Crowned champion of England last summer for the first time in thirty years, the Reds also end this glorious year at the top of the standings. The two points lost to Newcastle are therefore not dramatic for Jürgen Klopp, even if it is still the third draw, this month, against teams whose objective is to maintain (after Fulham and West Bromwich).
United on the lookout
This poor performance, however, is a bad operation since it will give Manchester United the opportunity to come back to the height of the Reds thanks to a late match at Burnley. And she confirms that Liverpool do not have quite the same pace as in the previous two seasons.
The Reds coach still had to tinker with Nathaniel Phillips in central defense. This does not offer the same guarantees as Gomez, Matip and obviously Van Dijk, all three injured. James Milner and Curtis Jones, who also do not have starting status, were also in the starting XI.
After a sluggish start to the match, where Newcastle could have opened the scoring by Jacob Murphy (12th), Liverpool began to put their claws at the half-hour mark and provided themselves with many clear opportunities.
Mohamed Salah (34th, 66th), Andrew Robertson (36th), Roberto Firmino (45th + 1, 68th, 88th) and Sadio Mané (81st) lacked lucidity in front of goal, and were discouraged by timely interventions by goalkeeper Karl
Darlow, or by rescues at the extreme limit of DeAndre Yedlin and Fabian Schär.
The good news for Jürgen Klopp is the return of midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who reappeared on the pitch almost ten weeks after his injury at Everton.
The Reds travel to Southampton on Monday, while Manchester United host Aston Villa on Friday.
No suspension at this stage
The Covid-19 continues to disrupt the Premier League. Scheduled for late afternoon, the Tottenham-Fulham match has been postponed due to reported cases in the ranks of the Cottagers.
The cancellation of the meeting was announced less than three hours before kick-off, which angered José Mourinho. The Premier League made the decision after a request from Fulham, who lamented a “significant rise in positive Covid-19 cases, as well as a number of players showing symptoms”.
This is the third postponement of a game this season in England, after Newcastle-Aston Villa in early December and Everton-Manchester City on Monday. 18 positive cases were announced Tuesday, after tests carried out from December 21 to 27, a record.
Manchester City players resumed training on Wednesday, after seeing no positive cases in the new battery of tests. The shock against Chelsea, Sunday at Stamford Bridge, therefore remains scheduled.
The Premier League has also indicated that it has no plans to suspend the league.
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