Team
Konate and Milos Kerkez were back in place of Jeremie Frimpong and Andy Robertson as Liverpool made two changes to their starting XI from the midweek win over Qarabag.
Curtis Jones was named on the bench following illness.
Liverpool: Alisson, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Wirtz (Endo, 87), Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah (Chiesa, 84), Gakpo, Ekitike (Jones, 84), Gravenberch.
Unused subs: Mamardashvili, Robertson Nyoni, Ramsay, Nallo, Ngumoha.
First half
Transitions were the order of the day from the off, with both sides willing to commit players forward in search of the opening goal.
The noise level inside Anfield, already high, rose further in response to Cody Gakpo driving deep into Newcastle territory after turning adeptly inside his own half, before Mohamed Salah was thwarted by Kieran Trippier as he tried to cut back inside having sprung in behind the visitors’ backline.
Newcastle went within a whisker of opening the scoring midway through the first half as Harvey Barnes rattled the post with a free-kick. Their best spell of the game followed and concluded with Gordon scoring.
There was an element of fortune in how the chance presented itself to Gordon – the ball rolling to him after Alexis Mac Allister had tackled Barnes – but his finish was hard and true into the bottom corner.
That goal arrived in minute 36 but such was the strength of Liverpool’s response, it was the home team that went in ahead at half-time.
Ekitike’s double was netted in the space of two minutes. His first was another example of his easy understanding with Wirtz, as the No.7 glided his way into space in a packed penalty area then picked his teammate out with a cut-back that was dispatched with a firm, first-time hit.
The France forward’s second goal was all about him, though, as he surged down the inside-left channel with too much pace and power to handle, prior to impudently toe-poking the ball into the far corner for his 15th goal of the season.
