Liverpool coach Arne Slot took a pointed dig at Newcastle United’s tactics after the Merseysiders won the match 3-2 against a 10-man Magpies side. With the fans of both teams in loggerheads due to the Alexander Isak transfer saga, these comments might have just put more fuel in the fire.
“I’m not too sure if I saw a football match. It was set-piece after set-piece, long throws. It didn’t have a lot to do with tactics. But I liked a lot how we stood strong,” Slot said to Sky Sports after the match.
The match was a pretty feisty affair with a total of 32 fouls committed, the most in a match since the season began last week. Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon was also sent off for his less than ideal tackle on Liverpool captain Virgil van Djik.
“It was a very difficult first half hour, 45 minutes. We didn’t collapse at all and went 1-0 up. Newcastle going down to 10 men, you would expect is a big plus for us but when a goalkeeper takes every free-kick, there is not much hope [benefit] if you are one player up. That’s why it was so difficult to bring the 2-0 over the line,” Slot added.
Liverpool went into the lead in the 35th minute after Ryan Gravenberch slotted one in from long distance before Hugo Ekitike doubled the Reds lead with a 46th minute strike. Newcastle refused to go gently into the night, however, as Bruno Guimarães pulled one back in the 57th minute before William Osula equalized in the 88th.
With the match heading for a draw, 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha sent the Liverpool fans in a frenzy as he finished coolly in the 90+10th minute as the hosts won 3-2.
What is the Isak saga?
Isak, the Sweden international has been pushing to leave Newcastle to join Liverpool in the summer with the Magpies leaving out the unsettled striker from their pre-season tour in Asia. After that Liverpool had bid £110million for him but it was rejected by Newcastle stating that the player was not for sale. The Magpies, however, have tried to sign a lot of forwards in that time in case they are forced to let go of Isak but targets Benjamin Sesko and Ekitike have all snubbed them.
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The Swede on the other hand made it clear that he wanted to leave the Magpies and the situation took a turn for the worst when on the night of the Professional Footballers’ Association awards gala which Isak did not attend, he slammed the club in a socila media post that the relationship was beyond repair.
In reply, Newcastle pout out a statement of their own that they were disappointed with Isak’s actions but he would still be welcomed back to the team when he was ready to join his teammates.
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