That was not a football match - Liverpool boss Slot slams Newcastle tactics after 3-2 win

Arne Slot slammed Newcastle United’s tactics after a chaotic 3-2 victory at St James’ Park, stating, “that wasn’t a football match” when reflecting on the game.

The Premier League champions secured a dramatic win against a resilient 10-man Newcastle side on Monday night despite the Magpies battling back from a 2-0 deficit to level the score.

Sixteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha’s stoppage-time winner, 10 minutes into injury time, sealed the thrilling encounter, which had been overshadowed by speculation about Alexander Isak’s future.

Newcastle’s comeback was remarkable, especially after losing Anthony Gordon to a red card in first-half stoppage time.

The match was scrappy, with 19 fouls in the first half alone. After going a man down, Newcastle relied heavily on set-pieces, a strategy that troubled Liverpool and resulted in two goals to draw level.

Speaking post-match, Slot said, “I’m not too sure if I saw a football match today. It was set-piece after set-piece, long throw.

"It didn’t have a lot to do with tactics, what I said before the game, but I liked a lot how we stood strong. Very difficult first half hour, 45 minutes, but we didn’t collapse at all, we stood strong.

“Going down to 10 men, you would expect that that is a big plus for us, but when a goalkeeper takes every free kick, then there’s not so much help if you are one player up, and that’s why it was so difficult for us to bring the 2-0 over the line."