Newcastle 1-0 Liverpool: 7 Biggest Factors In Unexpected Victory

5. Ignoring Confidence

Everyone says momentum and confidence can win you games, and while there's certainly something to be said for the positive effect of winning on results going forward, it's foolish to think any team can be buoyed by good feeling alone. Brendan Rodgers' biggest mistake against Newcastle was imagining that the Magpies' winning run would translate into Entertainers style expansive attacking play and high pressing. They would be dogs running deliriously in traffic, and the Liverpool master-mind would profit from their space. The only problem was, Newcastle fundamentally didn't let their victories get to their heads, and with Liverpool set to profit from an attacking threat that never came, Newcastle were free to hold and contain, stopping them from playing through midfield with near-comical efficiency. For once, playing like the away team at home was exactly the right choice.