In a top Premier League showdown in the early hours of the 19th, Newcastle suffered a strong challenge from Liverpool at home, and the result ended in a 2-0 defeat. This not only ended the team's brilliant record of 17 consecutive undefeated games, but even worse, Newcastle's goalkeeper Nick Purby was red-carded at the end of the half for a handball foul in the penalty area, which undoubtedly gave a big gift to Manchester United.
Newcastle's recent dip in form has led to three consecutive draws in the league, leaving their top four position in jeopardy. Against a resurgent Liverpool, Newcastle suffered a nightmare start just 10 minutes in, with Davin Nunes making a breakaway to give Liverpool an early lead. Immediately after, Gapp broke easily with the back line unmarked. And it was in the 22nd minute that Nick Purby was shown a red card by the referee after he went so far as to put his hands on the ball after misjudging a top ball miss in an attempted header clearance.
One man short, Newcastle picked up their game in the second half, with Sint Maes and Daniel Barnes hitting the crossbar, but Liverpool remained firmly in control of the tempo of the game. Despite missed chances from players like Davin Nunes and Diego Suarez, Liverpool won 2-0. The win lifted Liverpool to eighth place, six points adrift of fourth-placed Newcastle, rekindling hopes of a top-four finish.
Newcastle's top four position is at stake, but even more pressing is the upcoming EFL Cup final in the early hours of next Monday morning. With Nick Purby's red card suspension, the team has been forced to use backup goalkeeper Dubafka, who was ineligible to play in the EFL Cup after having played for Manchester United in the first half of the season. In addition, another goalkeeper, Kardalu, was also unavailable due to his loan spell last month. Newcastle have had to turn to former Liverpool goalkeeper Kallios, which has raised expectations for this final.
