Liverpool just about managed to add another three points to their Premier League tally after beating Newcastle 3-2 on Monday evening.
The Reds somehow managed to bottle yet another 2-0 lead, but in the end, it was Rio Ngumoha who was the hero.
Arne Slot’s men were on the back foot for most of the clash, and when the Magpies had Anthony Gordon sent off, it felt like Liverpool were the ones with a player less, not Newcastle.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool reacts after being fouled by Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United, which results in a red card following a VAR review to upgrade to the initial yellow card during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park.
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
There’s no hiding from the fact that Eddie Howe’s men deserved to leave St James’ Park with all three points, but in the end, the reigning Premier League champions got the result.
Chris Sutton believes Arne Slot will have been furious about Ryan Gravenberch’s yellow card
As mentioned, the game was fairly one-sided throughout, with Newcastle seeming to have some added fire in their belly due to the ongoing saga around Alexander Isak.
There’s no doubt that, if the Sweden international had been playing, Liverpool would have more than likely been defeated due to the number of chances that Gordon missed.
However, Chris Sutton believes that even though Liverpool beat Newcastle, Slot will still have been “furious” about Ryan Gravenberch being handed a yellow card after the challenges both Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes made just moments before.
“I can imagine Arne Slot being furious that Gravenberch was given a yellow card, but Joelinton and Guimaraes haven’t,” he said while live on Sky Sports.
Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Liverpool at St James' Park on August 25, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
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Liverpool should have performed a lot better
Although the main thing that matters is that Liverpool managed to come away with all three points, their first three competitive games of the season have been way below their usual standards.
Indeed, they have managed to win their last two, but even then, they’ve been much harder fought than many likely anticipated.
It was bound to be a grudge match against Newcastle due to the drama that has been going on around both teams this summer, but it’s unlikely that many expected the Reds to get as dominated as they were.
If Liverpool want to retain their Premier League title and perhaps go far in the Champions League this season, things need to change as soon as possible.
Indeed, Slot is supposedly on the cusp of bringing in players such as Isak and Marc Guehi, but with less than a week left in the transfer window, the Dutchman needs to get things into gear before it’s too late.