Yohan Cabaye was relieved to escape with a point against Liverpool after becoming the first Newcastle player to score at Anfield in eight years.
The Magpies have an unenviable record against Liverpool on Merseyside, with Sunday's 1-1 draw ensuring the Reds extended their unbeaten home run against Alan Pardew's men to 18 league matches.
Their goalscoring record makes equally abysmal reading, and Cabaye's fantastic half-volley from a narrow angle was the first goal a Newcastle player has registered at Anfield since Patrick Kluivert's close-range finish in December 2004.
Yet Luis Suarez deservedly levelled for the Reds and the visitors held on for a share of the spoils, despite captain Fabricio Coloccini seeing red for a rash lunge on the Uruguayan.
"It was a good point from a very hard and difficult away game," Cabaye told Newcastle's official website.
"In the first 10 minutes they put us under a lot of pressure but we stayed solid and they didn't have a really good chance to score.
"It was really important that we didn't concede early on because it meant we stayed in the game.
"After 20-25 minutes we kept the ball better, played in their half and had a few chances before my goal.
"Going in 1-0 up at half-time was great, but the goal we conceded in the second half we could have done much better with. However, a point here is a good point."
Defender Steven Taylor was restored to the starting line-up yesterday and played a key role as Newcastle hung on after they were reduced to 10 men, including a vital block to stop Reds winger Raheem Sterling going clean through on goal late on.
Taylor believes ending a run of seven straight defeats at Anfield should act as a massive confidence boost.
"The last few times we've come here, we've been beaten and it's been disappointing but the lads can take great credit out of this," the 26-year-old said.
"I thought performance-wise, the lads really stuck at it well. We got the goal that we wanted but I think probably took a bit too long to get going.
"But you've got to give Liverpool credit. They passed it well and they had a point to prove to their fans and everybody so we respected that, kept our shape very well, defended really well and put our bodies on the line.
"We knew they were going to start very quickly and in the first 15 minutes they came on very strong. But we dealt with what they threw at us and the longer it went on we knew we could deal with it.
"They've got some great players - Steven Gerrard, Suarez, top quality players, but our lads did well so it's a positive thing."
Click here for completely free £10 bet with Sky Bet & £5 free every week
Premier League Top 6 Finish 12/13 Top 6 Finish: Newcastle 100/1
Post Comment
