The Magpies looked down and out when they were trailing 2-0 to goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike, and down to ten men following the sending off of Anthony Gordon.
But Bruno Guimaraes halved the deficit as he headed home from Tino Livramento, and Newcastle looked set for a point when substitute Will Osula scored with two minutes remaining.
However, the game turned again in the tenth minute of stoppage time as teenager Rio Ngumoha swept home a Liverpool winner.
What were the main talking points at St James’?
**ISAK’S ABSENCE**
The main storyline surrounding last night’s game was always going to revolve around a player who was absent rather than any of the protagonists actually participating in the drama at St James’ Park.
Where was Alexander Isak? Who knows. Watching the game on TV, perhaps. Or maybe ignoring it completely. He wasn’t playing for Newcastle, although just as pertinently, with the transfer deadline now less than a week away, he wasn’t lining up for Liverpool either.
Which of these clubs will he be representing come 7pm next Monday night? The hierarchy on Tyneside remain adamant he will still be a Newcastle player, with their resolve to hold on to him having stiffened as a result of both the incendiary statement issued by the Swede last week and their inability to sign any kind of a striker this summer, let alone a realistic replacement for one of the world’s best goalscorers.
Yasir al-Rumayyan was at St James’ Park yesterday, with the Newcastle chairman seemingly determined to get a grip of the situation.
There were suggestions yesterday that al-Rumayyan met Isak and his representatives, and while Eddie Howe refused to either confirm or deny that a meeting had taken place, there is clearly a growing determination to resolve the situation once and for all.
Al-Rumayyan is aware of the damage that the Isak situation has caused, and as the head of the Saudi Arabian PIF, Newcastle's majority owners, his word dictates what happens at St James. If al-Rumayyan decides Isak is staying, then that will be how things play out.
Liverpool haven’t said anything publicly on Isak, but there is every chance the reigning Premier League champions will table a second bid in the next couple of days, with their improved package potentially being worth more than £130m.
Would that prompt a shift in Newcastle’s stance? Let’s see. For now, Isak remains English football’s most notorious striker. And that’s ‘on strike’ rather than striking at goal.
**ISAK’S ABSENCE – PART TWO**
It’s not just that Newcastle don’t have Isak of course. They don’t have Liam Delap either. Or Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, Yoane Wissa or Jorgen Strand Larsen, all forwards they have either bid for or shown an interest in this summer.
So, for the second game in a row, Anthony Gordon led the line as a makeshift ‘number nine’. And, for the second game in a row, while the winger’s work-rate and level of commitment couldn’t be faulted, he lacked the killer instinct Newcastle needed in the 18-yard box.
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Would Isak have scored with the 28th-minute header that Gordon directed over the crossbar. Maybe not. It was a difficult chance, with Gordon having to stretch to meet Harvey Barnes’ cross. But you’d at least have fancied Isak to get his header on target.
Similarly, you’d have given the Swede a good chance of getting onto the end of one of the other crosses that Newcastle flashed across the face of the 18-yard box in the first half when they still had 11 men. As it was, their attacking efforts went unrewarded before Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring at the other end.
By the time Ekitike doubled Liverpool’s lead at the start of the second half, the away fans were imploring Newcastle to “hand him over”. It wasn’t hard to work out who they were talking about.
True, Will Osula displayed a striker’s instinct after coming off the bench, breaking behind Gravenberch to reach Nick Pope’s long clearance and prod an equaliser past Alisson.
Osula deserves a chance, certainly more of an opportunity than he was afforded last season. But by himself, he is clearly not the answer to Newcastle’s attacking problems. They need to find that solution before the transfer window closes next Monday.
**NEWCASTLE’S INTENSITY**
‘Heavy-metal football’ used to be Jurgen Klopp’s mantra when he was manager of Liverpool. When it comes to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, though, the Magpies are always at their best when they’re playing full throttle.
St James’ Park was bristling with a combination of anticipation and antagonism at kick-off, and Newcastle’s players ensured the intensity levels didn’t drop once the action began.
Each and every player in black-and-white was in their opponents’ faces from the off. You’d expect as much from Dan Burn, who thundered into an early challenge on Hugo Ekitike, and Joelinton, who barged Liverpool’s midfielders around like a bowling ball skittling nine pins.
But there was just as much effort and commitment from the likes of Tino Livramento, who dealt with Mo Salah’s attacking threat while also tearing down Newcastle’s left, and Kieran Trippier, who was clearly enjoying his tussle with Cody Gakpo. Bruno Guimaraes was absolutely brilliant at the heart of midfield.
You need control amid the chaos though, and sadly for Newcastle, Gordon was found wanting on that score on the stroke of half-time.
Having darted across the field to close down Virgil van Dijk, Gordon flung himself into an ill-judged lunge at the Liverpool defender. He made contact with van Dijk’s Achilles, with his foot that rolling down the centre-half’s leg as he crumpled to the floor.
Simon Hooper’s initial decision might have been a yellow card, but having been instructed to review the incident on his pitch-side monitor, it did not take the referee long to change his mind and issue a straight red.
It was the right decision. Gordon’s passion is one of his most endearing features. On this occasion, though, it got too much for him.