Four reasons Liverpool were toppled on Tyneside

 The Reds were expected to dispatch their hosts with ease on Sunday, but experienced their most defective display since changing manager

At Stamford Bridge, Liverpool were steely; At the Etihad, they were unbelievably superior; Southampton were surgically decimated at St Mary’s. So why did Jurgen Klopp’s side end up stuttering on the St James’ Park pitch?

Newcastle were expected to be flatlined by Liverpool’s away juggernaut, but they were instead encouraged by the Merseysiders worst performance since the German manager jetted in from Dortmund.

The 2-0 defeat was just the second setback in 12 games under Klopp, and the first on their travels. It was also the only time Liverpool have been behind by two goals during the 48-year-old’s tenure. He was asked what went wrong post-match and put it perfectly: “Nearly everything! The start, the middle and the end!”

Here’s four key reasons why the Reds were neutralised by Newcastle:

CHANGE IS NOT ALWAYS FOR THE BEST 
Liverpool’s first flaw on Tyneside was the team selection. Klopp was correct in thinking that regardless of the players fielded, his side should have been too much for the Toon.

However, after setting Southampton ablaze in midweek, the decision to make six changes to the starting line-up from that 6-1 smouldering seemed to stifle the club’s psychological momentum.

Liverpool were without the swagger and conviction which characterised that victory and instead were a shadow of themselves on Sunday. Klopp wanted to keep his squad fresh, and the idea would’ve also been for those who were spectators at St Mary’s to prove they could also throw a party for the travelling support.

But there were no streamers and confetti from Liverpool just as there was no effervescence and insistence on dictating the game. The decision to rest Daniel Sturridge, who has demonstrated how deadly he can be from the off, was understandable given his injury concerns.

However, he was called upon to change the match from the bench, and would've preferred to dominate it from the start.

Christian Benteke has been more useful as a substitute under Klopp when he is working a tiring defence rather than having to pressurise them from the first whistle.

The Belgian striker is explosive and a handful, but he does not have the movement nor the fluency to led the full-throttle approach from the front. The manager admitted he “couldn’t see offensive pressing” at St James’ Park – partly because it's not in Benteke's armoury.

Adam Lallana’s contribution in this area has been crucial to Liverpool’s deadly displays under Klopp. The 27-year-old's ability to help set the tempo was certainly missed at Newcastle.

He would've also provided added verve considering a midfield of Joe Allen, Lucas and James Milner were not expected to fashion many openings.

IT’S ALL IN THE CHEMISTRY
Roberto Firmino was unplayable in the 4-1 humbling of Manchester City, but he may as well have not played on Sunday. The Brazilian and Benteke have not worked particularly well together, and that was clear again at St James’ Park.

Firmino operates best in a fluid, fast front system were he can feed runners and avail himself as a threat. That is a mismatch with Benteke, who prefers to drop deeper instead of bombing beyond. The Belgian's style is more suited to bullying the opposition defence instead of tangling them with intricate passing and incisive bursts.

The pair have started together three times prior to the 2-0 loss: the 1-0 away win over Rubin Kazan, 2-1 at home to get the better of Bordeaux, and the 1-0 ousting of Swansea at Anfield.

While it was a treble of victories with Firmino and Benteke combining, there were very little signs of attacking cohesion. Liverpool were laboured up front rather than luminary.

On Tyneside, they played together for 62 minutes and only exchanged one pass. The duo are undoubtebly attacking weapons for Klopp, but together they resemble more of a water gun instead of a water canon.

Liverpool’s issues were not only due to the lack of telepathy between the two, but it was one of the prime reasons they struggled to shake off a Newcastle side that weren’t great in the encounter either.

WHERE DID THE CREATIVITY GO? 
The lack of harmony between Benteke and Firmino hampered Liverpool’s creativity as the side recorded their worst total shots tally in all of Klopp’s away fixtures.

The 10 attempts including blocked efforts was two fewer than they managed at Tottenham, which was the German’s first game in charge.

The Anfield outfit have previously created plenty, without the consistency of a clinical edge.

However, the Reds rarely looked like troubling Newcastle and their only shot on target was Dejan Lovren's weak header in the 89th minute. It was concerning that Liverpool were allowed to control possession, but couldn’t use it effectively against the side sat 18th in the standings.

There was not enough invention nor ambition in the final third from them, and the absence of Philippe Coutinho was truly felt for the first time in four games.

The suspended Emre Can was also missed in a midfield that piled in industry, but were poor for artistry.

TWO FINGERS TO FUNDAMENTALS 
When he arrived on L4, Klopp insisted his Liverpool would “conquer the ball, each f**king time. We will chase the ball. We will run more, fight more.”

The 48-year-old rotated in order to ensure his charges were sprightly and could maintain the high intensity of their full-tilt approach.

But they were languid against a Newcastle side, who simply looked up for it a lot more.

Liverpool’s listless display incentivised the hosts and their supporters: an upset that was unthinkable ahead of kick off looked probable as the minutes ticked on.

“Obviously it was not a good football game,” admitted Klopp.

“That was 50 per cent because of Newcastle and 50 per cent because of Liverpool. They didn’t really create chances, but neither did we. It was an open game, but there was no rhythm from us in our game.”

Steve McClaren’s men pressed better and pushed better. They disrupted Liverpool, who were so disjointed both on and off the ball. Klopp's men misplaced 124 passes, the most in a league game in any of the last five seasons.

The speedy transition from attack to defence seen recently from the Reds was AWOL at St James’ Park. It was fall-flat football rather than fighting football.

Sunday’s showing was the anthesis of a Klopp-managed performance and was without question the most defective 90 minutes under the former Borussia Dortmund trainer.