Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk praised Newcastle fans _(Image: Owen Humphreys)_
VIRGIL Van Dijk admitted [Newcastle United](http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/newcastle)'s supporters gave the Magpies "extra edge" and unsettled Liverpool at St James' Park on Wednesday night.
The Premier League's leaders were second best in the opening 45 minutes on Tyneside, with van Dijk praising the home fans for the role they played in giving Eddie Howe's side "momentum" in the game.
[Newcastle](https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/newcastleunited/) led at half-time thanks to Alexander Isak's thunderbolt and van Dijk admitted he had some strong words for his teammates in the away dressing room at the break.
What was said at half-time worked as Liverpool roared back and looked set to win after goals from Curtis Jones and a double from Mo Salah, but Fabian Schar rescued a deserved point for Newcastle late on.
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Liverpool's captain said: "You know when you play here they have an extra edge to their game, their fans feed them, they win their challenges and we were not good at that at all and Newcastle created momentum.
"At times we were sloppy in possession but we had 50 minutes to put it right and we did but unfortunately didn't get over the line.
"It was a poor first half as a collective, with and without the ball. In the second half I think we showed what we're capable of. We started winning our battles and 50-50 challenges and obviously scored the goals but unfortunately we couldn't get over the line."
Asked whether Arne Slot had fumed at half-time, van Dijk said: "It was all about the players. I had a few things to say and others as well, we all know how it works in football and in the second half we turned it around because we knew we had to do a lot of things differently.
"You can talk about tactics but it was about winning battles and duels and second ball fights and putting them under pressure. We did that in the second half but it wasn't enough to win the game."