The Reds’ star player went missing as the Premier League leaders suffered a disappointing defeat to Eddie Howe’s team on Sunday.
The international break clearly can’t come soon enough for Liverpool, who faced a shocking 2-1 loss to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final—just five days after being eliminated from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain.
The hope was that Arne Slot’s squad could quickly forget their painful European exit by winning at Wembley on Sunday, but the Reds appeared even more fatigued than in midweek, with Mohamed Salah once again failing to shine.
The Egyptian had no impact on the match, and Newcastle fully earned their victory, even if they had to endure some tension in the closing moments after Federico Chiesa scored for Liverpool. Ultimately, though, Dan Burn’s towering first-half header and a clever finish from Alexander Isak were more than enough to end the Magpies’ long wait for a trophy.
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Goalkeeper & Defence
Caoimhin Kelleher (6/10):
His inclusion ahead of Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, raised some eyebrows, but not even the brilliant Brazilian would have been able to keep out Newcastle’s goals. The Irishman also made a couple of great saves to deny Isak.
Jarell Quansah (4/10):
Started at right-back in the absence of Alexander-Arnold and just never looked comfortable going forward, while he was also caused plenty of problems by Barnes. A rough afternoon for the stand-in and Slot will be hoping Alexander-Arnold will be fit to return after the international break.
Ibrahima Konate (4/10):
A very mixed bag from the Frenchman before being hooked early in the second half. Made a great recovery tackle after a Quansah effort, but was also too easily muscled off the ball on occasion. Sacrificed early in the second half as Liverpool tried desperately to turn the game around.
Virgil van Dijk (5.5/10):
Despite Liverpool’s struggles, the Dutchman was very dominant in the first half, particularly in the air, but he completely lost Isak for the Swede’s goal. Quite the contrast to his heroics in last year’s final.
Andy Robertson (5/10):
Undeniably a better outlet than Quansah from an offensive perspective, but the Scot was far from flawless and he was beaten far too easily in the air by Murphy before Newcastle’s second goal. As has been said several times already this season, Liverpool need a new left-back.
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Midfield
Ryan Gravenberch (4/10):
Another worryingly ineffective display from the Dutch defensive midfielder, who has looked exhausted in recent games. No longer breaking the lines with his passing or dribbling. No surprise at all to see him subbed early.
Alexis Mac Allister (4.5/10):
Played with his usual aggression and tried desperately to make things happen, but his passing let him down while he was also caught ball-watching as Burn powered home the opener. Looked shattered after coming off.
Dominik Szoboszlai (5/10):
Full of running, as per usual, but the Hungarian failed to have any real influence on the game. Another Red that appears to be running on empty.
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Attack
Mohamed Salah (4/10):
After his no-show against PSG, the Egyptian was once again anonymous when Liverpool needed their talisman to stand up and be counted. His lethargy summed up a lame performance.
Diogo Jota (4/10):
The Portuguese continues to struggle after his latest return from injury. Barely got a look-in during the first half and, when a good chance did come his way in injury time, he hooked the ball horribly wide.
Luis Diaz (4.5/10):
Arguably Liverpool’s liveliest attacker – but that’s not saying much at all. The Colombian threatened to get in behind a couple of times while he also teed up Jota with a neat knockdown but, overall, Diaz continues to flatter to deceive.
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Subs & Manager
Curtis Jones (5.5/10):
Immediately added some much-needed energy to Liverpool’s game and very nearly scored shortly after coming on for Konate shortly after the restart.
Darwin Nunez (5/10):
Took over up front from Jota but failed to make an impact.
Cody Gakpo (5/10):
Replaced Mac Allister midway through the second half but still doesn’t look match-fit.
Federico Chiesa (7.5/10):
A very rare outing for the Italian, who was introduced with 17 minutes remaining, and he pulled a goal back with a well-timed run and good finish.
Harvey Elliott (7/10):
Part of a double-substitution with Chiesa and did wonderfully well to create a goal for Chiesa by winning the ball in midfield and then playing a lovely through-ball.
Arne Slot (4/10):
The former Feyenoord coach has done a great job since taking over Liverpool last summer, but questions will rightly be asked of Slot after his lame loss, chief among them: why was Mac Allister tasked with marking Burn on corners?! The decisions to start Jota up front, and Jones on the bench, will also be queried…