A quiet first half for the player who was - by his manager's reckoning - not fit to play. Because of that lack of fitness he wasn't quite as mobile as usual, though he did drop deep well when Newcastle were forced to make their own possession. And his apparent reluctance to come off says a lot about his mentality at the minute, which is a good sign.
1. Ayoze Perez - 8
It should have been a thankless task coming on to play against Liverpool's twin tower defenders, but Ayoze's running worked in much the same way Adam Armstrong's did against Man City in the week. Took his poacher's goal very well too, and almost laid that second on for Remy Cabella. He's had a massive week, and hopefully his first team opportunities will help speed his development.
Alan Pardew - 8
Much beleaguered and much maligned, Pardew should be given credit for a number of decisions: firstly, playing Mehdi Abeid rather than Vurnon Anita or Ryan Taylor, and charging him with keeping Coutinho out of the game, then playing a man close to Raheem Sterling to help Paul Dummet. The tactical approach of simply allowing Liverpool to play with the ball and looking only to profit when attacking those attacks broke down, or the opposition over-committed or made a mistake wasn't exactly pretty, but it worked wonders, as Liverpool played right into it. Sooner or later you have to think Newcastle win revert to type when the opposition stop making mistakes, but hopefully by then confidence will be up enough to make a plan B more likely. Who would you have given man of the match to? Vote below and share your thoughts below in the comments.
