The Magpies were looking to end a 17-game winless run in the Premier League against the Reds which stretched all the way back to December 2015.
Slow start at St. James' Park
Nick Pope needed a big showing from his defence if he wanted to improve upon his solitary clean sheet against Liverpool (from 12 matches) which came in a fixture in January 2021 whilst the custodian was employed by Burnley.
A slow start to the game saw more yellow cards (one - Ryan Gravenberch) than shots on goal in the opening 10 minutes, with the visitors conceding seven fouls in the opening 20 minutes.
With half an hour played, Liverpool had resorted to playing long balls 35% of the time, and considering they'd never recorded more than 30% since 2003/04, that won't have pleased Arne Slot.
Just the one shot on target from either side in that time from Florian Wirtz thankfully wasn't a sign of things to come.
Gravenberch silences the Toon Army
Anthony Gordon's three shots in just over a minute as the half wore on lit the blue touch paper in the stands as the Geordie faithful roared on their heroes, however, they were soon silenced when Gravenberch marked his 50th Premier League appearance by opening the scoring with a drilled low drive 11 minutes before the break.
It was his first goal in 41 top-flight games, since he last found the net against Fulham in April 2024, and ominously for Eddie Howe, Newcastle had won just one of their previous 32 matches (L26, D5) when going behind against Liverpool, a 2-1 victory in February 2007.
The Reds began to control play with ease, and in the final 15 minutes of the first half, saw 73.7% of the ball, although only four touches in the entire 45 minutes were in the Newcastle box.
The Magpies' woes were compounded in injury time when Gordon's reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk earned him a red card after a VAR review, and just 20 seconds into the second half, Hugo Ekitike made it three goals in three appearances to take the visitors two clear.
Ekitike on target again
Not since Philippe Coutinho's goal against Swansea in February 2013 had Liverpool scored so quickly after half-time, Ekitike becoming just the fourth Liverpool player to score in his opening two league appearances for the club after Nigel Clough (1993), Milan Baros (2002) and Daniel Sturridge (2013).
That goal only seemed to galvanise the hosts, and Bruno Guimaraes' riposte on 57' gave Newcastle hope of an improbable comeback, particularly as Liverpool had seen 85.8% of the ball from the break up to the hour mark.
Some 23 minutes into the second half, the Magpies had touched the ball only nine times since the break yet had had the same amount of shots as the visitors (two).
Despite having so much possession, Liverpool couldn't land the killer blow, with Ekitike's goal their last shot before Newcastle equalised through William Osula in the 88th minute.
Second time in a week Liverpool have let two-goal lead slip
Worryingly for Slot it was the second week in succession that his side had seen a two-goal lead slip, and the first time they'd shipped four goals in their opening two games since 2016/17. Not since December 2001 against Arsenal had they conceded two goals to 10 men either.
Though Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah had dug Liverpool out of a hole against Bournemouth on matchday one, with time running out at St. James' Park it appeared that lightning wasn't going to strike twice... until the board was held up for 11 minutes of stoppage time.
The groans all around the stadium were palpable and with good reason. In the 10th of those 11 minutes, Rio Ngumoha, who had come on only five minutes previously, curled home a delightful winner.
At 16 years and 361 days old, he had become the fourth youngest scorer in the Premier League behind James Vaughan (16y 270d), James Milner (16y 356d) and Wayne Rooney (16y 360d), and also Liverpool's youngest-ever scorer in their entire history.
It's a loss - Newcastle's fourth English top-flight game in a row that they haven't won - which will have stung Eddie Howe, and the potential loss of Alexander Isak with no sign of a replacement only compounds their issues.
Magpies with nothing to show for their endeavours
Though there were positives to take from the game - none more so than coming within a whisker of a point with 10 men - ultimately, the Magpies have ended up with nothing to show for their endeavours.
On the flip side, Slot can be pleased with the three points, but only five shots at goal in the entire game - three of which were the goals - simply isn't good enough for a team that wants to retain their Premier League crown.
Moreover, opposition teams will have noted how brittle the Reds have been at the back in their opening two games this season, and that's something that has to be addressed ahead of their next fixture at home to table-topping Arsenal.
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