In the Premier League away match against Newcastle, Liverpool chose to have Szoboszlai play in place of the injured right-back Frimpon, while Bradley and Gomez had just returned from injury. Due to Mac Allister's injury, Jones replaced him as the left central midfielder, and Gravenberch returned to play as the right central midfielder. The other positions remained the same as the previous match.
The formation and style of play were basically consistent with the last game. Due to Newcastle's consistent aggressive foul play, combined with the home advantage and the Isak incident, the atmosphere was more intense than usual. The referee's leniency towards Newcastle's fouls and the double standards against Liverpool made it very difficult for Liverpool to maintain possession and pass the ball.
Although Newcastle controlled the midfield, Gordon, who was playing as a makeshift striker, worked hard but had average finishing ability and missed several good opportunities. Liverpool utilized the left side, with Gakpo passing to the edge of the penalty area, where Gravenberch and Ekitiké scored two goals with long-range shots into the corners.
Although Gordon received a red card before the end of the first half, Newcastle continued their aggressive play. Liverpool players were clearly holding back to avoid injury, and the referee continued to mindlessly award free kicks to Newcastle, putting immense pressure on Liverpool's defense. Kerkez's height disadvantage led to the first goal conceded, and Konate's weak aerial challenge resulted in the second goal. After Newcastle equalized, they continued to bombard Liverpool's defense. At this point, Slot decided to keep attacking, substituting Elliot and Ngumoha for Jones and Gakpo. Prior to this, Wirtz and Ekitiké had already been substituted, with Bradley coming on as the right-back, Szoboszlai returning to the attacking midfield position, and Chiesa coming on to play as the striker, reverting to the traditional style of play. Chiesa, playing as a striker, dropped back to draw out an opposing defender and passed the ball to Salah on the right. Salah then crossed the ball into the center of the penalty area, where Szoboszlai made a run into the box and chose to let the ball go past him, allowing Ngumoha, who was unmarked, to score the decisive goal.
Winning this tough match without any players getting injured was truly not easy. It was difficult to implement the normal style of play under the opponent's aggressive fouls, and the tactical analysis from this match is not very significant.
The next round at home against title rivals Arsenal is crucial. The impact of Mac Allister's potential return from injury is significant, and it is likely that Jones will start. Both Bradley and Szoboszlai could start as the right-back, while I personally suggest that Robertson should start as the left-back for more stability. Other positions are unlikely to change. The formation and style of play are expected to be more offensive, and with the home advantage, the chances of winning are relatively high.