Newcastle United win a 4-3 against Liverpool and with only 10 men!


 
 
 
 
 
 

For any football fan of a certain age, when Newcastle United and Liverpool are mentioned together, one scoreline springs to mind.

Yes, for all the wrong reasons (where Newcastle fans are concerned), that 4-3 scoreline is etched in everyone’s memories.

Well at last we now have a happier 4-3 scoreline to report where Liverpool and Newcastle United are concerned. Albeit this one not having a massive impact on who wins the Premier League…

However, the way that Tuesday night’s match played out, was just as dramatic in terms of changing fortunes.

The Newcastle United U18s taking on their Liverpool counterparts last night, under the lights at Whitley Park.

Afolami Onanuga’s long-range strike in the 15th minute put Liverpool in front.

Newcastle United struggling to create anything much of their own and indeed Aidan Harris making some excellent saves to keep it at just one down by the break.

No sign at all of what was to follow…

Early in the second half United’s Josh Donaldson equalised after a corner kick was played in, the the turn around was complete when Donaldson put Newcastle ahead on the hour mark.

That joy was short-lived though, as Liverpool came right back and Trent Kone-Doherty scored a penalty to make it 2-2 only a few minutes later.

With 19 minutes left on the clock, Newcastle United’s chances of pulling off the win looked to have ended, with Logan Watts sent off for a poor challenge.

It took only three minutes for Liverpool to take advantage of the numerical superiority when Oliver O’Connor put the visitors 3-2 ahead.

However, remarkably then an own goal only two minutes later made it 3-3 and United with the chance of a credible point if holding on for the final 13 minutes plus whatever was added.

The clock ticked past 90 minutes with Newcastle valiantly holding on to a point, only for a minute into added time, 16 year old sub Matty Taylor making it 4-3 to the young Toon stars!

Even then the drama wasn’t over as Liverpool piled forward trying for an even later equaliser, Newcastle defending for their lives.

It was maybe fitting though that despite conceding three, it was man of the match Aidan Harris who had the last word, the NUFC keeper with a stunning save to deny Kyle Kelly in the very last action of the match!

Final score:

Newcastle (Under 18s) 4 Liverpool (Under 18s) 3

Newcastle United:

Harris, Watts, Bryant, Johnson, H.Powell, Palmer (Taylor 81), Bloomer, Ferreira (Durrant 38), Donaldson, O’Donovan, Brayson (Wooster 75)

As we all know, the situation throughout the club was desperate when Mike Ashley finally walked away in October 2021.

Every area of the club, on and off the pitch, needing care and resources to breathe new life into Newcastle United.

With the younger age groups arguably the toughest to turn around, certainly in terms of how long it takes to build an Academy capable of producing first team level players on a regular basis.

This is how the Newcastle United under 18s did last season in the final league table:

Things don’t radically transform overnight but clear signs of improvement as you can see in this updated league table following last night’s stunning 4-3 win over the scousers:

Newcastle United u18s five places higher than last season’s finish and already with two more points than last season’s final total, with four games still left to play.

Last night’s win was even more satisfying, as it meant a league double over Liverpool for the NUFC under 18s, who won 2-1 won on Merseyside in October.

Onwards and upwards at all levels of the club.