Newcastle United 2-3 Liverpool Player Ratings: Cody Gakpo Rated 7.5/10 As The Reds Clinch Hard-Fought Victory Over 10-Man Newcastle

Newcastle United locked horns with Liverpool on matchday 2 of the English Premier League 2025/26 season, on 25th August, 2025, at 8:00 PM (GMT), at St. James' Park in Newcastle, England. Newcastle were coming off a goalless draw against Aston Villa in matchday 1, while Liverpool looked to build on their win against Bournemouth. The game was poised to be a tense meeting between the two sides, considering Alexander Isak's situation, who has gone on strike at Newcastle and has been forcing a move to the Reds in this transfer window.

The match started with both the teams showing a lot of intensity. There were some strong tackles committed all over the pitch by both sides, which made the Newcastle supporters more vocal. Liverpool edged past Newcastle in possession by a little margin, but the Magpies looked very dangerous on the counters. Liverpool were unable to hold on to possession and were giving balls away cheaply due to Newcastle's high press. Ryan Gravenberch was handed a yellow card in just the 7th minute of the game due to a reckless challenge on Bruno Guimaraes. Anthony Gordon headed wide in the 28th minute from a delicious Harvey Barnes cross and then again missed a chance to tap home Anthony Elanga's cross at Alisson's near post. Almost against the run of play, Ryan Gravenberch had a go from outside the box, which took a slight deflection off Fabian Schar's left foot and left Nick Pope helpless as he saw the ball nestle into the net after kissing the near post. Curtis Jones had a very good chance to make it 0-2 but completely missed his lines to tap it home from six yards out. Anthony Gordon was sent off in the added time of the first half due to a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk. The Englishman came from behind and took off the Liverpool captain quite harshly and was shown a yellow card at first but was shown a red card by the referee after an extensive VAR check on the pitchside.

In the second half, Liverpool started with the same intensity where they left off, as Hugo Ekitike side-footed a finish past the diving Nick Pope to double the lead for Liverpool in the 46th minute. Newcastle got one back through Bruno Guimaraes in the 57th minute, as he headed home a brilliant Tino Livramento cross from the left-hand side of the pitch. In the 88th minute, Nick Pope floated a ball in from the deep from a free kick, which found its way to William Osula, who got behind his marker to tap it past a charging Alisson Becker to level things up in a dramatic fashion. St. James' Park burst in joy when the ball nestled into the back of the net. Just as it seemed that the points were going to be shared, the 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha side-footed a finish past a helpless Pope to put the Reds in the lead again in the 100th minute. Here are the Newcastle United vs Liverpool Player Ratings.

Newcastle United Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Newcastle United player ratings.

Goalkeeper:

Nick Pope - 6.5/10

Pope didn't have much to do in the first half except for a save from Florian Wirtz. The Englishman was left stranded during Ryan Gravenberch's goal due to an unfortunate touch from Fabian Schar. His distribution was decent throughout the game. It was his brilliant ball from the free kick which presented William Osula with a shot at goal and the player didn't disappoint.

Defenders:

Kieran Trippier - 6.5/10

Kieran Trippier was quite lively on the right-hand side, making overlapping runs whenever he got a chance. Defensively, he was quite solid too, as he kept the likes of Cody Gakpo in check.

Fabian Schar - 5.5/10

Schar made a number of interceptions in and around the penalty box and used his height really well to win the aerial duels. However, the Swiss international was responsible for deflecting Ryan Gravenberch's shot, which ended up in the back of the net.

Dan Burn - 6.5/10

The Englishman proved to be a constant threat in set pieces and had to be marked tightly by the likes of Virgil van Dijk. Defensively, he was quite solid as he covered the spaces well and held the defensive line quite efficiently.

Tino Livramento - 6/10

Livramento had a decent game on the left. He made quite a few overlapping runs and combined well with Harvey Barnes to get into dangerous positions in and around the Liverpool penalty area.

Midfielders:

Bruno Guimaraes - 7/10

Bruno Guimaraes controlled the tempo of the game quite well in the middle of the park for Newcastle United. He held the ball well and regulated the flow of play from one side to another. His positioning off the ball was quite nice too, as he got into dangerous positions in and around the penalty box with incisive runs. Brought the Magpies back into the game with a good header at the far post.

Sandro Tonali - 6/10

The Italian sat at the heart of the defense and linked the Newcastle defense to attack quite well. Tonali made a lot of interceptions and won a fair number of duels in the middle of the pitch.

Joelinton - 6.5/10

Joelinton's work rate throughout the game was quite outstanding. He ran his heart out in both offensive and defensive transitions, helping his team out of difficult situations in the middle of the park.

Forwards:

Anthony Elanga - 6/10

Anthony Elanga played like a live wire on the right flank, causing problems for Milos Kerkez at times. He got behind Kerkez on a few occasions with his burst of pace and did provide a few dangerous crosses into the box.

Anthony Gordon - 3/10

Anthony Gordon had a rather silent game tonight. His passing was neat and dropped deep at times to combine with the midfielders, but his usual flair was missing throughout the course of the game. Missed a very good chance from a header in the first half. Gordon got his marching orders after making a reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk from behind, something that was totally unnecessary at that juncture of the game.

Harvey Barnes - 6.5/10

Barnes executed his tricks to perfection on the left flank and got into dangerous positions in and around the Liverpool penalty box. He caused a lot of problems for the out-of-position Dominik Szoboszlai on the right-hand side and put in dangerous crosses into the Liverpool box.

Substitutes:

Lewis Miley - 6/10

Jacob Ramsey - NA

Lewis Hall - NA

William Osula - 7/10

Got behind his marker really well and got to the ball before Alisson Becker to put it in the back of the net to equalize for the Magpies in the 88th minute.

Malick Thiaw - NA

Manager:

Eddie Howe - 6.5/10

Eddie Howe fielded his usual 4-3-3 formation with Anthony Gordon playing as a number 9 in the absence of Alexander Isak. His team pressed well and used their physicality well to win the aerial duels and the second balls in the middle of the park. He was let down by Gordon massively, as he took a silly red card, which forced his team to play with ten men for the entire second half. However, his team showed character and turned the game around in the second half.

Liverpool Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Liverpool player ratings.

Goalkeeper:

Alisson Becker - 6.5/10

Alisson was majorly untested throughout the game. His distribution was on point, and he was quite swift with his outings.

Defenders:

Dominik Szoboszlai - 6/10

Playing out of position, Dominik Szoboszlai had a mixed game on the right-hand side. The Hungarian did put in a good shift defensively but was exposed by the raw pace of Harvey Barnes at times.

Ibrahima Konate - 6/10

Konate had a decent game at the back, playing the ball out really well and covering spaces from time to time.

Virgil van Dijk - 6.5/10

The skipper, Virgil van Dijk, once again proved why he is regarded as one of the best centre backs in the Premier League. The Dutchman was rock solid at the back, thwarting the Newcastle crosses with ease. He won quite a number of aerial duels and played some good line-breaking passes from the deep.

Milos Kerkez - 5.5/10

Kerkez was a bit sloppy in the game, as he was often caught out of position and failed to deal with the pace of Anthony Elanga on numerous occasions. He was at fault for Bruno Guimaraes' goal, as he failed to mark the Brazilian properly at the far post.

Midfielders:

Ryan Gravenberch - 7/10

Gravenberch held the ball well in the midfield for Liverpool and won quite a few deals too. The Dutch midfielder opened the scoring for the Reds with a brilliant right-footed finish from outside the box but was a bit off the mark when it came to discipline.

Curtis Jones - 6/10

Curtis Jones lost possession quite a few times in the middle of the park, which resulted in dangerous Newcastle counter attacks. Missed a glorious chance in the first half, which could have increased Liverpool's tally further.

Mohamed Salah - 5/10

The Egyptian had an unusual off day against Newcastle, as nothing seemed to happen for the winger on the pitch. Salah made a few good runs with the ball but lacked the final product. He was heavily marked by Livramento and Harvey Barnes at all times and couldn't do his usual trickery at will. His passes were too heavy and lacked intent.

Florian Wirtz - 5.5/10

Liverpool's marquee signing of the season, Florain Wirtz, too, had a dull game. He did play a few good passes here and there, but his twists and turns were well read by the Newcastle players and allowed him little to no space to operate in the danger areas.

Cody Gakpo - 7.5/10

Cody Gakpo made a few good runs with and without the ball. He managed two assists in the game, although they were simple layoffs into the paths of his teammates, Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike, respectively.

Forwards:

Hugo Ekitike - 7/10

The forward did drop deep at times to help his teammates out in the field and made surging runs forward into the penalty box. His right-footed finish from outside the box doubled the lead for Liverpool and put them in a comfortable position for some time.

Substitutes:

Conor Bradley - NA

Federico Chiesa - NA

Harvey Elliot - NA

Rio Ngumoha - 7/10

Scored the winner for Liverpool in the 100th minute with a brilliant side-footed finish.

Wataru Endo - NA

Manager:

Arne Slot - 6/10

Slot played Szoboszlai as right back in this match in the absence of Jeremie Frimpong. Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch played in the double pivot with Ekitike up front. His team took their chances quite well, and that's where they edged past Newcastle despite getting physically outclassed in the midfield.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Cody Gakpo