FOOTBALL Live

Sunday December 28, 2008 Finished St. James' Park

1 - 5

Newcastle United

  • Edgar 45’

Liverpool

  • Gerrard 31’, 66’
  • Hyypia 36’
  • Babel 50’
  • Alonso 76’ (pen.)

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  1. Liverpool spank poor Newcastle

    Liverpool spank poor Newcastle

    Liverpool cemented their hold on top spot in the Premier League with a 5-1 thumping of Newcastle at St James' Park. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Newcastle United
    • Liverpool
    • 90+3 Liverpool finish 2008 on top of the Premier League after a massive win at Newcastle. A statement of intent to the doubters.
    • 90+1 A low cross from Jonas is easy for Reina.
    • 89' Almost a sixth for Liverpool when Given makes ANOTHER great save at the far post from Lucas's header.
    • 88' Rafael Benitez takes a wander from the dugout, hopefully to grab some water to fend off those pesky kidney stones.
    • 85' The corner is half-cleared and swung far post to Ameobi and he heads on goal but well-blocked by Reina.
    • 84' Free-kick on the left to Newcastle, which Guthrie will take. He swings in a superb effort which Reina has to tip over for a corner.
    • 79' NEWCASTLE SUB: Owen off for LuaLua; LIVERPOOL SUB: Skrtel returns from injury to replace Kuyt.
    • 76' And Alonso clips the penalty to the left of Given, who went the right way but couldn't match the quality of the spot-kick. 5-1. Ouch.
    • 75' More disaster for Toon as Edgar scythes down Babel in the box. Penalty. No Gerrard so Alonso will take.
    • 74' Successive corners are cleared by Liverpool, who clear, but it's sent high back into their box but easy for Reina to claim although for some bizarre reason Taylor follows through really late to clobber and almost head-butt Reina and is lucky not to get sent off. Just a yellow.
    • 72' Free-kick to Newcastle on halfway, and Geremi spots Reina off his line so lobs it towards the top left but Reina gets across to parry, drops it and fumbles the loose ball and Owen from an acute angle tries to chip it in but blocked behind for a corner!
    • 70' LIVERPOOL SUB: Gerrard is rested with his work basically done, N'Gog on in his place.
    • 68' Guthrie has a low crack from the edge of the D but easy for Reina diving down to his right.
    • 66' Lucas on the ball, he plays a delightful diagonal pass wide right to Gerrard who arcs his run around Coloccini and is clean through AND HE LIFTS THE FINISH OVER GIVEN FOR 4-1! Liverpool are on FIRE at the moment. And they don't have Torres. Frightening.
    • 62' Lucas with a through-ball to Kuyt after good play by Alonso but Kuyt is just offside.
    • 61' Gerrard almost gets in on the left but Newcastle clear.
    • 60' LIVERPOOL SUB: Benayoun comes off for Alonso. Positive.
    • 60' Geremi to take then AND HIS DIPPING FREE-KICK RATTLES OFF THE CROSSBAR! What an effort, Reina was static watching that fly past.
    • 59' Guthrie is standing over this free-kick, as is Duff. Owen is struggling after that foul. The wall is marched back.
    • 58' Crude challenge on Owen by Mascherano after the English striker ran towards the edge of the box. Yellow card.
    • 57' The free-kick is sent into the box by Guthrie and Reina spills it but Carragher blocks the loose ball and Reina picks it up. Backpass? The crowd thinks so.
    • 56' NEWCASTLE SUB: Before the free-kick is taken, Geremi comes on for Butt to give Toon more going forward and another option from set-pieces.
    • 55' Agger is angry after being penalised for what looked like a six-to-one with Ameobi, free-kick Toon on the right.
    • 51' It doesn't get better looking at that goal on the replay. To call it 'pub' defending would be doing a disservice to booze.
    • 50' Corner to Liverpool on the right. It's swung to Hyypia at the near post, he's unmarked AGAIN but can only flick it across goal and it's in for Babel with his back to goal, there are five Newcastle defenders and Shay Given behind him but he somehow shrugs off Coloccini, who falls on the ground in a heap and impedes both Given and Butt as - in slow-motion - Babel has time and space to rifle the ball into the bottom left! Comical, useless defending from Newcastle, and Given should really give his team-mates beats for doing all they can to undermine his ability.
    • 48' Ameobi does well to get into space on the right and drills a testing ball across goal but it misses Owen and Duff and Liverpool survive!
    • 47' Benayoun almost slips Gerrard in but the pass is just too heavy for the England man.
    • 46' NEWCASTLE SUB: Shola Ameobi is on for the half-fit Jose Enrique as Toon go 4-4-2 with Duff slipping back to left midfield and N'Zogbia dropping into defence.
    • 46' Second half underway!
    • 45+2 And that is the half-time whistle! Liverpool have pasted Newcastle but - thanks to some incredible goalkeeping by Shay Given and some slack defending just before the break - they are only one goal to the good.
    • 45+1 Hyypia with a crucial challenge to intercept with Duff clean through, the Irishman goes wide left to retrieve and wins a corner. Guthrie to take this one on the left, he swings it in to the six-yard box again AND EDGAR RISES ABOVE CARRAGHER TO HEAD INTO THE TOP RIGHT! Toon right back in it just before half-time! Shocking marking from Liverpool, Gerrard and Mascherano selling Carragher short.
    • 45' Guthrie to take this corner and he puts it in to the six-yard box AND TAYLOR WITH A FLICKED HEADER BUT WIDE!
    • 44' Duff is in space on the right and he puts a testing ball over for Owen that Benayoun has to head behind for a corner
    • 42' Gerrard sends this one near post, it takes a deflection off Agger AND HYYPIA FLIES IN WITH A BULLET HEADER BUT AGAIN A BRILLIANT STOP FROM GIVEN! Newcastle have no idea what they're doing and only Given's heroics are preventing a cricket score.
    • 41' Liverpool win another corner on the right. Gerrard jogs over to take it.
    • 39' Reina pumps the ball downfield as Liverpool ease off knowing they are in total control of this match. The last two matches - billed as potential banana skins - have seen the Reds really flex their muscles as title contenders.
    • 36' Corner to Liverpool on the left, swung out to the far post and HYYPIA RISES UNMARKED TO POWER A HEADER INTO THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE GOAL! 2-0! Liverpool cruising and entirely deserving of it. Coloccini let Hyypia go and N'Zogbia should have blocked the finish as the man on the post.
    • 35' Benayoun takes the ball down on the right and cuts inside Jose Enrique, who is having a bit of a nightmare, but the Israeli can't get the shot away and blocked for a corner.
    • 33' Jonas is in the middle, he plays a great through-ball that releases Duff who is clean through but a shocking first touch takes him wide but no mind as he slips it across to Owen who scores! But wait! The flag is up for offside! Terrible decision, Duff was clearly level at worst!
    • 31' Carragher on the right, inside to Mascherano who slips it in for Benayoun who is in on the right as Jose Enrique gets caught flat-footed and he cuts it back to GERRARD WHO RIFLES A THUNDERBOLT OF A FINISH OFF THE INSIDE OF THE POST AND BAR FOR 1-0! Not even Shay 'Superman' Given could have saved that.
    • 29' Insua clips Jonas's heels and Newcastle have a free-kick deep in their own half, on the right. Liverpoll have had 60 per cent of the possession so far.
    • 27' Gerrard tries one from distance but it's so wide it threatens the corner flag more than Given's goal.
    • 25' A respite in play as Newcastle lick their wounds and Liverpool take stock after somehow now scoring in that 12-minute passage of play.
    • 23' Liverpool have had TEN efforts on goal in the opening quarter of this match. Can Newcastle resist the incessant pressure?
    • 21' Corner on the right to Liverpool, swung over and it takes a touch but N'Zogbia clears off the line at the far post! How are Liverpool not ahead?!
    • 20' Corner Liverpool again, swung over TO LUCAS WITH THE HEADER BUT AN AMAZING STOP BY GIVEN! He flew across goal to somehow palm away that point-blank header, changing direction at the last and somehow making a strong-arm parry. Phew.
    • 19' Liverpool with a corner on the left, it's taken short, there's a one-two with Gerrard and Benayoun and drilled low into the box and a backheel by Agger but it's going wide and Kuyt on the right drills it in and it's deflected off Lucas and is going in but AN INCREDIBLE STOP BY GIVEN!
    • 18' Oh dear, to compound Newcastle's problems, Steven Taylor is struggling, limping after he tackled Kuyt.
    • 16' Free-kick to Liverpool on the left, Gerrard to swing it in. He sends it high into the six-yard box and Toon's marking is non-existent as Lucas and Hyypia both rise unmarked and Hyypia heads it down and wide! Should have been a goal, awful defending again from the hosts who, to be fair, have only one of Boxing Day's starting back four playing in defence today.
    • 13' Babel is in space on the left, he drills it low to Kuyt in the box with his back to goal, he knocks it back to Gerrard WHO SENDS IN A FIRST-TIME SHOT GOING FOR THE TOP LEFT BUT A SPECTACULAR DIVING SAVE BY GIVEN! Liverpool are all over Toon right now.
    • 12' Newcastle counter, Owen races clear down the left but THWACK! Ouch! Carragher scythes him down with a two-footed scissor challenge and somehow escapes a booking! The free-kick is cleared fairly easily.
    • 11' Gerrard and Kuyt combine, superb play with successive one-twos and Newcastle's defence is all over the place and Edgar slides in like a madman missing ball and man AND GERRARD IS IN BUT HE SCUFFS THE FINISH AND GIVEN FLYING OUT TIPS IT AWAY! He always scores those, a let-off for Toon. What on earth was Edgar doing?
    • 9' Liverpool come forward, Benayoun on the right plays it in but Coloccini fails to clear, Gerrard now on the edge of the six-yard box, it's really congested but with a beautiful turn he works some space, somehow, and slips it wide to KUYT FREE FROM CLOSE RANGE but Given parries at the near post! It still isn't clear as Jose Enrique and Coloccini hurl themselves in to block Babel's shot and finally it's hoofed away! Great stuff from Liverpool.
    • 8' N'Zogbia is in space on the left, he swings over a cross that Agger heads straight to Coloccini who has a pop but straight at Reina. The sun is really bright in the Liverpool box, making it hard for defenders to judge headers.
    • 5' Coloccini gives it away but Butt wins the ball back off Benayoun. Guthrie now has it, playing against his former club, as Newcastle try to keep the ball for a spell.
    • 3' Fairly cagey start to this game, as is usual for matches involving Liverpool.
    • 1' Match underway at St James' Park!
    • - LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS: Rafael Benitez likes to rotate but it does seem counter-productive to drop all the chaps who played really well in the 3-0 win over Bolton. It's bizarre, in fact, as double goal-scorer Robbie Keane is on the bench, as is Albert Riera, who opened the scoring on Boxing Day. Xabi Alonso is out of the match squad altogether, with Javier Mascherano stepping in. It does, however, finally give frustrated Dutch winger Ryan Babel a rare start on the left.
    • - NEWCASTLE TEAM NEWS: The Boxing Day defeat at Wigan has left Toon short-handed. Habib Beye is out with a knee injury after a dreadful tackle by Lee Cattermole and Sebastien Bassong is suspended for his red card. Young Canadian defender David Edgar steps up into right-back, Steven Taylor starts at centre-half while Jose Enrique is rushed back following an injury to Mark Viduka. Charles N'Zogbia moves up to midfield and Damien Duff plays behind Michael Owen, with Obafemi Martins still out.
    • - Hello and welcome to Eurosport-Yahoo!'s LIVE coverage of Newcastle v Liverpool, with Joe 'Mad Dog' Kinnear's feisty Magpies facing the league leaders in a midday kick-off.

  • Team Stats

    Newcastle United Stats Liverpool
    40% Possession 59%
    12 Shots 25
    6 Shots on target 13
    8 Saves 1
    4 Corners 9
    11 Fouls 7
    3 Offsides 5
    2 Yellow cards 1
    0 Red cards 0
    18 Tackles 18
    287 Accurate passes 476
    71 Bad passes 70

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Newcastle United
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Shay Given 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 0
      27 Steven Taylor 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 32 0 2
      3 José Enrique Sanchez Diaz 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 12 2
      30 David Edgar 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 36 0 3
      2 Fabricio Coloccini 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 20 4 1
      11 Damien Duff 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 24 9 1
      8 Danny Guthrie 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 41 7 0
      22 Nicky Butt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 1 2
      18 Jonás Gutiérrez 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 29 1 3
      14 Charles N'Zogbia 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 31 25 1
      10 Michael Owen 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 6 1 2
      20 Geremi Nijtap 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 23 9 0
      39 Andy Carroll 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      19 Francisco Jiménez Tejada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      38 Kazenga Lua Lua 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 0
      13 Steve Harper 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      28 Tamas Kadar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      23 Shola Ameobi 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 1 1
    • Liverpool
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      25 Jose Reina 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 16 1 0
      4 Sami Hyypia 1 4 3 1 0 0 0 53 2 0
      22 Emiliano Insua 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 29 8 1
      23 Jamie Carragher 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 53 1 1
      5 Daniel Agger 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 51 8 1
      8 Steven Gerrard 2 6 4 0 0 0 1 43 7 1
      21 Lucas Leiva 0 4 3 1 0 2 1 52 3 5
      20 Javier Mascherano 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 73 14 4
      15 Yossi Benayoun 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 19 0 1
      19 Ryan Babel 1 3 1 0 1 0 0 24 17 0
      18 Dirk Kuyt 0 2 1 0 0 3 0 28 4 1
      11 Albert Riera 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      37 Martin Skrtel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0
      7 Robbie Keane 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      31 Nabil El Zhar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      1 Diego Cavalieri 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      24 David Ngog 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 6 2 1
      14 Xabi Alonso 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 21 3 2

  • Summary

    • 89' Almost a sixth for Liverpool when Given makes ANOTHER great save at the far post from Lucas's header.
    • 85' The corner is half-cleared and swung far post to Ameobi and he heads on goal but well-blocked by Reina.
    • 84' Free-kick on the left to Newcastle, which Guthrie will take. He swings in a superb effort which Reina has to tip over for a corner.
    • 76' And Alonso clips the penalty to the left of Given, who went the right way but couldn't match the quality of the spot-kick. 5-1. Ouch.
    • 75' More disaster for Toon as Edgar scythes down Babel in the box. Penalty. No Gerrard so Alonso will take.
    • 72' Free-kick to Newcastle on halfway, and Geremi spots Reina off his line so lobs it towards the top left but Reina gets across to parry, drops it and fumbles the loose ball and Owen from an acute angle tries to chip it in but blocked behind for a corner!
    • 66' Lucas on the ball, he plays a delightful diagonal pass wide right to Gerrard who arcs his run around Coloccini and is clean through AND HE LIFTS THE FINISH OVER GIVEN FOR 4-1! Liverpool are on FIRE at the moment. And they don't have Torres. Frightening.
    • 60' Geremi to take then AND HIS DIPPING FREE-KICK RATTLES OFF THE CROSSBAR! What an effort, Reina was static watching that fly past.
    • 50' Corner to Liverpool on the right. It's swung to Hyypia at the near post, he's unmarked AGAIN but can only flick it across goal and it's in for Babel with his back to goal, there are five Newcastle defenders and Shay Given behind him but he somehow shrugs off Coloccini, who falls on the ground in a heap and impedes both Given and Butt as - in slow-motion - Babel has time and space to rifle the ball into the bottom left! Comical, useless defending from Newcastle, and Given should really give his team-mates beats for doing all they can to undermine his ability.
    • 45+1 Hyypia with a crucial challenge to intercept with Duff clean through, the Irishman goes wide left to retrieve and wins a corner. Guthrie to take this one on the left, he swings it in to the six-yard box again AND EDGAR RISES ABOVE CARRAGHER TO HEAD INTO THE TOP RIGHT! Toon right back in it just before half-time! Shocking marking from Liverpool, Gerrard and Mascherano selling Carragher short.
    • 45' Guthrie to take this corner and he puts it in to the six-yard box AND TAYLOR WITH A FLICKED HEADER BUT WIDE!
    • 42' Gerrard sends this one near post, it takes a deflection off Agger AND HYYPIA FLIES IN WITH A BULLET HEADER BUT AGAIN A BRILLIANT STOP FROM GIVEN! Newcastle have no idea what they're doing and only Given's heroics are preventing a cricket score.
    • 36' Corner to Liverpool on the left, swung out to the far post and HYYPIA RISES UNMARKED TO POWER A HEADER INTO THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE GOAL! 2-0! Liverpool cruising and entirely deserving of it. Coloccini let Hyypia go and N'Zogbia should have blocked the finish as the man on the post.
    • 33' Jonas is in the middle, he plays a great through-ball that releases Duff who is clean through but a shocking first touch takes him wide but no mind as he slips it across to Owen who scores! But wait! The flag is up for offside! Terrible decision, Duff was clearly level at worst!
    • 31' Carragher on the right, inside to Mascherano who slips it in for Benayoun who is in on the right as Jose Enrique gets caught flat-footed and he cuts it back to GERRARD WHO RIFLES A THUNDERBOLT OF A FINISH OFF THE INSIDE OF THE POST AND BAR FOR 1-0! Not even Shay 'Superman' Given could have saved that.
    • 21' Corner on the right to Liverpool, swung over and it takes a touch but N'Zogbia clears off the line at the far post! How are Liverpool not ahead?!
    • 20' Corner Liverpool again, swung over TO LUCAS WITH THE HEADER BUT AN AMAZING STOP BY GIVEN! He flew across goal to somehow palm away that point-blank header, changing direction at the last and somehow making a strong-arm parry. Phew.
    • 19' Liverpool with a corner on the left, it's taken short, there's a one-two with Gerrard and Benayoun and drilled low into the box and a backheel by Agger but it's going wide and Kuyt on the right drills it in and it's deflected off Lucas and is going in but AN INCREDIBLE STOP BY GIVEN!
    • 16' Free-kick to Liverpool on the left, Gerrard to swing it in. He sends it high into the six-yard box and Toon's marking is non-existent as Lucas and Hyypia both rise unmarked and Hyypia heads it down and wide! Should have been a goal, awful defending again from the hosts who, to be fair, have only one of Boxing Day's starting back four playing in defence today.
    • 13' Babel is in space on the left, he drills it low to Kuyt in the box with his back to goal, he knocks it back to Gerrard WHO SENDS IN A FIRST-TIME SHOT GOING FOR THE TOP LEFT BUT A SPECTACULAR DIVING SAVE BY GIVEN! Liverpool are all over Toon right now.
    • 11' Gerrard and Kuyt combine, superb play with successive one-twos and Newcastle's defence is all over the place and Edgar slides in like a madman missing ball and man AND GERRARD IS IN BUT HE SCUFFS THE FINISH AND GIVEN FLYING OUT TIPS IT AWAY! He always scores those, a let-off for Toon. What on earth was Edgar doing?
    • 9' Liverpool come forward, Benayoun on the right plays it in but Coloccini fails to clear, Gerrard now on the edge of the six-yard box, it's really congested but with a beautiful turn he works some space, somehow, and slips it wide to KUYT FREE FROM CLOSE RANGE but Given parries at the near post! It still isn't clear as Jose Enrique and Coloccini hurl themselves in to block Babel's shot and finally it's hoofed away! Great stuff from Liverpool.
    • - Hello and welcome to Eurosport-Yahoo!'s LIVE coverage of Newcastle v Liverpool, with Joe 'Mad Dog' Kinnear's feisty Magpies facing the league leaders in a midday kick-off.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Mark Halsey

  • Newcastle United

    Manager: Joe Kinnear

    Captain: Michael Owen

    Starting line-up

    • S. Given
    • D. Edgar Goal
    • S. Taylor Yellow Card
    • F. Coloccini
    • J. Enrique Substitution Out (46′)
    • D. Guthrie
    • N. Butt Substitution Out (57′)
    • J. Gutierrez
    • C. N'Zogbia
    • D. Duff
    • M. Owen Substitution Out (79′)

    Subs

    • S. Harper
    • N. Geremi Substitution In57′
    • S. Ameobi Substitution In46′
    • .. Xisco
    • A. Carroll
    • K. Lua Lua Substitution In79′
    • T. Kadar

    Injured

    • H. Beye
    • A. Smith
    • M. Viduka
    • O. Martins
    • J. Barton
    • I. Gonzalez
    • R. Donaldson

    Suspended

    • S. Bassong

  • Liverpool

    Manager: Rafael Benitez

    Captain: Steven Gerrard

    Starting line-up

    • J. Reina
    • J. Carragher
    • D. Agger
    • S. Hyypia Goal
    • E. Insua
    • J. Mascherano Yellow Card
    • L. Lucas
    • S. Gerrard Goals×2 Substitution Out (70′)
    • Y. Benayoun Substitution Out (60′)
    • R. Babel Goal
    • D. Kuyt Substitution Out (79′)

    Subs

    • R. Keane
    • X. Alonso Substitution In60′
    • A. Riera
    • M. Skrtel Substitution In79′
    • D. N'Gog Substitution In70′
    • N. El Zhar
    • D. Cavalieri

    Injured

    • P. Degen
    • A. Dossena
    • A. Arbeloa

    Suspended

    None

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