Liverpool missed the chance to close in on the Premier League's top four when it suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to lowly Newcastle United at St James' Park Sunday. Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, signed from PSV Eindhoven in the close-season, forced Martin Skrtel into an own goal in the 69th minute and then added a second himself in added time. That gave Newcastle only a second home win of the season and took it above neighbor and relegation rival Sunderland in the bottom three. All that Liverpool could point to after a disappointing display was a wrongly-disallowed goal by full-back Alberto Moreno that would have brought it an equalizer 10 minutes from the end. Juergen Klopp's side remains seventh, six points behind the Champions League places, after only its second defeat in the 12 games since the German took over from Brendan Rodgers in October. Newcastle manager Steve McClaren had wanted his team to "get back to the basics of work-rate and organization" and it did so to good effect in matching Liverpool's pressing game. With the home side content to sit back and Liverpool unable to break it down, the game took a long while to warm up and threatened to become the first goalless draw between the sides for 41 years. The visitors made nothing of a crop of early corners and until Jordon Ibe swung one over in the 22nd minute there was not a sniff of a scoring chance. Center-half Dejan Lovren headed it down invitingly but Christian Benteke lifted the bouncing ball over the bar from barely three meters out. Newcastle's only threatening moment in the first half-hour predictably came in a swift counter when Papiss Cisse broke away and was briefly one-on-one with Martin Skrtel but delayed and allowed covering defenders to get back and dispossess him. McClaren's team had a better moment just before the interval when Cisse flicked on a corner and Congolese defender Chancel Mbwemba headed over the bar. Newcastle took the lead after 69 minutes when Moussa Sissoko's cross was slightly mis-controlled by Wijnaldum but he still managed to fire in a shot that Skrtel deflected in. Klopp had been dissatisfied enough to make a double change with an hour played, sending on Daniel Sturridge and fellow England international Adam Lallana for Benteke and the equally ineffective Roberto Firmino. The two substitutes were involved in a rare scoring opportunity but Sturridge pulled his shot carelessly wide. And Wijnaldum made sure of the points whe he clipped Sissoko's perfect through ball over keeper Simon Mignolet. — Reuters
