Liverpool vs Newcastle Live Final Football Score 18 Feb 2023

Liverpool vs Newcastle Live Final Football Score 18 Feb 2023

Facing the only team in the Premier League to have bested them this season, Newcastle United welcome Liverpool to St James’ Park on Saturday evening. The Magpies’ spate of stalemates continued with a 1-1 draw away at Bournemouth at the weekend, while the Reds brought joy to the Anfield faithful by beating Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby.Newcastle’s Champions League destiny is very much in their own hands still, but failure to convert draws into wins has harmed their pursuit of a podium finish while also allowing the continental hopefuls below them to make up ground, as the injuries piled up for Eddie Howe’s side on the South Coast.

Travelling to Bournemouth for another reunion with his old club, Howe witnessed Marcos Senesi draw first blood for the Cherries on the hour mark, but Miguel Almiron’s 10th goal of the season just before the break ensured that Newcastle would leave with a share of the spoils. That two-goal stalemate may have extended Newcastle’s unbeaten run in the top flight to a whopping 17 games, but the fourth-placed Magpies now only hold a two-point lead over Tottenham Hotspur – albeit with a game in hand – and failure to glean a positive result here could blow the Champions League race wide open.

Being held to draws against Leeds United, West Ham United and Crystal Palace in particular have not gone down well with the Newcastle faithful, who have been left to rue their side’s lack of ruthlessness in recent weeks – Howe’s men have a mere three goals to boast from their last six top-flight games. Nevertheless, the hosts remain unbeaten at St James’ Park in 12 Premier League games and have shipped a league-low six goals on home soil throughout the campaign, so even a Liverpool side bouncing with renewed confidence will have their work cut out here. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal with Andrew Robertson on February 13, 2023© Reuters

Apprehension may have been creeping in for the Liverpool faithful as they welcomed an Everton side fresh from beating league leaders Arsenal, but the Toffees’ new manager bounce under Sean Dyche did not extend to a Merseyside derby success as the Reds reverted to type. A lightning-quick Reds counter-attack in the first half ended with Mohamed Salah tapping home – helped by some atrocious positioning from Jordan Pickford – before Cody Gakpo tapped home at the back post for his first goal in Liverpool colours. The Jurgen Klopp fist pumps were out in full force as Liverpool finally posted their first Premier League win of 2023 – ending a four-game winless run in the top flight in the process, but the visitors are still jostling for position in mid-table in ninth place, nine points off the top four with a game in hand on Newcastle.

European football is certainly not out of the question for Klopp’s side should Monday’s win act as a catalyst for better fortunes to come, but no Reds fans will need reminding of their away defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers since the turn of the year, with nine goals conceded and only one scored in that dreadful run.

Only two of Liverpool’s last 10 Premier League games on the road have ended in victory, but they left it late to defeat Newcastle 2-1 at Anfield back in August, and Klopp’s team also inflicted the Magpies’ most recent home loss – a 1-0 success at St James’ Park at the end of April.No fewer than three Newcastle starters were forced off through injury during the draw with Bournemouth, where Joe Willock, Allan Saint-Maximin and Almiron were all enforced changes, and the former will expect to sit this one out with a hamstring concern – he could return for next weekend’s EFL Cup final, though.

However, Howe is confident that Almiron will shake off the stamp to his hand, while Saint-Maximin is also nursing a minor knock and could also make a rapid recovery to start here – the same goes for Callum Wilson (hamstring) and Jamaal Lascelles (personal). The suspended Bruno Guimaraes remains absent alongside Javier Manquillo, Emil Krafth and Matt Targett, while a lack of midfield options could see ex-Liverpool youngster Anthony Gordon come into the fray from the first whistle.

Meanwhile, Liverpool received a triple injury boost with the returns of Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino to the matchday squad against Everton, and Arthur could potentially be the next to join them this weekend after returning to full training from thigh surgery. The Anfield treatment room has a much more empty feel to it now, but Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Calvin Ramsay and Thiago Alcantara are all absent, with the latter expected to miss a few weeks of action after picking up a fresh hip injury.

Aside from the likely return of Van Dijk, Klopp should see no reason to alter a winning formula after Monday’s timely success, as Salah goes in search of the two goals that will see him draw level with Robbie Fowler (128) as the Reds’ top scorer in Premier League history.It’s a meeting of two teams who get the emotions going. And that’s even ignoring the back-to-back 4-3s at Anfield in the mid-1990s and just focusing the games played on Tyneside:

May 2019, Divock Origi’s late winner ensures the title race, that Liverpool had led by as much as seven points at one point, would go down to a final-day decider that Manchester City would eventually claim. April 2013, The Reds run rampage over the Magpies, winning 6-0 despite Luis Suarez being banned having bitten Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic the previous week. December 2010, Alan Pardew’s first game in charge of Newcastle United ends in a 3-1 triumph with Roy Hodgson removed as Liverpool manager less than a month later. Even August 1998, Ruud Gullit’s unveiling as Newcastle manager completely overshadowed by a Michael Owen hat-trick as the Reds took a 4-1 victory.

From that, it seems like we can book ourselves in for plenty of goals on Saturday, doesn’t it? Well, Newcastle United are winless in their last 12 Premier League meetings against Liverpool. That last victory came when Steve McClaren was at the helm, with a 2-0 home triumph in December 2015. That’s all in the history books though. Right now, Newcastle are soaring. This will be the first time they’ve faced the Reds while being at least five places above them in the Premier League table since September 2006 (an even that was a very embryonic league table). We are much deeper into the season here with a far greater and deeper understanding of each side’s form and fortunes.