Gordon hijinks, Ekitike winds up fans, poignant Konate moment- 5 talking points vs Newcastle

Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League, and there was a clear pantomime villain and hero in the eyes of the home fans, as Liverpool moved up to fifth in the table

Anthony Gordon was the pantomime villain as Liverpool beat Newcastle

Liverpool ended its five-game winless run in the Premier League as it beat Newcastle United 4-1 in the Premier League.

After a drab start to the game, which included a very unpopular goalscorer in Anthony Gordon, who handed the Magpies the lead after 36 minutes, the Reds finally found some momentum.

A Hugo Ekitike brace ensured the Reds went in ahead at half-time, before Florian Wirtz added a third after the break to ensure the champions took all three points. Here were the main talking points from Anfield. Ibrahima Konate then scored a poignant fourth in injury-time as he bundled home from a corner in his first game back after the passing of his father.

A bonkers first 45

The first half alone against Newcastle summed up Liverpool's unfathomable season. For 30 minutes, the team was woeful. The Reds were flat, lacking inspiration and a clear plan of what to do in possession. In simple terms, Newcastle looked hungrier. The supporters inside Anfield were not shy in expressing their frustrations, particularly when Alisson and Ibrahima Konate exchanged unimaginative passes back and forth in the 24th minute.

And somehow the champions went in ahead at the break. That was mainly down to the brilliance of Ekitike, but in the latter stages of the first period a suddenly fired-up Liverpool may have felt disappointed to go in just one goal ahead. Where the resurgence came from is hard to say, but from nowhere the Reds found new life and belief, and Newcastle could simply not live their attacking threat.

Deadly duo

Where would Liverpool be without Ekitike and Florian Wirtz? That was certainly the question at half after the pair inspired an unexpected turnaround. It was the latter who wriggled free inside the box and picked out his fellow summer signing. That's the second time this week the pair have combined and their returns are become imperative for the Reds.

Wirtz then got in on the action in the second period as he exquisitely placed diverted a Mohamed Salah pass into the back of the net to double the Reds' advantage.

Fired up

Gordon made headlines in the reverse fixture when he was sent off for a needless tackle on Virgil van Dijk as the ex-Evertonian racked his studs down the defender's calf. Within the first 11 minutes at Anfield, he was involved in two potential red card incidents, when he shoved Alexis Mac Allister off the ball and then caught Alisson high on the leg with this studs. The former went unpunished, but the robust tackle on the Liverpool goalkeeper rightly drew a yellow card. Unsurprisingly, the boyhood Red, who played as a no.9 did not receive a warm reception from the Kop.

Of course, it just had to be Gordon who grabbed the game's opening goal and the forward headed straight for the iconic Liverpool stand after the ball rippled the back of the net.

Ekitike bites back

In another universe Ekitike could have been lining up in black and white tonight, with his near move last summer. He chose Liverpool, of course, and said ahead of the game he was not concerned what sort of reception he would receive from the away fans.

Poignant moment

Liverpool vs Newcastle is, of course, an iconic Premier League fixture. The sight of Kevin Keegan slumped over the billboards in 1996 was one of the enduring early memories of the first years after the league's rebranding. Sadly, the former Liverpool and Newcastle hero is battling cancer, and there was a touching moment ahead of the game when his name was read aloud over the PA system, and both sets of fans stood to applaud.