Magpies pegged back by touch of class by Suarez

SO the wait for a league win at Liverpool goes on.

It will be 19 years and counting by the time Newcastle next visit Anfield, and while a point on the ground is not to be sniffed at given that yesterday’s was only the Magpies’ sixth of the Premier League era, it could be a while before a better opportunity for a long-awaited victory comes along.

Leading through Yohan Cabaye’s fantastic first-half strike, the Magpies looked to have sated a Liverpool side lacking in star talent as the second-half ticked on. Increasingly comfortable despite their opponents’ dominance of possession, an all-too-rare success was in the offing.

That was not accounting for the brilliance of Luis Suarez though, and after the Liverpool striker claimed a magnificent equaliser midway through the second half, controlling Jose Enrique’s long ball before rounding Tim Krul, Newcastle were forced to ride their luck during an increasingly frantic finale.

Their task became harder when Fabricio Coloccini was dismissed for an uncharacteristically ugly challenge on Suarez, but while substitute Jonjo Shelvey clipped the crossbar with a header late on, the end result was a fourth successive away draw in the league.

Their spirit was commendable throughout, with Steven Taylor especially resilient at centre-half and Davide Santon producing another impressive showing at full-back.

But their point came at a cost, with injuries to James Perch, Yohan Cabaye and Demba Ba placing an even greater strain on a squad that is becoming alarmingly stretched. Throw in Coloccini’s automatic three-match ban, and the side that will line up against West Ham on Sunday will pretty much pick itself, even if there are no fresh problems to emerge from Thursday’s Europa League game in Brugge.

The likes of Shane Ferguson, Vurnon Anita and Sammy Ameobi, all of whom were involved at some stage against Liverpool, are set to become key performers in the next few weeks, so it is to be hoped that the experience gained from games like yesterday’s will stand them in good stead.

They will certainly have learned something about the art of resilience, as Newcastle were forced to weather an early storm before Cabaye’s 43rd-minute strike secured the lead.

Liverpool forced three corners inside the opening ten minutes, with teenager Raheem Sterling causing a succession of early problems down the left-hand side.

Pardew opted to start with Anita at right-back in preference to Danny Simpson, perhaps sensing that the Dutchman’s greater mobility would help neuter Sterling’s threat.

The ploy was not particularly successful, and it was notable that the right-hand side of Newcastle’s defence appeared more secure when Simpson came off the substitutes’ bench to replace Perch, a switch that necessitated Anita’s redeployment into midfield.

Newcastle’s other prematch defensive switch saw Taylor replace Mike Williamson at centre-half, and Pardew could at least claim this move as a success.

Taylor’s agility was a valuable asset in the battle to counter Suarez, who remains one of the most talented strikers in the Premier League despite the raft of controversies that seem to permanently attach themselves to him.

Suarez curled an early freekick narrowly over the crossbar and saw another first-half effort saved by Krul’s legs, but Newcastle gradually steadied the ship and became more of a threat as half-time approached.

As ever, Hatem Ben Arfa was involved in the majority of their best moments, although with Papiss Cisse offering little from his position on the left-hand flank, Ba found himself isolated for lengthy spells.

Cisse’s wide role hardly suited him, but by switching to a 4-5-1 formation, Pardew was at least able to push Cabaye into a more prominent position at the apex of his side’s midfield. Two minutes before the break, and the ploy paid dividends.

Ben Arfa was the architect of the goal, scorching past former team-mate Jose Enrique and whipping a driven cross to Cabaye at the back post.

The Frenchman trapped the ball with his first touch, before ripping a ferocious angled drive past former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Brad Jones with his second. It was his second goal in the space of three league games, and the first goal scored at Anfield by a Newcastle player since Patrick Kluivert found the net in 2004.

It gave the visitors something to hold on to at the start of the second half, and for more than 20 minutes, they made a decent job of containing their opponents.

Krul turned Suarez’s low shot around the post, while Nuri Sahin prodded a low shot narrowly wide, but Newcastle were becoming increasingly comfortable before the game changed in the 67th minute.

Jonas Gutierrez needlessly conceded possession in the Liverpool half, enabling Enrique to fire a long ball over the top of the Magpies’ backline.

It was a devilishly difficult pass to control, but Suarez did it superbly, cushioning the ball with his chest before holding off the attentions of Coloccini in order to skip around Krul and slot home.

When he is not indulging in histrionics, the South American really is some player.

He got the better of Coloccini again two minutes later, but his pull-back to Jonjo Shelvey was wasted when the substitute prodded a tame effort at Krul.

With both sides pushing for a winner, the final 20 minutes became increasingly frenetic.

Sterling would have scored had Taylor not produced a superb last-ditch block that diverted the youngster’s shot over the top, while at the other end, Ben Arfa forced a useful save out of Jones as he cut in from the flank and Cisse swivelled in the area to fire wide.

Coloccini’s dismissal was a sting in the tail Newcastle could have done without, with the Argentinian missing the ball completely as he planted his foot into Suarez’s leg. It is hard to believe there was any intent in the incident, but referee Anthony Taylor was right to reach for a straight red card.

Things almost got worse for the visitors in stoppage time, but Krul managed to divert Shelvey’s header onto the crossbar as it threatened to loop in.

MATCHFACTS

Goals: 0-1: Cabaye (43, controlled Ben Arfa’s right-wing cross and hammered angle drive past Jones) 1-1: Suarez (67, trapped Enrique’s long ball with his chest and rounded Krul before slotting home)
Booking: Santon (90, foul) Sending-off: Coloccini (84, serious foul play)
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Wynthenshawe): Was left with no option as Coloccini thrust his studs into Suarez’s shin 7
Attendance: 44,803
Entertainment: 4/5 

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3) Jones 5; Wisdom 5, Agger 6, Skrtel 7, Enrique 5; Sahin 5 (Downing 74), Gerrard 6, Allen 6; Suso 4 (Shelvey 66, 5), SUAREZ 9, Sterling 7. Subs (not used): Gulacsi (gk), Coates, Carragher, Henderson, Assaidi.

NEWCASTLE (4-5-1)
7 Krul: Made two good saves from Suarez and got enough of a touch onto Shelvey’s late effort to turn it onto the crossbar 5Anita: Was all at sea at rightback, but improved after he was switched into midfield midway through the first half
7 S TAYLOR: Justified his recall with a typically committed display and made a fantastic block off Shelvey
4 Coloccini: Never looked comfortable against Suarez and was rightly dismissed for a dreadful challenge 7Santon: Another accomplished display from the Italian who has arguably been Newcastle’s most consistent performer all season
7 Ben Arfa: At the heart of most of Newcastle’s best moments and tested Jones with a decent second-half strike 5Perch: Started off well enough at the base of midfield, but was forced off through injury halfway through the first half
6 Cabaye: Produced a fantastic finish to break the deadlock, but failed to finish because of a muscular injury 5Gutierrez: His work rate was as high as ever, but he conceded possession cheaply in the build-up to Liverpool’s goal
5 Cisse: Never looked comfortable on the left-hand side and was much happier when switched to centre-forward  
6 Ba: Was isolated for long periods but put in plenty of effort before his pre-match injury took its toll

Subs
Simpson (for Perch, 26): Shored things up as soon as he came on and was a much more effective rightback than Anita had been 7
Sammy Ameobi (for Ba, 49): Always looked comfortable on the ball and sparked some useful second-half attacks 6
Ferguson (for Cabaye, 67): Ended up as Newcastle’s most attacking midfielder but didn’t really test the Liverpool defence 5
Not used: Harper (gk), Williamson, Obertan, Shola Ameobi.

MAN OF THE MATCH
LUIS Suarez – For all his faults, the Uruguayan is carrying Liverpool this season, and his goal was a masterclass in control and composure.