It was his turn, last match it was Alisson. Just to keep us interested in the match, you understand.
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Good result,mixed performance but who is going to argue the 3 points.
And a special mention to Rafa for holding Chelsea,oh,and Everton!
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I don’t think it should be punished, because of the counter-incentive that produces, but it should be similar to rugby’s HIA. You are off for ten minutes, sparky, and if you are not cleared, you are out.
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The only one I thought they called wrong was that Heyden clearly went down pretending he had a head injury to get the game stopped. They said Liverpool were right to play on, but stopped short of calling out Hayden.
By the way, I think right now feigning head injuries is just about the worst thing in the game. That protocol exists for a fucking reason and players should not be shithouses with it. If anyone has read their Garet Harding it’s a classic Tragedy of the Commons. People have a tendency to ruin things put in place for the common good.
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Having watched the replay back repeatedly, there is no contact to his head, from any player or the ground. The other Toon player actually had a more credible case. He sits up, then clutches his head in a sitting position, rolls back, clutches his face, then thinks better of it. I am fairly sure his subsequent ‘wounded’ act was to appear credible, and avoid responsibility. Howe is throwing his own staff under the bus, if he was really dazed for 3-4 minutes, there is a serious risk of concussion and the medical staff have a responsibility to get him off the pitch - that is what that assessment is.
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Konate was very impressive. Thought we were a bit crap in the second half, not sure if it was complacency or a bit of tiredness but Keita woke us up towards the end.
Would like to say I was disappointed with Chamberlain but at this point I’ve come to expect this kind of non performance from him. With Naby, Milner and Jones back fit and Elliot potentially not far off either I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not making match day squads soon. After putting in a few decent performances in a row he’s quickly reverted back to the norm.
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It was a shock before the game that our arguably key player in both defence and midfield department got that shitty omicron. Still, Ibou and Hendo are more than capable of getting the job done instead and they both showed that tonight. That is good, because they will have to fill in for VVD and Fab in the next 2-3 PL games as well - how long are Covid self-isolation protocols in the UK? Could they possibly already return against the Foxes?
Incredible we didn’t wrap the game up until so late, they are right up there with the worst sides I’ve ever seen in the top division. They could barely string 2 passes together and it’s going to be a joy to see them relegated.
For all our dominance I’ve given 3 defenders my vote for MOTM. Robbo was decent enough too. Matip and Konate were outstanding, and when Joel plays like that he’s not far off VVD levels.
As many on here have already said they can fuck right off with the head injury rubbish, just another way for the cheats to make a mockery of the game. That white haired prick was at it for Villa on Saturday and then that tonight. Play-acting in general seems to be more and more prevalent this season and it needs stopping but we all know the authorities haven’t got the balls to address it.
On Sadio, he just can’t get a break atm. Plenty of involvement but not getting the run of the ball, and when he does score it invariably gets ruled out by VAR. Really needs a goal right now.
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With regard to stopping play, it’s quite simple: Players play. Referees referee.
If everyone does their job, all is well. Sometimes something is so amiss that I’ve no problem with a player kicking it out. But the vast majority of instances should just play on, especially given the amount of play acting in the game. If the referee intervenes and blows his whistle, fine, he’s doing his job as the players do theirs.
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Our CB pairing was phenomenal. Ibou and Joël, resplendent majesty. I don’t care if it was lowly Newcastle, they handled everything at both ends of the pitch. Ibou could’ve had himself an early goal. He was left completely unmarked for a free header but put it just wide.
How about Trent’s strike…Bombs away! Almost ripped the netting completely off the goal. 
MOTM: Joël, Ibou, Trent.
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As for the game, we were below our best but still too good for Newcastle. A nice win, and I loved Trent’s thunder-blooter.
Obviously Thiago was a bit sloppy, and obviously tempers will run high in the match thread, so at that point it’s best to extend some latitude if people are too strong in how they express themselves.
This was a good game for Konate too, especially as he had to grow in his authority with Van Dijk out. All part of the learning curve to him assuming main man mantle at the back… in due course mind, not yet.
Now we all wait to see what sort of covid hand the game is dealt. I will say I am disappointed that with such a long time of living with it, the Prem doesn’t have water tight rules buttoned down.
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Not our best match, but we’ll take the three points.
We are very much a different side with VVD and Fab in the team.
I’m guessing that the PL will soon postpone the Christmas fixtures, as much as I hate that to happen.
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Made a hard job of that one,we could and should have killed the game off a lot earlier but 3 points in the bag and job done.
My 2 cents on our first goal and the head injury,we did the right thing and played to the whistle,it’s not on us to stop the game,that’s on the ref and tbh,he made the right call,after watching the replay about 10 times from different angles now,live,after the game analysis on BT plus MOTD,there was no head contact and Mike Dean was placed perfectly to see the challenge.
The player knew they were under the kosh and we were still in possession of the ball and in the second phase of our attack,he was hoping by staying down feigning a head injury would stop our attack and take the pressure off them.
Looking at it,if that player got up he might have played jota offside and no goal,but fuck that cheating cunt,he and Newcastle got what they deserved,I still can’t understand how all these pundits see no head contact, yet still call for the game to be stopped and not call the fucker out for blatantly cheating.
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I luved it when we beat them. Luved it.
But seriously the Anfield crowd was eric dier. Need a kick up the backside
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That’s wasn’t the player, the guy faking the head injury. I studied the replay and it’s obvious the guy was faking as you don’t see a head collision, and he sneaks a peek to see if Newcastle have the ball, when he sees it’s Liverpool then he starts milking it. Anyway, game does get called to a halt when there is a genuine head to head collision (or foot, elbow etc)
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I think the crowd was a reflection of the team, stunned by Newcastle’s ineptitude into lethargy.
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The only way to stop it is to tell players any stoppages in play for a head injury will be scrutinised to the same extent of the Zapruder footage when JFK was shot and if they believe it’s play-acting then there’s a 30 match ban. Next time it’s 60.
I know it’s not always possible to tell for certain but there have been plenty of cases where it’s clear as day there’s been no contact. The less obvious ones would get the benefit of the doubt but it would certainly make players think twice about trying to get the game stopped.
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From the Guardian:
The Newcastle manager claimed Dean had told him he believed Hayden had gone down holding his back and the midfielder was dazed “for four or five minutes afterwards”.
Mike Dean took a few seconds to determine it was a possible head injury, by which time the goal had already gone in. Yet the fool Howe knew for the whole game afterwards that his player felt dazed. If that’s the case, why not sub him? You could even use the concussion protocol sub if you wanted and were actually worried about his health.
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Agreed. This is exactly how I saw it real-time. Every time the replay was shown it was even more shocking. It was Fabian Schärr. Literally had a look up and got up to run, but quick fell back to the floor grabbing his head when he saw the ball coming back. Disgraceful cheat.
EDIT: In the match thread, someone suggested the league possibly in the future institute a retroactive card to curtail this type of nonsense. I don’t follow the NBA but I believe (or have heard) they might have something similar in place? Specifically related to diving/simulation.
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I missed Trents rocket. 