Played
April 1, 2012 10:30 PM EST
St. James' Park — Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Referee:‬ M. Atkinson‎
Attendance:‬ 52363‎
 
 
 
   
 
 

Player Ratings: Newcastle United 2-0 Liverpool

Pepe Reina was sent off in disgrace after Papiss Cisse's strikes condemned Liverpool to a fourth straight defeat and consolidated Newcastle's grip on sixth place

By Rob Stewart at the Sports Direct Arena

  • Tim Krul
    0
    0
    2.50

    Tim Krul

    The Dutchman lived dangerously with some questionable positioning but Liverpool were not good enough to take advantage.

  • Danny Simpson
    0
    0
    2.50

    Danny Simpson

    The right-back is running out of time to show his paymasters that he deserves the bumper new contract he craves as they eye Champions League football.

  • Mike Williamson
    0
    0
    3.00

    Mike Williamson

    After a shaky start he coped well with the aerial threat posed by Andy Carroll and almost scored when his header struck a post.

  • James  Perch
    0
    0
    3.50

    James Perch

    It is a shame he was at the centre of controversy when he clashed with Pepe Reina because this overshadowed a sterling defensive display.

  • Yohan Cabaye
    0
    0
    3.50

    Yohan Cabaye

    He is being overshadowed by Hatem Ben Arfa but he remains a vital cog in the Toon machine as he vast range of passing makes Newcastle such a formidable counter-attacking side.

  • Danny Guthrie
    0
    0
    3.00

    Danny Guthrie

    He was deemed surplus to requirements as a youngster at Liverpool but how they could do with someone of his ability in central midfield.

  • Hatem Ben Arfa
    1
    0
    3.50

    Hatem Ben Arfa

    The mercurial French midfielder was at his crowd-pleasing best and was simply too good for Liverpool to handle as he played a key role in both goals.

  • Jonas Gutierrez
    0
    0
    2.50

    Jonas Gutierrez

    The stand-in skipper worked hard enough but failed to make a telling contribution.

  • Cheikh  Tiote
    1
    0
    3.00

    Cheikh Tiote

    They call him Mr T on Tyneside and he showed why he would be in anyone's A Team with another fiercely combative performance.

  • Papiss Cissé
    3
    0
    4.00

    Papiss Cissé Top of the Match

    The standing ovation he received said it all because there is just no stopping the clinical Senegalese striker who has six goals from six appearances.

  • Demba Ba
    0
    0
    2.50

    Demba Ba

    He has now gone seven games without a goal and seldom looked likely to add to his 16-goal haul this term as he dropped deeper and deeper.

Substitutions

  • Davide Santon
    0
    0
    0.00

    Davide Santon

    The Italian was only sent on to give Hatem Ben Arfa a standing ovation.

  • Dan Gosling
    0
    0
    3.00

    Dan Gosling

    The former Everton midfielder could hardly imagine having it so easy against a Liverpool side.

  • Shola Ameobi
    0
    0
    2.50

    Shola Ameobi

    He will regret not testing Jamie Carragher.

  • José Reina Paez
    0
    0
    2.00

    José Reina Paez Flop of the Match

    Just as things looked as though they could not get any worse for Liverpool, they did as the Spaniard lost his cool and was sent off for violent conduct for appearing to headbutt James Perch.

  • José Enrique
    0
    0
    2.00

    José Enrique

    If the Toon Army were trying to put him out of his stride with their taunts then they succeeded because he looked a shadow of the player who became a favourite on Tyneside. Took the gloves after Reina's dismissal but wasn't tested.

  • Jamie Carragher
    0
    0
    3.50

    Jamie Carragher

    He is approaching his 700th appearance for the Reds and put all his experience to good use with an assured display.

  • Martin Skrtel
    0
    0
    2.00

    Martin Skrtel

    He paid the ultimate price when he was caught ball-watching on Cisse's opener and was then at sixes and sevens when he doubled the lead.

  • John Flanagan
    0
    0
    3.00

    John Flanagan

    The 19-year-old full-back showed that there are reasons to be optimistic about the future with an assured display in only his tenth league appearance.

  • Steven Gerrard
    0
    0
    3.00

    Steven Gerrard

    Liverpool looked altogether more threatening when he pushed forward after the break and he looked like his old self but his team were beyond redemption.

  • Jay Spearing
    0
    0
    3.00

    Jay Spearing

    He was always a willing outlet for the Liverpool defence but Ben Arfa waltzed round him as if he wasn't there on his way to setting up the opener.

  • Jonjo Shelvey
    0
    0
    2.00

    Jonjo Shelvey

    There could be no faulting his effort but the brutal reality is that the midfielder looked out of his depth.

  • Luis Suárez
    0
    0
    3.00

    Luis Suárez

    Nothing seemed to go right for the striker who only showed glimpses of the class that has made him a darling of the Kop but he looked threatening right until the very end.

  • Andy Carroll
    0
    0
    2.00

    Andy Carroll

    Blatant cheating showed his career has taken a dive in more ways than one since he left Newcastle as he played the role of pantomime villain to perfection and then headed straight down the tunnel after being subbed.

  • Craig Bellamy
    0
    0
    2.50

    Craig Bellamy

    He may be blessed with plenty of speed but he does not have the finesse to make a telling difference down the wing.

Substitutions

  • Jordan Henderson
    1
    0
    2.50

    Jordan Henderson

    Newcastle fans taunted him with 'what a waste of money' when he came on late in the day and it is difficult to disagree.

  • Stewart Downing
    0
    0
    2.50

    Stewart Downing

    The game was won and lost when he came on and he failed to make an impact.

  • Dirk Kuyt
    0
    0
    2.50

    Dirk Kuyt

    He huffed and puffed but could not get Liverpool back into the game.

Results
 
Player Ratings
Tournament
Position
Ranking
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie
Striker
Man. United
26 3
Luis Suárez Luis Suárez
Striker
Liverpool
23 0
Gareth Bale Gareth Bale
Midfielder
Tottenham
21 0
C. Benteke C. Benteke
Striker
Aston Villa
19 3
Michu Michu
Midfielder
Swansea City
19 0