Newcastle United fell to only their second Premier League defeat this season on Saturday, both of which have come against Liverpool, on a rare off-day during a tremendously high-flying campaign so far.
Early goals from Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo gave the Reds a commanding and perhaps surprising advantage, given the Magpies’ fourth-placed position and the visitors’ well-documented struggles of late.
Magpies manager Eddie Howe will have been disappointed with his team’s uncharacteristically sluggish start, but it was the ever-reliable Nick Pope’s reckless handling outside of the penalty box midway through the first half, resulting in a red card, which sealed the home side’s fate.
Despite the loss, which now leaves Newcastle without a win in four league games, there were a smattering of displays which offer hope that the recent blip can be rectified ahead of the business end of the campaign.
Was Saint-Maximin Newcastle’s shining light vs Liverpool?
Despite Newcastle falling to defeat at St James’ Park, Allan Saint-Maximin was the shining light against Jurgen Klopp’s side. While Howe will rue the missed opportunity to cement his team’s position within the Champions League places, he can be confident that the French dynamo is returning to form at an opportune moment in the campaign.
As per Transfermarkt, the £70k-p/w winger has only scored one goal this season, also providing three assists, and he has been restricted to seven league starts due to injury and his less than prolific form.
However, as per Sofascore, only Kieran Trippier bettered Saint-Maximin’s 7.7 match rating for Newcastle, with the dynamic winger hitting the woodwork and taking three shots, one of which was on target. He succeeded with seven of his nine dribbles and was the progressive force which ensured that, despite being a man light for most of the game, the Magpies proved dangerous in their endeavours.
Taking 48 touches, making two key passes and completing 84% of his passes, Saint-Maximin’s ball-playing prowess took centre stage, while he also got stuck in off the ball by winning seven duels, and he must now be unleashed on a regular basis if the Toon are to soar once again after thieir recent blip.
Hailed by journalist Thomas Hammond as the “MOTM“, a billing also conferred on the 25-year-old by Jamie Carragher, Saint-Maximin was praised by Chronicle reporter Ciaran Kelly for “showing some fight” despite his team facing an uphill battle following Pope’s first-half dismissal.
In spite of this setback, there remains plenty of cause for optimism on Tyneside, with the tantalising taste of silverware looming around the corner as Manchester United await in the Carabao Cup final.
A repeat performance from Saint-Maximin at Wembley next week could go a long way towards Howe taking silverware back to Tyneside.
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