Liverpool Battle Through Five-Goal Thriller Against 10-Man Liverpool

 

Liverpool narrowly escaped being forced to a draw against 10-man Newcastle United at Saint James' Park and won by 3-2 following an injury-time goal from Rio that set the two clubs apart in the Premier League second matchday encounter. 

10-man Newcastle trailed from the first half but fought back to force a draw. They earned the goals to complete a comeback in injury time, but Rio's curling shot from inside the box settled the game for the Reds. 

Ryan Gravenberch set the Reds ahead, blasting an 18-yard shot that beat Nick Pope into the bottom left of the goal. Hugo Etikite doubled the lead shortly after the break, powering the ball into the net after a one-two ball with Cody Gakpo inside the box. 

Bruno Gumaraes' header pulled one back for the Magpies following a cross from Livramento, and on the verge of 90 minutes, William Osula equalised for Newcastle, latching on to Nick Pope's deep lob and tapping the ball into the net through Allison's legs. As the Reds battled on into the injury time, Mohamed Salah's cross from the right wing rightly landed on Rio Ngomuha's path and the debutant, 16, curled the ball into the net for Liverpool's third and winning goal, 

It was an electrifying night and even the referee was wearing a body camera, showing the contenance of players when they protested against his ruling. That was the first of its kind in the Premier League. However, Magpies lost their striker Anthony Gordon to a red-card offence against Virgil van Dijk on the brink of halftime.  

Río, 16, who made his debut, became the youngest scorer for Liverpool and the youngest player to score a winning goal for a club in the Premier League, after Wayne Rooney. He is set to turn 17-year-old in four days. 

Overview

The Magpies had the best of the first half hour before Liverpool struck. The Reds were dominated in every way for most of the first half, leaving the defense to do the hard work. Etikite and Sallah had been clouded out of action as the Magpies exploited the midfield and the wings. Gravenberch read the situation rightly in front of the goal before he struck, and Pope was neatly caught off guard. Fair to say that the Magpies were the better side of the half, and Gordon influenced most of that before he was red-carded. 

Liverpool made a quick resurgence and extended the lead just after the halftime break through Etikite. The Magpies maintained their grip on the game and got a daring comeback, even though they lost in the end. It was a tough game, and no doubt, the Reds felt that, despite playing against a 10-man Magpies in the second half.