Newcastle 1 - Liverpool 1: Five things we learned as woeful defending costs Reds again

EXPRESS SPORT brings you five things we learned as Newcastle hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw.

Philippe CoutinhoReuters

iverpool's Philippe Coutinho celebrates scoring

Philippe Coutinho magic

To Jonjo Shelvey’s credit, he did get tight to Philippe Coutinho.

But it wasn’t enough as the Brazilian produced a stunning finish to beat Rob Elliot and open the scoring.

Coutinho has now scored 17 goals from outside the box since his Liverpool debut, at least three more than any other Premier League player.

Liverpool defending

Liverpool struggle to keep clean sheets and once again they failed due to more poor defending.

It was too easy for Shelvey to bypass Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren and though the goal was lucky, Liverpool only have themselves to blame.

Until Liverpool improve in defence they will not challenge for major trophies. 

Daniel Sturridge flops

Today was a big opportunity for the England international to impress and show why he deserves to be in the starting XI.

But Sturridge fluffed his lines on several occasions.

He had a golden chance in the second half but shot straight at the keeper and he was fortunate to stay on the pitch for the full 90.

Jonjo Shelvey

After failing to stop Coutinho's shot, Shelvey redeemed himself with an excellent pass to Joselu for Newcastle's equaliser.

Shelvey has plenty of critics but he was disciplined and worked hard in midfield for the Magpies.

Pressure on Jurgen Klopp

With every underwhelming Liverpool display, the pressure mounts on Klopp.

Are Liverpool improving? Are they good enough to compete for the title?

On the evidence of their performances in September and today, the answer is no.

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