Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe believes that his side "competed well" against Liverpool but ultimately fell short. After slipping behind to Naby Keita's first half strike, Newcastle weathered the storm in the game as the Reds racked up the chances.
Chris Wood did not time his run accurately in the second half and missed what was a big chance for the Magpies. After the game Howe said: "I think Liverpool were probably not at their best but we weren’t either and when you play these games you have to be. We competed well but lacked the quality that could have got us a goal.
"It is difficult to it consistently against Liverpool as they have the quality to produce a counter-attack out of nothing. We were much more aggressive in the second half but did not have any concerted pressure in the game.
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"We were not at our best today but we were still in the game right to the end, so there are positives to take. But we set our standards very high and next week we have to do much better."
Speaking about the build-up to the goal which saw Keita beat Dubravka, Howe - with the bench initially appealing for a foul - said: "If VAR doesn’t intervene, I assume we have nothing to complain about. We were obviously disappointed. In the heart of defence we were light on bodies."
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