Nunez scores two late goals as 10-man Liverpool recovers to beat Newcastle 2-1 in Premier League
NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Substitute Darwin Nunez scored two late goals, including a winner in the third minute of stoppage time, as Liverpool recovered to beat Newcastle 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday despite playing more than an hour with 10 men after Virgil van Dijk’s sending-off.
Newcastle took the lead in the 25th minute through Anthony Gordon and, when Van Dijk was shown a straight red card three minutes later, it looked to be a damage-limitation exercise for Liverpool.
However, Uruguay striker Nunez led an unlikely rally from Liverpool, equalizing in the 85th minute and then scoring an almost-replica finish in added-on time at St. James’ Park to earn a second straight victory and stay unbeaten.
“It was something special out there today,” said Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made a mistake for Gordon’s goal and played almost the whole match under pressure after a sixth-minute yellow card.
“We had to do it the hard way. The very hard way … It was something for the ages.”
Newcastle was left to reflect on missed chances — Alisson Becker produced a stunning first-half save to deny Miguel Almiron, who later hit a post — but Jurgen Klopp’s men fought impressively to ensure their unbeaten run against the Saudi-owned hosts extended to 14 games.
Klopp celebrated wildly in front of the home dugout and on the field after the final whistle as the home fans among a crowd of 52,214 trudged away barely able to believe what they had witnessed.
While Liverpool has claimed seven points from a possible nine and is two points behind leader Manchester City, Newcastle has lost two of its opening three games.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer