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Match Reports

Newcastle United v Liverpool – Match Report

11 years ago
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Newcastle United 0 Liverpool 6
Saturday 27 April 5.30pm
X Rated Video Highlights Here

Looking for positives today is a bit tricky. We’ve had any number of hammerings off the red scousers and at least Michael Owen wasn’t playing for them this time!

There is nothing like getting taken apart by a top class team and this was nothing like…getting taken apart by a top class team.

Fair play to the visitors because they were decent but United were woeful, it was as though every player’s weakness came to the fore at the same time. Elliot nervous and hesitant, Debuchy losing the plot, Haidara’s inexperience, Jonas’ lack of confidence, Tiote’s wayward passing…and so on.

No doubt if he was working at the weekend, Alan Hansen would have been in his element analysing Newcastle’s ‘defending’, I can only surmise that was the case as there was no way I was sitting through that again.

After three minutes Newcastle were possibly trying to play offside but instead Agger looped an easy header over a hesitant Elliot who was in no-man’s land.

Goal two after sixteen minutes sees Liverpool finding it embarrassingly easy to cut through the defence and this time Henderson walks it into the net, defensive weakness topped by Elliot once again caught in two minds.

James Perch missed an excellent headed chance when he should have scored and that I’m afraid, was the first half.

In the pub before the match my worst fears had come true as despite Gouffran and Ben Arfa being available, Pardew went for the most negative formation imaginable.

Bringing those two players on at half-time is better than nothing but not by far. The damage has already been done, the game lost.

Yes Ben Arfa lost the ball for the third goal but that was only due to taking responsibility and trying to retain possession, unlike a number of his teammates. United actually had a decent spell before that third hit the back of the net but that was it in terms of any positives.

We conceded another three and Debuchy lost his rag and tried to launch Coutinho into the stands, simple stupidity and not a case of showing how much he cared.

The fact that Newcastle have now conceded the most (66) goals in the division must surely tell Alan Pardew something now. We need to keep the ball away from our goal!

The best way to do it is by trying to keep the ball and attack the opposition, the manager needs to put as many people on the pitch at West Ham as possible who can do that.

If Newcastle go to Upton Park and try to defend they might as well stay at home and send the three points in the post.

Newcastle United: Elliot, Debuchy, Taylor, Mapou, Haidara, Perch (Ben Arfa 46), Tiote (Anita 65), Sissoko, Cabaye, Jonas (Gouffran 46), Cisse

Unused Subs: Harper, Williamson, Gosling, Shola

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrisue, Gerrard (Borini 72), Lucas, Downing, Henderson, Coutinho (Suso 84), Sturridge (Shelvey 84)

Ref: Andre Marriner

Crowd: 52,351 (3,200 away fans)

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