Reds feast on spineless Newcastle

IT has been anything but a predictable title race.

Yet on a sun-drenched Bank Holiday afternoon, Anfield witnessed the most inevitable outcome of the season as Newcastle, so spineless they should be reclassified as a new species of invertebrate, allowed Liverpool to retain faint hope of snaffling the title away from Manchester United.

There were other outcomes which were equally foreseeable: Newcastle failing to win for the 15th successive game here and capitulating against Liverpool for the second time this season.

And, most numbingly obvious of all, the sight of Joey Barton leaving yet another football pitch in shame.

Barton, born just a few miles away from Anfield in the same Huyton suburb as Steven Gerrard, marked his first start since January by receiving his second red card here in three years after an x-rated challenge on Xabi Alonso.

Alonso was stretchered off with a damaged ankle which, fortunately for Liverpool, is not likely to stop him from participating in the last three games of the season.

Barton’s season, such as it was, is over after referee Phil Dowd dismissed him for violent conduct. By the time the midfielder pulls on the Newcastle shirt again, he could be playing in the Championship, although there will be a strong body of opinion on Tyneside that will call for him to never again don the black and white stripes.

Newcastle were already trailing 2-0 when Barton was dismissed, first-half goals by Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt putting Benitez’s side in total control.

Brazilian substitute Lucas made it 3-0 as Liverpool chalked up their seventh win in eight Premier League games to halve Manchester United’s lead at the summit to three points.

United remain clear favourites to win the title for the third successive season as they have a game in hand over their nearest rivals, but Benitez is refusing to concede defeat, particularly as United still have tricky matches with Manchester City and Arsenal to negotiate.

Not even the absence of Fernando Torres threatened to throw Liverpool off their stride against such meek opponents. Despite welcoming back Gerrard after a four-match absence due to a groin injury, Benitez opted not to risk the Spaniard after he suffered a hamstring problem in training on the eve of the match.

It meant that Gerrard and Torres, responsible for 37 of the club’s goals this season, have still started just 11 Premier League games together this season. Yet after a slow start, Liverpool comfortably overcame the loss of Torres to establish a 2-0 half time lead. There was a strong hint of off side when Benayoun broke the deadlock from close range with his eighth goal of the campaign in the 22nd minute, Kuyt’s cross hitting the Israel international on the knee before rolling over the line.

Yet if Newcastle felt aggrieved, they only had themselves to blame as Kuyt doubled the lead with a powerful 28th-minute header after out-jumping the visitors defence to head home his 14th of the season.

Newcastle, despite a bright opening 20 minutes, failed to test Liverpool keeper Jose Reina and were fortunate not to find themselves further behind at half time.

Denmark defender Daniel Agger went close to celebrating his new contract with a rare goal. Agger, who has agreed a four-year extension to his current deal, forced Steve Harper into the save of the match when he let fly from 30-yards.

Newcastle were then fortunate to escape unscathed when Xabi Alonso rattled the bar from 25-yards.

Shearer had opted to start Michael Owen on the substitutes’ bench on his return to his former club. Owen scored 26 Premier League goals against Newcastle as a Liverpool player yet the 29-year-old has not found the net since January.

That left Mark Viduka and Peter Lovenkrands to lead the attack yet both struggled to make an impact as Newcastle showed just why they have been locked in such a desperate struggle all season.

Alonso struck the bar a second time in the 73rd minute before Newcastle’s problems increased when Barton was sent off in the 77th minute for a needless two-footed challenge on Alonso.

Liverpool took full advantage of the extra man, substitute Lucas scoring his side’s third goal from close range.

Shearer did not know what had hit him. Yet among all the chaos around him, the former England striker proved he still has a sense of humour even in these dark times. “You should have stayed on the telly” the Kop chanted in the direction of the former Match Of The Day pundit.

Shearer responded by climbing out of his seat in the dug out and spent the dying minutes of the game standing in his technical area with a broad grin on his face.

“What do I do? Laugh or cry?” Shearer asked in the aftermath. “So I decided to laugh.”

He won’t be laughing next Monday if Newcastle lose against rivals Middlesbrough. Then, the game really will be up.

REFEREE: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire) 6: Newcastle can have some complaints about Benayoun’s breakthrough goal which looked suspiciously like offside. Other than that, Dowd produced a decent performance.

MATCH RATING: *** A predictable outcome but the quality of some of Liverpool’s play made this compulsive viewing. Barton’s red card summed up Newcastle’s day.