Newcastle went toe-to-toe with Liverpool at St James’ Park and rescued a late point in a dramatic 3-3 draw.
Eddie Howe made one change to the Newcastle United side that put on a toothless display against Crystal Palace on the weekend with Jacob Murphy coming in for Joe Willock.
Newcastle didn’t manage a single shot on target against Palace but they had already tested Liverpool within the first minute at St James’ Park.
Alexander Isak scored his fifth of the season with a thunderous effort from outside the box before Liverpool transfer target Anthony Gordon scored Newcastle’s second after the break.
It looked as though Liverpool were going to steal all three points when Mohamed Salah scored two in the second half, but Fabian Schar salvaged a draw with a fantastic finish from a deep free-kick.
Sandro Tonali shines for Newcastle vs Liverpool
Sandro Tonali was excellent against Palace in a slightly tweaked midfield role. Newcastle’s silky Italian played in a deeper role in the trio usually filled by Bruno Guimaraes.
As a result of Howe’s experiment with Sandro Tonali, Guimaraes looked lost against Palace but he looked much more comfortable against Liverpool.
A theme this season has been Newcastle putting in their best performances against the bigger teams in the division, and that was the case again here.
Newcastle started quickly and put Liverpool under huge pressure, with Tonali pivotal in Newcastle’s press and passing through midfield.
Newcastle fans rave about Tonali’s display vs Liverpool
Isak and Gordon will steal the headlines with their superbly taken goals against Liverpool, but Newcastle fans on social media had plenty to say about Tonali’s midfield display.
Supporters were delighted to see Tonali keep his spot in midfield with one saying: “It’s no coincidence that we are playing well when Tonali is playing in his right position”.
Another added: “All I’ll say is that a LOT of people have an apology to make to Sandro Tonali. Seen people calling him bang average and comparing to Longstaff… He’s fantastic.”
READ MORE: Newcastle United’s starting XI when they last beat Liverpool in 2015
A third wrote: “Tonali is absolutely running the show, looks a class above every player on the pitch”
One fan posted: “Tonali orchestrating and leading the team” while another said: “Tonali is a proper midfielder, controlling the game at the moment through him”.
Finally, one wrote: “This midfield has been a thing of beauty with Tonali sitting deeper. Bruno’s aggressive pressing is so big for us and now he’s doing it without leaving the gaping hole”.
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