Newcastle United 0-0 Liverpool: Three Things We Learned

Liverpool failed to win in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, as Jurgen Klopp’s side were held to a goalless draw by Newcastle United away from home.

The defending English champions headed into the match at St. James’ Park on the back of a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion at Anfield in the league. It followed a 7-0 hammering of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in London and a 2-1 victory over title challengers Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

Newcastle are an unpredictable side who can blow hot and cold, and despite being the home team on Wednesday evening, the Magpies were expected to lose to Liverpool. However, Steve Bruce’s side played out a goalless draw with the Reds, who are rated at 13/10 by Betfair to win the Premier League title this season.

Here are the three things we learned from the match on Wednesday evening:

Karl Darlow is perfect deputy for Martin Dubravka

Martin Dubravka would normally be the first-choice goalkeeper for Newcastle, but the 31-year-old had been injured in the opening months of the season. Although the Slovakia international is now fit and is back in the squad, Karl Darlow’s performances merit a place in the starting lineup. The 30-year-old has done well for the Magpies so far this campaign and made some wonderful saves against Liverpool. The former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper denied Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino and was a key reason why the home team earned a point from the match against the defending Premier League champions.

Fabinho is world class… in defence

Fabinho has seamlessly slotted in defence for Liverpool in the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. The 27-year-old, who is a defensive midfielder by trade, was stunning at the back against Newcastle and was a rock. The Brazil international has established himself as one of the first names on the Reds’ team sheet. According to WhoScored, Fabinho had a pass accuracy of 95.5%, won five headers, took 99 touches, and made one tackle, three interceptions and one clearance.

Liverpool need to step up

Liverpool are now three points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table. However, the Red Devils have a game in hand. The Reds have lost just once in the league so far this season, but the Merseyside outfit are drawing too many games – six so far. Klopp’s side do need to step up their game and convert those draws into wins, especially with the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City chasing them.