Liverpool vs Newcastle Ratings

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard's milestone 600th appearance for the club was soon put to the back of everyone's minds as both the Reds and Magpies served up an entertaining 90 minutes of football on Sunday.

Newcastle struck first, against the run of play, when Yohan Cabaye expertly controlled and volleyed an unstoppable shot past the helpless Liverpool custodian Brad Jones in the 43rd minute.

Liverpool came out after the break the stronger side and they finally found the breakthrough when Luis Suarez, who had an excellent game for the Reds throughout, brilliantly controlled Jose Enrique's long through ball from the back before rounding Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul and slotting the ball into an empty net.

The Reds pushed for an equaliser, and were even helped by the dismissal of Fabricio Coloccini in the 84th minute for a nasty challenge on Suarez, but they were unable to make the most of their chances as both sides settled for a share of the spoils.

Here, ESPNSTAR.com takes a look at the players who took to Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool

Brad Jones - 7

Jones had a decent game, dominating his penalty box and was confident in coming out to claim several of Newcastle's crosses.

Andre Wisdom - 7

The 19-year-old defender managed to handle the level of expectations and pressure well with a mature display in defence for the Reds and despite some nervy moments, will have every reason to be pleased with his overall performance.

Jose Enrique - 6.5

Enrique, coming up against his former club, had an average game for the Reds as he impressed when going forward but was quite suspect defensively.

The 26-year-old was culpable for allowing Ben Arfa to go past him too easily which allowed the French midfielder the time and space to cross in for Cabaye to score Newcastle's opening goal.

Daniel Agger - 8

The Liverpool centre-back was a rock at the back for his side, cutting out numerous dangerous looking Newcastle attacks and doing very well to nullify the threat of Ba. He made more than a few crucial interceptions for his side and hardly put a foot wrong in the game.

Martin Skrtel - 7.5

The Slovak defender impressively managed to win the aerial battles against both Cisse and Ba and headed away numerous crosses into the box. He was a steady presence at the back for his side, although he did slip up on a few occasions which needed Agger to bail him out.

Nuri Sahin (75' off) - 6.5

The jury is still out for Sahin on whether the Turkish international will be able to succeed in the cut and thrust of the English game as the highly rated playmaker had a rather subdued game for the Reds. The most disappointing aspect of Sahin's game was the lack of chances he created for his side. He also lost possession far too easily and did not seem to have the necessary hunger to win the game.

Steven Gerrard - 8

There is no doubting how important a player Gerrard has been to Liverpool all these years as the club captain made his 600^th appearance for the Reds on Sunday.

Unfortunately for the England international, he was unable to cap off this milestone by leading his side to victory, but he will be well pleased with his own performance as he put in a typically energetic shift in midfield and very nearly managed to get on the scoresheet on a few occasions.

Joe Allen - 7

Having the energetic Gerrard to do most of the hard running in the middle of the pitch, Allen stuck to his job as a deep lying midfielder by reading the game and covering well for his more attacking minded teammates. His passing was especially pleasing on the eye, with the 22-year-old once again very tidy in possession and helped his side keep the ball very well.

Suso (65' off) - 7

Suso was influential in the first half but his influence waned severely after the break, which resulted in him being hauled off by Rodgers midway through the second half. The Spaniard did show some neat touches and played a few good passes during the game but he was overshadowed completely by his fellow youngster Sterling on the other flank.

Raheem Sterling - 8

Sterling enhanced his burgeoning reputation as one of the brightest young talents in England at the moment with yet another exciting performance for the Reds. Right from the get-go, the 17-year-old tormented Anita down on the left flank, utilising his pace and trickery to get past the Newcastle right back numerous times and also managed to get himself into several decent goalscoring positions with his excellent movement off-the-ball.

Luis Suarez - 9.5

Love him or hate him, there is no denying Suarez is a quality player through and through. Sure, he may be a magnet for controversy but it is days like these which show you why Liverpool have stuck by him so staunchly, and why the Anfield faithful sing his name with gusto down at the Kop end.

The Uruguayan striker was at his imperious best on Sunday and gave the Newcastle defence an absolutely torrid time throughout the game. The 25-year-old always looked dangerous when running with the ball and his twists and turns left Coloccini literally chasing his shadow at times. For a player who has, perhaps unjustly, been regarded as a bit of a woeful finisher, he showed great composure and technical ability to score his side's equaliser; from a long ball out from the back by Enrique, Suarez used his shoulder to control the ball and brought it down brilliantly, before he calmly rounded the onrushing Krul and slotted the ball into an empty net.

Substitutes

Jonjo Shelvey (65' on) - 7

Shelvey had the chance to become the hero for the Reds on a few occasions but he failed to take his chances. Much credit must be given to him for his adventurous spirit which helped him get into good goalscoring positions in the first place.

Stewart Downing (75' on) - N/A

Newcastle

Tim Krul - 6.5

Krul was definitely the busier of the goalkeepers at Anfield and he had to be alert to make several smart stops to keep his side in the game although he could have done better to prevent Suarez from rounding him so easily in the lead-up to Liverpool's equaliser.

Vurnon Anita - 5

Anita was troubled by Liverpool's wing play and was battling Sterling throughout the game. Although Anita did manage to win some battles, he allowed the young Liverpool winger too much time and space to cut in and cross on several occasions. The 23-year-old did however manage to get up to support the Newcastle attack well and offered some width for the Magpies.

Steven Taylor - 8

The 26-year-old put in an accomplished performance for the Magpies. Taylor was brave and strong in the tackle, often heroically putting his body on the line to prevent Liverpool from getting a clear shot on goal. A vital last ditch recovering tackle in the 75^th minute to deny Sterling, who was set through on goal by Suarez, from getting his shot away was the highlight of his fantastic performance.

Fabricio Coloccini - 3

The Argentina international will not look back with pride on this game after he was given the run-around by Suarez the entire time. To be fair to Coloccini, Suarez is always a very tricky customer to handle but the 30-year-old really should have done better to close down the Uruguayan.

To compound his miserable outing for the Magpies, he got himself deservedly sent off for a horrible studs-up stamp from behind on Suarez to leave his side with a numerical disadvantage in the closing stages of the game.

David Santon - 7

Santon was given a stern test on the right with the tricky Suso, and later Sterling, constantly tearing down his flank and as a result, he was unable to venture forward and support his side's attack as much as he would possibly like. He was however, stable defensively and did not often get caught out of position.

Hatem Ben Arfa - 6.5

Ben Arfa continues to be an enigmatic figure in the Newcastle team. Possessing undoubted talent and technical ability, the French midfielder seems to be unable to perform on a consistent basis and unfortunately for Newcastle, Ben Arfa had another one of his "off-days" at Anfield and hardly troubled the Liverpool defence for majority of the game.

The 25-year-old did give a reminder of his talent in the build-up to his side's goal, beating two Liverpool defenders before sending in a cross into the box for Cabaye to score.

James Perch (25' off) - N/A

Perch was showed some good touches in the early stages of the game but the unfortunate midfielder had to be taken off due to an injury in the 25^th minute.

Yohan Cabaye (68' off) - 7.5

Cabaye was assured in possession in the middle of the pitch for Newcastle and looked to be the only player in black and white to be able to keep possession.

The 26-year-old showed why he was one of the hottest properties during the summer by scoring a sumptuous goal, taking one touch to control Ben Arfa's cross, before showing great technique to fire an unstoppable volley into the back of the net which Jones could do nothing about.

Jonas Gutierrez - 7

Gutierrez ended up operating as something of a hatchet man in the middle of the pitch for Newcastle in the face of constant Liverpool pressure but he managed to do his job relatively well.

The Argentinian was brave and strong in the challenge and literally put his whole body on the line to stop the Reds from making much progress. He may not be the most technically gifted player but he more than makes up for it with his heart, spirit, determination and gritty performances for the Magpies.

Demba Ba (50' off) - 7

Ba put in a decent shift upfront for the Magpies, using his physicality to great effect, holding up the ball and linking play well with his midfielders. Unfortunately for the Senegalese, he picked up an injury and had to be hauled off early in the second half, and it speaks volumes about his quality that Newcastle's attack seemed to lose its edge without him in the side.

Papiss Cisse - 7

Cisse has not yet managed to fire on all cylinders for Newcastle this season but he cannot be faulted for a lack of trying. The 27-year-old worked his socks off upfront for the Magpies, chasing and harassing the Liverpool defenders but for all his hard work, he will still be judged for his contributions in front of goal and he did not do enough to threaten the Liverpool backline.

Substitutions

Danny Simpson (25' on) - 4.5

Simpson showed his naivety and rashness by committing several silly fouls in dangerous positions which put his side under unnecessary pressure. The 25-year-old was also careless in possession and was largely ineffective in the middle of the park for the Magpies.

Sammy Ameobi (50' on) - 7

Ameobi knew he had huge boots to fill when he came on chief striker Ba, and he managed to put in a respectable shift upfront. Ameobi was a danger to the Liverpool defence whenever he had the ball and was always looking to make something happen for his side upfront, although he was hampered by a lack of support from his team-mates.

Shane Ferguson (68' on) - 6

Ferguson was brought on for the more attacking-minded Cabaye to shore up Newcastle's midfield and prevent Liverpool from overrunning the middle of the pitch. However, the 21-year-old was near anonymous for the Magpies when he came on and failed to stop the Reds from dominating the game.