And the beat goes on. Newcastle 2-0 Liverpool match report.
Posted on April 1st, 2012 | 38 Comments |
We kicked off the game at a glorious, sunny St James’ Park and it was to be a tightly contested half with both sides having their chances. Our front three were once again impressive but Liverpool looked to have decent attacking options too, particularly with Craig Bellamy who managed to find himself in space on the right a few times.
Within the first 5 minutes Shelvey’s dipping shot took a deflection and nearly dipped enough to get in under the bar but was just over in the end leading to a Liverpool corner. After defending that we got away and on the counter-attack with Ba finding space up the left. Ba put the cross in to Cisse but Reina managed to snatch the ball from its path ahead of him.
Perch picked up a yellow card after 6 minutes when he took the ball – seemingly cleanly – from Suarez but managed to upend the Uruguayan in the process. The yellow was a bit harsh I thought, but those sorts of things generally pick up a yellow these days.
On about 8 and a half minutes Carroll – who had looked a bit frantic and keen to prove a point – managed to lose Perch in the box and found himself with only Krul to beat. However, instead of actually trying to play the ball he chose to dive and received a yellow card for his troubles. It was justified – the replay clearly showed there was no contact and why Carroll didn’t simply play the ball is anyone’s guess. Just after that, Cisse had a soft header saved by Reina but it will go down as a chance.
On quarter of an hour Bellamy found space out to the left of our box and put in a cross that Krul seemed to get his fingertips to and it rolled across the top of the crossbar for a few inches and back into play for Ben Arfa to put behind for a Liverpool corner. Gerrard took the corner on our right and Krul went for it but fumbled it. The ball seemed to come off Williamson and went towards goal but was saved by Simpson who was on the goal line. The replay showed that Simpson had kept the ball out with his arm and had the referee have spotted it we’d have been in trouble. Anyway, the ball was eventually sent out for another Liverpool corner from which Carroll headed wide.
On around 16 minutes Liverpool got their first booking when Shelvey clattered Cisse to the ground.
A couple of minutes later we’d opened our tally. Simpson brought the ball out of defence and passed it to Ben Arfa on the right. Benny moving slightly more central, dummied a few Liverpool players and then floated a perfect cross from just inside the area to Cisse who was lurking to the left of goal in the box. Cisse can’t have had much of the goal to aim for from that angle but somehow guided the header beyond Reina’s reach and it went in off the inside of the post. 1-0
5 minutes after that Benny passed a great through ball to Demba Ba in the box but Ba was just a few inches too far forward and couldn’t gather it for a shot. Liverpool were far from out of it though and Bellamy – once again in space on Liverpool’s right – put a dangerous cross across the face of the goal but it missed everybody. A couple of minutes later another Bellamy cross saw the ball spring up from between two players for Carroll to head over the bar.
On 29 minutes Cisse picked up a daft yellow card for standing too close to a Liverpool free kick which bounced straight off his knee.
There was more skill from Benny on about 33 minutes when he brought the ball in from the right wing, skipping easily between two Liverpool players, ran it into the box and tried to put in a pass for Cisse. Unfortunately a defender got their first and put it out for a corner. Benny took the corner put it was pants and sailed harmlessly passed the the goal and out for a goal kick.
A minute later Ba came very close when he picked up the ball in midfield, skillfully controlled it and started motoring towards goal. He took a long shot, some 10 or 15 yards outside the area, which took a deflection and just went past the post.
On 40 minutes Cisse headed just wide following a corner and on the break after that Bellamy got behind our defence again but was flagged offside. Just before the end of the half Perch had to make an excellent clearance to break down a Liverpool attack and Flanagan had his name taken for a poor, late tackle on Tiote.
Half Time
The first meaningful attack of the second half came from us when Guthrie’s cross into the box saw Williamson’s header denied by the woodwork. Shortly after that Tiote picked up a yellow card for upending Gerrard but seeing Gerrard upended is always high-value amusement so it was worth it.
Jonas, who was having a quiet game at left-back, looked to be injured on 48 minutes when he got kicked on the ankle but his ponytail has special powers that heal all injuries so he was okay.
Bellamy, who for me was Liverpool’s best (and, as always, mouthiest) player today, nearly found himself on the end of a great pass from Gerrard on 55 minutes but Krul was up to the task and got there first. Just after that Shelvey – who was Liverpool’s second best player for my money – had a shot fairly easily saved by Krul.
On 58 minutes it was pretty much all over as Cisse claimed another to keep his astonishing scoring rate going. Benny made the running up the right initially, drifting central again. He passed to Cabaye, who passed to Ba who passed to Benny who had kept on running and was on the penalty spot. Benny couldn’t gather it and it went to Cisse on his left. Cisse took it past Raina’s sliding tackle, checked himself and cooly slotted it into the left corner past the Liverpool defender on the line. 2-0.
3 minutes after out goal Liverpool had their best chance of the half (and possibly the game) when Enrique crossed into our box. Krul came out for it but missed it and the ball landed as the feet of Suarez a few yards out but Suarez completely fluffed the shot.
Liverpool had a few 5 minute spells of possession here and there but we’d decided to shut up shop a bit and we seemed to do it quite well, which is encouraging as that’s one thing we’ve struggled to do in the past. The half kind of fizzled out a bit.
On 65 minutes Guthrie looked to injure his ankle and was replaced by Dan Gosling. On 73 minutes Cisse came off and Shola came on. On 75 minutes Shelvey was taken off for Downing.
On 78 minutes Ba contrived a decent chance for Benny on the break but 4 defenders closed in on him in the box and he was bound to bump into one of them. Liverpool then brought on Kuyt for Carroll, to much cheering, and Henderson for Bellamy in a last gasp attempt to salvage something. It was to no avail though – we had this one sewn up.
There was still time for controversy though. A Cabaye free kick on the left found its way out to the right where Gosling (I think) crossed it back into the box and Williamson made good contact with his head, forcing a save from Raina. Raina was running back out with the ball when he tripped over Perch’s feet (having re-watched it a few times I’m pretty sure there was nothing deliberate from Perch) and this upset the baldy shot-stopper. Raina went eye-to-eye with Perch and brought his head towards Perch’s head; Perch went down and there was trouble in the offing. Perch got yellow carded for something, although I have no idea what, but Raina saw red and was sent off. I’m inclined to think Perch made a bit much of it to be honest, although Raina should have known better than to move his head towards Perch like that.
Jose Enrique was nominated to take over in goal from Raina and Steven Gerrard had to wave Kenny Dalgish off the pitch in an irritating manner – not sure what all that was about!
Anyway, on 90 minutes we brought on Santon for Benny and just ran down the extra time fairly easily.
I didn’t think we were ever in too much trouble today. Liverpool, though, look a mess. It’s a shame the second half wasn’t as exciting as the first but all in all a solid performance from us even with a makeshift defence.
Team sheets
Newcastle United (4-3-3): Tim Krul (G), Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, James Perch, Jonas Gutierrez (C), Danny Guthrie (Dan Gosling 66), Cheick Tiote, Yohan Cabaye; Hatem Ben Arfa (Davide Santon 90), Papiss Cisse (Shola Ameobi 74), Demba Ba.
Subs: Rob Elliot, Shane Ferguson, Davide Santon, Dan Gosling, Ryan Taylor, Haris Vuckic, Shola Ameobi.
Liverpool (4-4-2): Pepe Reina (G), Jon Flanagan, Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel, Jose Enrique; Jonjo Shelvey, Steven Gerrard (C), Jay Spearing, Craig Bellamy (Jordan Henderson 77); Andy Carroll (Dirk Kuyt 77), Luis Suarez.
Subs: Alexander Doni, Fabio Aurelio, Sebastian Coates, Maxi Rodriguez, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Dirk Kuyt.
Goals, stats etc…
Goals: Papiss Cisse (20, 59).
Yellow Cards: Andy Carroll (9), Jonjo Shelvey (18), Papiss Cisse (30), John Flanagan (45), Cheick Tiote (49), James Perch (82).
Red Cards: Pepe Reina (straight red 83).
Possession: Newcastle United 49.5%, Liverpool 50.5%.
Shots on target: Newcastle United 3, Liverpool 2.
Shots off target: Newcastle United 4, Liverpool 3.
Corners: Newcastle United 3, Liverpool 6.
Fouls: Newcastle United 10, Liverpool 12.
Newcastle United vs Liverpool – Full match video, extended highlights and interviews.
NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen
I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10).
Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.
Bet Andymac’s gutted that Carroll & Enrique didn’t score or win….pr1ck!!