Phil Thompson says he spotted something ‘not right’ with Liverpool during Newcastle draw

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Liverpool had to settle for a point during Wednesday evening’s rollercoaster clash with Newcastle.

After a terrible first-half performance, many Reds supporters would have absolutely taken a point at the final whistle.

However, having pulled themselves into a winning position courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s majestic double, Liverpool will feel frustrated to have thrown it away at the end.

Arne Slot said that Caoimhin Kelleher was disappointed in the changing room and it was ultimately the goalkeeper’s mistake which allowed Newcastle to get the crucial third equaliser.

But while Kelleher may have been the fall guy, he was not the only Liverpool player to have a bad night.

Curtis Jones admitted Liverpool were terrible in the first-half on Tyneside and former Reds captain Phil Thompson appears to agree with him.

Phil Thompson says Liverpool got away with one

Liverpool have had poor performances before under Slot. The Nottingham Forest defeat perhaps remains the best example of that, but there have been others.

Thankfully, the Reds have often been able to turn those displays around, with Slot showing himself adept at making in-game changes.

The Liverpool head coach did so again on Wednesday, introducing Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold to good effect from the bench.

And while Slot praised Szoboszlai and Diaz, Thompson told LFCTV that the two players had helped dig Liverpool out of a hole that they did not necessarily deserve to emerge from.

READ MORE: Declan Rice offers immediate on-pitch reaction after being told Liverpool drew with Newcastle

“A point gained,” said the Liverpool legend when asked if it was a point gained or two dropped.

“You can’t play as bad as we did in that first-half. You just can’t. We got away with one. People thought that it was bad at Southampton but this was worse.

“The passing, the control, in all departments it just was not right. I thought to myself, if you’d have asked me after 30 minutes if I’d take a point, I’d have snapped your hand off.”

Liverpool set for another quick turnaround

Liverpool should probably be cut a little slack for their display at Newcastle.

The Reds have had a punishing schedule and came through high intensity games against Real Madrid and Man City with two wins and two clean sheets last week.

That they started poorly against a comparatively well-rested Newcastle should not have been a major surprise.

Nevertheless, Liverpool know that they need to pick themselves up and put in a much better display against Everton on Saturday.

The lunchtime kick-off is the second of three consecutive away games for Liverpool, with a trip to face Girona in the Champions League coming the following Tuesday.