about his goal? Simply unstoppable. A world-class display. | Getty Images