Eddie Howe’s side found themselves 2-0 down via goals from Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo before the remaining 68 minutes with 10 men following Nick Pope’s red card.
The defeat was United’s first on Tyneside since April 2022 when they lost to the same opposition, and only their second loss of the 2022-23 campaign.
Newcastle fell behind on 11 minutes when Nunez latched onto a ball by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Klopp side’s then doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Gakpo slotted home from a Mohamed Salah pass.
It was a nightmare start by Howe’s side, but things got unimaginably worse when Pope was shown a straight red card for a handball when attempting to clear Alisson’s long ball over the top.
Howe’s men, to their credit, performed well despite being a man down, with Liverpool’s Alisson making three quality saves to deny the likes of Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson.
Our writer Jordan Cronin was at St James’ Park - and here are his Newcastle United player ratings:
9. Miguel Almiron - 6
Denied by Alisson when he should have scored in the opening stages. Worked really hard having dropped into the midfield after Pope’s red card. | Getty Images
10. Allan Saint-Maximin - 8
Newcastle’s best player on the night. Gave his teammates a real outlet by driving forward with the ball. Played left, right and centre - always a threat. Excellent. | Getty Images
11. Alexander Isak - 7
Carried the ball well and showed good movement. Linked up well with Saint-Maximin, the pair’s pace caused problems. | Getty Images
12. Martin Dubravka (on for Anderson, 24) - 7
Excellent diving save to deny Nunez on 57 minutes. Didn’t concede during his time on the pitch. | Getty Images