Joe Buck reacts as Eddie Howe previews Newcastle United v Athletic Club
Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid: Alexis Mac Allister scored the only goal of the game as Arne Slot’s side claimed an important Champions League win at Anfield.
Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister headed in Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick just after the hour mark as Real Madrid suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season.
It was a deserved win for Arne Slot’s side, with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois forced to make eight saves in the match, while at the other end, Liverpool limited the Spanish side to just two shots on target, saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Liverpool bounce back after poor run
Liverpool have now won back-to-back games against Aston Villa and Real Madrid at Anfield without conceding, making a positive upturn in form after a poor run.
After starting the season with seven straight wins in all competitions, Liverpool’s form dipped badly with six defeats in the seven games that followed.
But now Slot’s side look to have recovered, though they have done so without Premier League record signing Alexander Isak.
Isak joined Liverpool from Newcastle on deadline day for £130million but has failed to make an impact so far with just one Carabao Cup goal in eight appearances in all competitions. And Liverpool are already out of the Carabao Cup.
Isak has missed the last four matches with a groin injury with another summer signing in Hugo Ekitike stepping up and leading the line well for The Reds so far this season.
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Newcastle United forward spotted at Anfield
While Isak was arguably the most high-profile transfer of the summer window, one of the most low-key saw Newcastle United sign 18-year-old Georgian forward Vakhtang Salia from Dinamo Tbilisi.
Salia joined Newcastle in the final days of the summer window but has yet to feature for the club at any level so far due to injury.
The teenager made 59 appearances for Dinamo Tbilisi before his 18th birthday, scoring eight goals. He arrived at Newcastle with plenty of promise, but is yet to make an impact so far due to a hamstring injury.
While he has been spotted at big matches at St James’ Park so far this season, this week he was also spotted at Anfield.
Salia was in the stands to watch Liverpool beat Real Madrid on Tuesday night and was even invited behind the scenes after the game.
But the reason behind that was obvious as Salia shares an agency with Liverpool’s Georgian goalkeeper Mamardashvili. The goalkeeper had previously been targeted by Newcastle during his time at Valencia before Liverpool swooped in.
On Tuesday night, the Georgian pair were pictured alongside their agent, Levan Seturidze, at Anfield.
Now Salia returns to Tyneside looking to make an impact at his new club.
Salia posts cryptic social media message amid injury struggles
As the teenager pushes to get back to full fitness, last month he took to social media to issue a cryptic post potentially linked to his injury struggles.
On his Instagram story, Salia posted an image of the fictional character, Jon Snow, on his hands and knees during a battle scene from the television series Game of Thrones along with the caption: “Every flight begins with a fall.”
The quote fittingly sums up Salia’s start to life at Newcastle.
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