As a smile slowly spread across his face, Mohamed Salah kissed the crest of the red shirt as he prayed. The Egyptian’s ninth goal in seven Supreme League games, and on the second night, not only confirmed Liverpool’s title challenge, but confirmed the case of those who, now probably could walk on the river Nile, a lucrative contract extension at Anfield.
Not that Salah was the only man increasing his bargaining position as Fabian Schär’s late equalizer ended one of the games season, if not the decade, honors, even as Arne Slott’s league leaders winning streak finally came to an end.
Much of it descended to the distinguished Alexander Isak of Newcastle. For the evening alone, the inextricable Swedish striker also eclipsed Salah, creating an exquisite open and new castle, as Eddie Howe’s players remembered that they can also play a little.
Newcastle began as if the constant repetitions of Howe’s motto – “the intensity of our identity” – were ringing in our ears. It meant, with these Liverpool With teammates struggling to regain familiarity, fluidity and fluency, Caoimhin Kelleher was quickly called to arms, making a sharp save from Sandro Tonali, after Anthony Gordon’s delivery down the left wing.
after a* a quick defeat at West Ham here and an underwhelming draw at Crystal Palace Newcastle had lifted the game in such a way that the side invariably tend to be at their best in opposition whenever opposition such as the Tyneside ones visit.
On an evening when Trent Alexander-Arnold was resting his legs on the bench at the start of the visit, Jarell Quansah was certainly a little worried that Gordon appeared on a mission to show Slot exactly why he was the subject of last summer’s transfer collapse at Anfield.
Not that Sala seemed completely frightened in the litigator’s meeting with Louis Hall. The aforementioned cross was blocked by Alexis MacAllister who fired in a half volley that was impressively saved by Nick Pope. With Mac Allister’s next shot the runner extended Howe’s touch drive, but then Isak Jacob Murphy played smartly, and a right-wing shot was also deflected right.
Like Salah, Isak wants a new contract at the club, but until Wednesday night this season has sunk in.
All that has changed in the movement of embracing the decay Isak Brunonis Guimarães pass across the collection and from there the commanding turn that Virgil van Dijk has seen, in the style of the Slot center has turned into an unfamiliar center. The rest was courtesy of Isak Kelleher’s wickedly dipping and deflected shot into the top corner from around 20 yards out.
Suddenly, Kelleher seemed to be standing between Newcastle and a bigger lead, as they often spared their teammates embarrassment. If Gordon had really beaten him behind Joe Gomez with the utmost ease, no one could really argue that Alisson’s injury-plagued stable didn’t deserve a touch of fortune.
It was now easy to understand why Slote had warned his players that Newcastle at St James’ Park represented a tougher task than toe to toe with Real Madrid or Man- urbs.
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Not for the first time this time though, Salah quietly still finds a solution to the manager’s problems. The second half was five minutes old when, lurking in a long ball over the top, he was hallucinating, and passed low and accurate with his outside foot to beat the rushing ball to Curtis Jones, first beyond the grasp of the Pope.
After this Newcastle lived dangerously with Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez both inches away from scoring.
However, with the rain intent on Guimarães and Isak with Gordon to create a platform for Gordon to finally score thanks to a foot shot that once Kelleher had no answer.
For a moment it looked as if it might take one touch too many, but through the throat Isak demanded a brilliant conversion and, when Gomez was counted again, this time the childish Liverpool fan pulled away.
When Isak had another “goal” disallowed for offside, Liverpool listened to the warning and Alexander-Arnold, recently released from the bench, reminded everyone of his excellent chemistry with Sala by passing from the right to the boundary to erase the smile on Howe’s face. .
When Alexander-Arnold tried again for Salah to curl in sharply and put Liverpool in the lead, it looked like the game would be over, but Schär’s connection with a sliding free-kick and a rare Kelleher mistake earned him a deserved point.