Liverpool left St James’ Park with all three points after their Premier League clash on Monday evening.
Even though Arne Slot’s men were on the back foot for most of the clash, that didn’t stop the reigning champions from getting the job done and winning the game.
For most of the game, it felt like the Reds were going to get torn apart by Newcastle, but thanks to Anthony Gordon’s red card after his challenge on Virgil van Dijk, their momentum got taken away from them.
Although the Magpies managed to stay on top of the reigning Premier League champions for 75 per cent of the game, due to them not having a natural striker leading their attack, too many chances were squandered.
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest at St James' Park
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
This resulted in them losing their footing on the game and allowed 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha the chance to write himself into Liverpool’s folklore.
Alan Shearer tears into ‘stupid’ Anthony Gordon after his red card v Liverpool
As mentioned, one of the turning points of the game seemed to be when former Everton ace Gordon managed to get himself red-carded for a rather harsh challenge on Van Dijk.
The attacker ran across the length of the pitch, and instead of winning the ball, he dragged his boot down the Dutchman’s leg and brought him to the ground.
Initially, Simon Hooper handed the Englishman a yellow card, but after VAR called the referee to review the incident, it was deemed as serious foul play.
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And, after he was sent off, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer shared his honest thoughts on the challenge made by the winger.
“What a stupid challenge man,” he wrote via his personal X account.
“It’s a red card all day.”
Newcastle would have won the game against Liverpool if they had Alexander Isak
The main story to have dominated the market this summer is the potential transfer of Alexander Isak to Liverpool.
Isak has been the Reds’ number one target for as long as many can remember, and although their initial bid of £110million was flat-out rejected, that hasn’t deterred Slot just yet.
Indeed, there has been little to no movement on the saga for the last couple of weeks due to the game between the two teams at St James’ Park, but now that it’s been played, some movement could be made.
However, since Isak is refusing to play for the Magpies, it’s hard to say how well they would’ve done if they’d have faced Liverpool with the Sweden international up front.
Alexander Isak arrives at the Amex Stadium ahead of Newcastle United's match against Brighton & Hove Albion
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
There were several chances that Gordon missed throughout the game, which Isak would have easily buried if he were playing. So, in reality, Liverpool should be counting their lucky stars.
Of course, only time will tell if an agreement between Newcastle and Liverpool can be reached, but if it can, it’s hard not to feel sorry for Newcastle and their fans, especially considering the number of people who looked up to him among their fanbase.