Wonder goal: 5 things we learned from Liverpool vs Newcastle United

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Liverpool won 3-1 vs Newcastle United on Thursday evening at Anfield. Here are five things we learned from the fixture.

Liverpool hit hard

It’s not exactly a secret that Covid-19 is hitting the Premier League en masse right now. Game after game faces postponement and as it turns out, this one was under threat, too.

Liverpool announced shortly before their lineup that Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones all returned possibly positive tests. The trio missed this game as a result, with the Reds needing last-minute changes.

Above all, this is the thing to watch over the next few days and weeks. It doesn’t look good.

Thiago wobbles

Newcastle had two good chances in the first half against Liverpool. Both came from inexplicably poor passes from Thiago – we’re really not sure what he was up to.

The Spaniard has been magnificent in recent weeks but this was a real wobble. We’re not exactly concerned but it was certainly a surprise. Hopefully back to his best shortly.

Klopp adapts

Part of Thiago’s troubles may have come from a slight change of formation. Fabinho’s absence meant Liverpool were more of a 4-2-1-3 against Newcastle, rather than 4-3-3. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain effectively played as a no.10, with Jordan Henderson and Thiago sitting deeper.

Perhaps that had an effect, with the change in routine throwing Thiago off. Other than his poor passes, it’s a system that worked very well – particularly going forward as the Reds created plenty of chances at Anfield.

Injuries clearing up

Van Dijk, Fabinho and Jones’s problems aside, Liverpool do appear to have their injury issues clearing and that one show vs Newcastle. We saw both Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita return in this one – and that boosts the squad significantly.

We talked recently about Liverpool potentially moving up a level with returns like this. It certainly sets the Reds up for an always-tough December.

What a goal that was then

That second half was not a fun one – Liverpool struggled to break Newcastle down and the game became a difficult one. Just when nerves could have really set in, though, Trent Alexander-Arnold did something incredible to seal the points.

The Scouser rifled one in from 25 yards that was simply unstoppable. It’s exactly the kind of goal you’d expect from Alexander-Arnold, despite this being the first time he’s really done it.

An incredible strike and unquestionably the moment of the game.