It was perhaps appropriate that with stories of passion and Christmas high
jinks at Liverpool's famed festive party, Anfield should stage the best
exhibition of 'sexy football' you are likely to see.
Six goals, a sending off, a stirring fightback and enough thrills and spills
to satisfy the most demanding football fan - it was quite breathtaking.
These Liverpool-Newcastle games always seem to throw up something special - and this ranked with any of those incredible games of recent years.
Liverpool were quite simply brilliant in a second half in which they destroyed
a Newcastle side for whom goalkeeper Shay Given was the man of the match.
Newcastle manager Ruud Gullit, however, would not have been impressed with the
fans' chants of "sexy" after seeing his men battle for more than an hour with
10 men following the sending off of Dietmar Hamann for his second bookable
offence.
He would have been even more unhappy after seeing his side take a two goal
lead courtesy of some atrocious Liverpool defending, only to lose it in a
dramatic and pulsating second half.
As it was two goals each from Michael Owen, who else, and Karlheinz Riedle
clinched the points which gave Liverpool a perfect end to a nightmare year at
Anfield.
There was no sign of the drama and entertainment to come in a first half-hour
notable only for its mediocrity.
Suddenly it exploded just before the half-hour with two minutes of pulsating
action and high drama.
First Newcastle took a deserved lead with a goal of stunning power in the 28th
minute from their Peruvian international Nolberto Solano.
A cross from the right was headed out tentatively by Liverpool's Phil Babb.
The ball looped to the edge of the area and Solano arrived like an Olympic
sprinter to smash an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper David James.
It was another example of the defensive frailties which have let down
Liverpool in recent years.
But if that warmed up the packed Anfield crowd on a bitterly cold afternoon 60
seconds later the match boiled over with the dismissal of Newcastle midfielder
Hamann.
The German star had been booked earlier for a heavy challenge on Steve
McManaman - a foul which saw Liverpool's captain, making his first start in 11
games, limp off six minutes later.
This time Hamann ploughed into Patrik Berger and while the challenge was by no
means malicious it was serious and late enough for referee Stephen Lodge to
produce the red card - a decision which provoked furious reactions from the
Newcastle players.
Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer led the protests and was booked for his
troubles.
Against 10 men Liverpool might have been expected to assert their authority
but while their attacking was full of energy too often it lacked creativity.
And it was Andreas Andersson who cashed in on Liverpool's second seasonal
gift.
The hapless Babb was again at fault, combining with Carragher to confuse
goalkeeper James and allow Andersson to steal in to pass a left-foot shot into
the net.
Liverpool used to sport the meanest defence in Britain. They called it
'Fortress Anfield' and home goalkeepers got more exercise walking the dog.
Not these days. This Anfield defence is the worst since Bill Shankly rebuilt
the club 35 years ago.
It seemed Liverpool had thrown it away, but while this Anfield team may be a
long way short of the great teams of old it does not lack passion.
And it surged forward with a desperate and inexorable momentum which at last
reaped its reward.
Inevitably it was Owen, the golden boy with the Midas touch, who made the
breakthrough. The Jack-in-the-box striker had been denied by Given on three
occasions before he got in the way of a fierce Carragher shot to turn the ball
into the net after 67 minutes.
Four minutes later Liverpool were level, Vegard Heggem racing down the right
to cross for Karlheinz Riedle to bundle the ball over the line.
The Anfield siege continued with Berger, David Thompson and Carragher all
going close.
And then there he was again, Owen that is, in the 80th minute popping up in
the right place at the right time like some pantomime genie.
This time he chested a Jamie Redknapp shot onto the post and then reacted
quickest to plant the rebound beyond Given.
Riedle added his fourth goal in the 84th minute as Newcastle folded.
For
Newcastle there are problems ahead. The Shearer-Duncan Ferguson partnership
still needs time to gel. Ferguson indeed was substituted after an ineffective
performance in the 50th minute by fellow-striker Andersson.
"A club this size should not have gone so long without winning anything,"
says Gullit. "Yes, I want sexy football, as I am always famed for saying, but
it must be football with an end result."
There is no sign that this Newcastle side can deliver soon.
As for Liverpool they remain an enigma - fabulous surging forward, flawed at
the back.
"But if they play like that they can party every week," said one Scouse wag.
It was hard to disagree.
Teams:
Liverpool: James, Staunton, Babb (McAteer 59),
McManaman (Gerrard 25), Owen, Redknapp, Riedle, Heggem, Berger,
Bjornebye, Carragher, Gerrard (Thompson 46).
Subs Not Used: Friedel, Harkness.
Goals: Owen 67, Riedle 71, Owen 80, Riedle 84.
Newcastle: Given, Pearce, Howey, Shearer, Speed, Hamann, Charvet,
Glass (Georgiadis 67), Ferguson (Andersson 50),
Solano (Dabizas 74), Hughes.
Subs Not Used: Barnes, Harper.
Sent Off: Hamann (30).
Booked: Hamann, Shearer.
Goals: Solano 29, Andersson 56.
Att: 44,605
Ref: S Lodge (Barnsley).
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