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45+4 min A seductive inswinging free-kick from Szoboszlai is headed on and over by Mac Allister. Not a bad effort; there’s always an element of luck with those headers that you help on.
45+4 min “Would Liverpool be this far off the top if they hadn’t been dead set on getting Isak and had gone with Ekitike?” wonders Kári Tulinius. “The protracted transfer saga and attempts to integrate the Swede unsettled the whole team in the autumn. If they’d simply let the Frenchman lead the line, the side would’ve cohered much sooner.”
45+3 min Ramsey is booked for wiping out Kerkez.
45+2 min Salah’s corner is headed well wide by the leaping Ekitike near the penalty spot. It was just too high for him.
45 min Five minutes of added time, and Liverpool are rampant.
“Eddie Howe must be fuming,” says Joshua Keeling. “Newcastle have been brilliant, but that second goal was a shambolic from them.”
They were asleep defensively, weren’t they? Even so, it was a brilliant finish – a Romario goal, and there ain’t no higher praise in my one-bedroom flat.
How goes is Hugo Ekitike? That Newcastle corner lead to a free-kick that was taken quickly by Alisson to Kerkez. He swept a penetrative long pass forward to Ekitike, running into space in the inside-left channel. Ekitike moved into the area, shifted the ball away from Thiaw and toepoked an early shot across Pope.
That is such a good finish, the kind we associate with Brazilian geniuses like Ronaldo and Romario, because the angle was really tight. Everything suggested a left-foot shot; Ekitike toebunged it with his right.
ShareGOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle (Ekitike 43)
The new darling of Anfield shows a fabulous individual goal!
Ekitike again!
Photograph: LFC/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.52 EST
42 min Willock rumbles past Szoboszlai on the edge of the area and is about to shoot when a Liverpool defender (Van Dijk? Konate? Piechnik?) touches it behind for a corner. From which…
Two of Liverpool’s big signings combine for a terrific goal. Florian Wirtz received the ball from Gravenberch just inside a crowded area, to the left of centre; in the blink of an eye he danced past two players and then – and in many ways this was the best bit – showed superb awareness to screw the ball back towards Ekitike. He poked it past Pope from six yards.
ShareGOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle (Ekitike 41)
A brilliant equaliser for Liverpool!
Hugo Ekitike equalises! Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAGame on! Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.51 EST
40 min Salah has a shot pushed round the near post by Pope. The flag went up for offside after that but I think Salah was on.
39 min Gordon surges into the area, once agia in the inside-right channel, and drives a shot across goal from an even tighter angle. It’s on target and Alisson has to get down smartly to make a pretty good save.
Edit: on reflection I think it would have gone wide of the far post, though Alisson couldn’t take any chances.
Updated at 15.42 EST
38 min The goal came at a time when Liverpool were looking more dangerous. They’ve picked up where they left off and Ekitike goes down in the area after a forceful but fair (I think) challenge from Trippier.
37 min Anthony Gordon – a former Everton player, one of Anfield’s favourite villains – celebrated the goal with a nonchalant, ‘how ya like me now?’ pose while looking into the massed crowd.
After another Newcastle break, led by Willock, Mac Allister challenged Barnes on the edge of the area. The ball ran across to Gordon in the inside-right channel, 15 yards from goal. He shifted the ball to the right before driving it through the legs of Kerkez and back across goal. Alisson couldn’t get there and the ball rolled into the far corner.
ShareGOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Newcastle (Gordon 36)
Anthony Gordon drives Newcastle in front!
Gordon’s precision strike gives Newcastle a deserved lead! Photograph: Phil Noble/ReutersA message to the Kop from rthe former Everton man. Photograph: Kate McShane/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.42 EST
35 min Liverpool are having their best spell of the half. Salah plays a one-two with Wirtz and finds Gravenberch, who tries to make room for a shot on the edge of the area. Thiaw reads his intention and makes a good tackle.
33 min: Chance for Liverpool Gravenberch stabs a neat pass into the area for Ekitike, who times his run perfectly and finds himself one-on-one in the inside-right channel. He tries to flip the ball across goal but Pope stays on his feet and pushes the ball away. Good save, and a reminder to Newcastle of Liverpool’s threat.
Updated at 15.35 EST
30 min Tonali shoots high and wide from distance. It’s all Newcastle right now, which may well mean a Mo Salah goal is imminent.
28 min A Newcatle corner – their seventh of the game – is headed down by Thiaw and booted clear by Gravenberch in the six-yard box. Moments later a lovely cross from the left by Hall just evades Willock, Thiaw and Burn in the six-yard box.
Alisson gets lucky as Malick Thiaw fails to connect. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAShare
Updated at 15.35 EST
26 min: Barnes hits the post!
The free-kick is touched off by Hall to Barnes, who flashes a superb curler around the wall and towards the far corner. It beats the diving Alisson and thumps off the inside of the post.
25 min Gordon drops short and sprays a pass out to Barnes on the left. He cuts infield with intent and is tripped by Gravenberch on the edge of the area. This is a chance for Newcastle, with Trippier the man most likely…
24 min The home crowd are frustrated when Kerkez is penalised for pulling back Elanga. It looked like a foul, and the frustration is probably more with how the game is going. Newcatle are the more confident team.
Milos Kerkez deals with Anthony Elanga. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.29 EST
20 min Gordon crosses from the left towards the unmarked Barnes, forcing Van Dijk to stretch and volley behind for a corner. Important defending.
19 min Salah runs through on goal from inside his own half, which means he’s onside, but he doesn’t quite have the pace of old to get away from Trippier. Eventually Trippier knocks the ball behind for … a goalkick. It looked like Trippier got the last touch, though the main point is that the Salah of old wouldn’t have given Trippier a sniff.
Updated at 15.20 EST
17 min Ramsey stands on the ball in his own third, eventually leading to a crisp daisycutter from Ekitike, 20 yards out. Pope falls to his right to make a comfortable save.
15 min Gakpo beats three players in his own half with a thrilling, twisting run. Eventually Willocks gets back to knock him off the ball, but Gakpo’s skill has awoken the crowd.
14 min Newcastle have had two thirds of the possession, which is six tenths of the law.
12 min Gordon is booked for a late tackle on Alisson, who unwittingly invited the challenge with a slightly heavy touch. Gordon needs to be really careful or he could do a Vidic and receive two red cards against Liverpool in one season.
10 min No punishment for Gordon. It was off the ball so I guess the referee didn’t see it, and there wasn’t enough for VAR to intervene. They can’t recommend a yellow card yet.
9 min The Liverpool bench are annoyed when Gordon shoves Mac Allister over. He caught him just below the neck, I think, but Mac Allister is holding his throat and looks in a fair bit of distress. He doesn’t look like he’s faking it.
8 min Here’s our match report on Chelsea’s wild comeback at Stamford Bridge.
7 min Hall’s inswinging corner almost sneaks in at the far post, though Alisson had been fouled by Burn so any goal wouldn’t have counted.
A commotion in the Liverpool box! Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAShare
Updated at 15.14 EST
7 min Two more corners in quick succession for Newcastle, who have started strongly.
5 min Gordon makes another good run in behind, this time in a central position, but Elanga overhits an admittedly difficult through ball. He looks sharp and is doubtless keen to make amends after being sent off in the return fixture in August.
4 min “I’m starting to think that film is the thing holding me back on Hinge,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “Women see ‘filmmaker’ and it must be a financial/emotional red flag…”
You keep telling yourself that, son.
3 min Gordon, playing as the No9, makes a perfectly timed run in behind and slides a deflected low cross that is walloped behind by Kerkez. The corner is headed away by Van Dijk.
2 min “I lived in Istanbul for many years and the James Joyce pub (there’s one in every city) up the hill from the Ritz is a wonderful spot to watch the Premier League,” writes Drew Gough. “One good turn etc etc. Backup: the Greatness Pub, though it’s a bit farther. God speed to Alun!”
Thanks for all your suggestions, which I’ll forward on to Alun (just the details of the pub, not your name/email address/bank details).
Updated at 15.05 EST
1 min Peep peep! Newcastle kick off from left to right as we watch.
The race for the golden boot
It feels very strange to scan this page and not see the letters S-A-L-A-H. For a variety of reasons he’s scored only four league goals in 2025-26; his lowest total at in a full season at Liverpool is 18.
Anyone in Istanbul? Your Guardian readership needs you!
“Evening Rob,” writes Alun Pugh. “It was lashing down in Istanbul ahead of tonight’s Beşiktaş v Konyaspor game. (2-1 btw). So we repaired to the nearest place to the stadium likely to be serving alcohol to dry out, the famously inexpensive Ritz Carlton hotel.
“It’s showing the Liverpool-Newcastle game but as a round there costs more than our black-and-white-striped knockoff replica Beşiktaş shirts, we are looking for alternative venues to watch the Toon. Can readers suggest a suitable venue?”
Virgil van Jetpack warms up the boosters. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAShare
Updated at 15.07 EST
Our Australian Geordie Chris Paraskevas is first in my inbox
With the 7am kick-off for this game, it’s a nice change of pace for both myself and the neighbours: ordinarily this is the time I’m crawling into bed on a Sunday, only to be awoken in a cold sweat an hour later by parrot/puppy/whippersnapper… which never ends well for any of us.
I’m hoping our encouraging display in Paris is a springboard into more consistent domestic form: the likes of Ramsey and Elanga have struggled since joining but were much improved during the week, though Woltemade has gone off the boil recently and Wissa clearly isn’t fit.
But let’s please not talk about any other (former) strikers. We don’t need to go there. Eddie Howe is wrong. No one has moved on. I’m trying to maintain good vibes on a Sunday for a change. I want to be productive today and add some accomplishments (e.g. went for walk, had a coffee, went to art gallery) to my Hinge profile so women know I mean business.
We can do this, come on Eddie!
Eddie Howe is helping you with your Hinge profile? Also, you could mention one reasonable accomplishment – you did an actual film.
Peekaboo! Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.08 EST
It’s just over 30 years since Newcastle last won at Anfield, when Steve Watson scored the only goal of a heavyweight League Cup tie. It was his second winner against Liverpool that month, following a late sting in a brilliant league game at St James’ Park that included one of the all-time-great forgotten saves from Shaka Hislop.
One of the reasons it’s forgotten is because Liverpool v Newcastle in the 1995-96 season means only thing.
Full time: Chelsea 3-2 West Ham
West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo was sent off for trying to throttle Joao Pedro during that late contremtemps. Chelsea are now celebrating in front of a delighted crowd after coming from 2-0 down at half-time to win – and move up to fourth in the table.
Chelsea have scored a late winner at Stamford Bridge, where things have just kicked off spectacularly.
It’s all change at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have made it 2-2 with 20 minutes to play. You can follow what is likely to be an eventful climax with Billy Munday.
ShareTeam news
Milos Kerkez and Ibrahima Konate return to the Liverpool in place of Andy Robertson and the injured Jeremie Frimpong. The rest of the team is the same as against Qarabag in midweek.
Eddie Howe, who picked a bespoke Newcastle team in Paris on Wednesday, recalls Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier in place of Sven Botman, Nick Woltemade and Lewis Miley. Bruno Guimaraes hasn’t made the squad.
Liverpool (possible 4-2-3-1) Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Endo, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Nallo, Ngumoha.
Newcastle (possible 4-3-3) Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall; Ramsey, Tonali, Willock; Elanga, Gordon, Barnes.
Subs: Ramsdale, Botman, Wissa, J Murphy, Woltemade, A Murphy, Shahar, Miley.
Referee Simon Hooper.
Liverpool and Newcastle could be given a boost before kick-off. In the early evening game, fifth-placed Chelsea are 2-0 down at home to West Ham. Billy Munday has the latest.
SharePreamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Liverpool v Newcastle at Anfield. It’s a Premier League game whose context is provided almost exclusively by the Champions League. It’s the most moreish competition in world football, so you can understand why these teams are desperate for more – both this season and next.
Liverpool and Newcastle finished third and twelfth in the league stage of Europe’s big competition – yet they are currently only the sixth and tenth best teams in England, which means a dogfight to qualify for another crack in 2026-27. Perhaps Snakes and Ladders is a better metaphor: Newcastle will jump four places and go above Liverpool if they win tonight.
There’s a fair way to go in the Premier League season, 14 games apiece after tonight, so it’s not a must-win game. But it’s a pretty important one.
Kick off 8pm.
Updated at 13.39 EST