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Liverpool hosted Newcastle United on a hot afternoon hoping to get a win this time around after their terrible home form this season. A win would temporarily take them into the top 4 before other teams play their matches as well but a win before the game would be a step in the right direction especially as they are looking for how to salvage their season. Jurgen Klopp needed a win and he used all his front 4 at once - Mane, Firmino, Salah and Jota.
It didn't take long at all for Liverpool to have the lead. Mane put a lofted pass into the box and Salah brilliantly controlled the ball before turning to hammer home the shot into the roof of the net to register his 20th League goal of the season and 29 goals in all competitions. This is the first time Liverpool would be ahead at home. In their last 7 home games, they didn't score first.
Longstaff had a brilliant chance to put his team into the frame of things in the 20th minute when he brilliantly ran and cut into the box. His effort was saved by Alisson before it was cleared off for a corner. The corner was taken and Clark headed the ball into the path of Jonjo Shelvey who headed into the empty net but the lineman picked him out for offside, so the goal didn't count.
Jota should have done better in the 23rd minute when Mane found him at the edge of the box. He drifted to the side and unleashed his shot but it was way wide and over. Not long after, he connected well to a brilliant pass that came to him but he didn't connect well to the half volley and the goalkeeper saved it easily.
In the 26th minute, Newcastle United suffered a lack of communication between Almiron and Joelington when Saint-Maximin brilliantly played a through pass to Almiron but Joelington took it off his legs, much to the annoyance of the Paraguayan.
In the 27th minute, Mane was unable to steer the ball he gathered right inside the box goalward as the ball moved out of play instead. It was a brilliant pass to him and a decent effort. A minute after that, a defensive effort allowed Salah to steal the ball, laid it for Mane whose shot was blocked and Jota was there to gather the rebound but he skied it wide inside the box.
Liverpool should have increased their lead in the 37th minute when Firmino brilliantly found Salah. He was one on one with the goalkeeper but he couldn't bury the chance. The goalkeeper gathered the ball. A minute after, Jota was played through by Firmino again but his shot was blocked off.
2 minutes after, Liverpool wasted another glorious chance when Salah unselfishly found Mane inside the box. Mane opted to rounding up the goalkeeper rather than finding his angle and the goalkeeper caught the ball right from his legs.
Liverpool would feel aggrieved to have wasted chances upon chances when they should have been cleared out of sight with the number of goals and chances they have wasted. Mane was denied again in the 44th minute when from a tight and impossible angle he was able to get his foot around the ball but it went just narrowly wide. The tight marking inside the box made it difficult for him to get the right angle to the ball.
The first half ended and Liverpool went ahead on the break but it should have been more. Newcastle United held on but they could have gotten a goal of their own too but a lack of communication prevented them from doing so.
Newcastle United thought they had gotten the reward for their resilience in the 92nd minute when Callum Wilson scored but VAR ruled it for handball despite his hand being clearly held to his body but the rules say if it leads directly to goal then it won't stand and the goal was ruled off.
Liverpool thought they had gotten away with it until the 5th minute of the added time when substitute; Willock found the back of the net and this time around there was no denying Newcastle United the goal. He brilliantly controlled the ball in the box and got a deflection into the back of the net via Fabinho much to the shock of Liverpool who dominated the match but failed to take their chances. Failure to take those chances came back to bite them in the end and Willock scored again at the end of the minute to make it 1-1.
Willock has now scored right at the end of the game on three occasions after doing the same against Tottenham and West Ham. He has taken his tally to 9 games for Newcastle United already. Impressive.
Thank you for your time.
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