Newcastle 1-3 Liverpool: Reds recover from early goal to win last game

It was the final minute of the final game when, for the final time, Liverpool gave an emphatic reminder of why they are champions.

Roberto Firmino’s pass had been a little loose and was drifting towards the far touchline. Sadio Mane scuttled after it to keep the move alive but he could easily have been forgiven if had simply put his foot on the ball and allowed the time to run down.

Not a bit of it. Mane went through the gears, darting into the area and skipping past Newcastle defender Valentino Lazaro to make an angle; other team-mates were better placed but it didn’t matter. Mane knew what he wanted to do and he did it, beautifully, bending in a ferocious shot. 

Divock Origi celebrates with his Liverpool team-mates as his strike puts them ahead against Newcastle at St James’ Park

Newcastle United went 1-0 up in the game extremely early on as Dwight Gayle latched onto a Jonjo Shelvey through ball

Liverpool levelled the scores not long before half-time as Virgil van Dijk rose up above defenders to head the ball into the net

On the touchline, 50 yards away, Jurgen Klopp stood beaming. He clapped his hands enthusiastically above his head, while the rest of the coaching staff and substituted hooted and hollered their glee. The gloss to a quite magnificent campaign had been applied.

‘This goal really sums the season up,’ said Klopp. ‘It is difficult but not impossible, so give it a go. That is what the boys did the whole year and what they did in this moment. It was just a brilliant piece of football. , this was a victory for the whole squad, like the whole season.

‘This group of players is really exceptional and they will be remembered forever. The boys don’t only win games on their perfect days, they are ready to really dig deep on the not so perfect days. Now we have two weeks off but we still have to write a couple of more chapters of the book of this team.’ 

Second half substitute Sadio Mane got Liverpool’s third goal to complete the comeback victory over Newcastle United

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp rested his usual front three, so other players such as Takumi Minamino were given a chance

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists that his team are still motivated, despite winning the league a few weeks ago

When he looks back, the chapter of this campaign will make wonderful reading. Liverpool have finished with 99 points, a club record; 32 wins matches the bar set by Manchester City in 2017-18 and their 3-1 triumph was the 14th away from home.

Liverpool have become a winning machine and for all that City have had a superb end to the season, they will need to improve again through the transfer window if they hope to wrestle back the domestic crown. Klopp, after all, is adamant that more improvement will be forthcoming.

Poor Newcastle, might have had ambitions of shaking Liverpool up but this was the equivalent of walking into a gun fight carrying a violin. It was a mismatch, summed up when Steve Bruce looked to his left in the 64th minute and saw Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

True, they could not have wished for a better start. When Virgil Van Dijk clattered into Allan Saint-Maxim, Jonjo Shelvey spotted a huge gap in Liverpool’s defence and, taking a quick free-kick, he clipped a ball forward that enabled Dwight Gayle to guide his finish past the startled Alisson Becker. 

Liverpool’s Joe Gomez (right) challenges for the ball by getting his foot up high as Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron tries to head

Newcastle United’s Matt Ritchie tries to get two Liverpool players in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita in the first half

Newcastle United goalscorer is in action at the other end of the pitch as he rises to head away an incoming Liverpool corner

There had only been 23 seconds of play – Klopp stood with his hands in his pockets, seemingly finding it bizarre – and you wondered whether all the emotion, all the celebration and all the effort had finally taken its toll on Liverpool.

Soon, however, it became apparent that scoring so quickly was simply going to make this a very long afternoon for the hosts. Liverpool started to pass the ball around, Newcastle decamped and, before too long, it became attack versus defence.

The eye-catching Taki Minamino served notice of Liverpool’s intentions, with a 25-yard drive that Martin Dubravka pushed around the post; it was a superb save from the Newcastle keeper but he was powerless to prevent the equaliser in the 37th minute. 

Allan Saint-Maximin had excited Newcastle fans this season, as they hope to improve their position going forward

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk (left) and Takumi Minamino celebrate after the defender scored the equalising goal for his team

Van Dijk was the scorer, rising to loop a header over Dubravka after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had darted past Danny Rose to pick him out. Some Newcastle shoulders sagged in that moment and you knew then it would be question of when, rather than if, Liverpool would score again.

They had to wait until just past the hour, when Divock Origi ended a 25-match barren run, with a fizzing drive and there should have been even more before Mane’s virtuoso effort provided the fitting finale, to leave his manager beaming with contentment.

Bruce, by contrast, is dealing in uncertainty. He rallied against the Premier League afterwards, demanding clarity around the proposed Saudi Arabia takeover, and he will have a call with Mike Ashley on Wednesday to outline his plans for going forward. 

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce is keen to learn the future of the club, with the takeover still in limbo

Newcastle players take part in the second-half drinks break as manager Bruce tries to get them back into the match

Van Dijk and Origi were the saviours for Liverpool on the final day of the season, scoring a goal each to give them the win

‘Is it going to happen?’ he asked.

Ashley had contacted Bruce and his squad on Zoom after the game to thank them for their efforts but words are hollow. Newcastle need proper help to start moving forward again.

‘I want this club to do well,’ Bruce said. ‘It’s been the same ever since I was a kid. It would have been easy for me to say I didn’t fancy this job. I’m trying to enjoy it the best that I can.’ 

Jurgen Klopp made some changes for the game to rest legs ahead of next season, but will be happy with the victory in the end

Divock Origi, often a goal scorer in big situations, fires home a long range effort to give Liverpool the lead in the second half