'They are' - Jurgen Klopp's Newcastle United comments age badly after convincing Liverpool win

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised Newcastle United for being "well organised and difficult to break down" - just hours before his side tore through the visitors' defence.

The Reds registered a whopping 34 shots and recorded the highest-ever XG in a single Premier League game en route to beating the Magpies 4-2 at Anfield.

United managed to hold out in the first-half after the offside flag cut short Luis Diaz's celebrations before Martin Dubravka saved Mohamed Salah's penalty.

But the resolve was broken just minutes into the second interval through Salah. Alexander Isak did equalise against the run of play but goals from Curtis Jones and substitute Cody Gakpo saw the hosts surge into a 3-1 lead.

Yet somehow Newcastle stayed in the game until the closing stages. A Sven Botman header made it 3-2 but the result was eventually put beyond doubt when Diogo Jota was awarded a controversial spot kick which Salah, on this occasion, converted.

Indeed, the scoreline was four going on much more with Martin Dubravka required to make 10 saves on the night. It was Newcastle's defensive frailties that perhaps even took Klopp by surprise.

Writing his programme notes, the German boss said: "Under Eddie Howe, Newcastle are a team which is well organised and difficult to break down while at the same time carrying a real threat in attack. They are also a side which will want to strike back after a disappointing result against Nottingham Forest."

A threat on the counter-attack maybe, but Klopp's men had no trouble in breaking Newcastle's defence down. Dubravka, as it proved, was a law unto himself.

But Liverpool's win is unlikely to change Klopp's high opinion of Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. In the build-up to the game, the 56-year-old sympathised with Howe over the increased demands that European football brings.

And Howe & Co have felt the full effects of that in recent times with a lengthy injury list equating to a difficult few weeks, where United have exited the Champions League and Carabao Cup, and slipped to ninth in the Premier League table.

"It was around this time last year that I said Eddie was doing an exceptional job and my opinion has not changed," Klopp continued.

"Since then, he has taken Newcastle into the Champions League, dealt with the challenge of playing European and domestic football and remained very competitive in the Premier League. Some may take this for granted but I do not.

"It is a proper job - development and experience happening all of the time in an environment that is only ever unforgiving."