Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan facing bleak spring

Liverpool 3, Newcastle

WITH Lady Luck now as much a stranger to them as pace, poise or any semblance of form, it’s no wonder Newcastle have that sinking feeling.

Fortune deserted them – and how – to hasten their downward spiral yesterday.

But once Jermaine Pennant’s fluke had broken the deadlock, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard provided the latest sobering reminder of what may send the Magpies down . . .

An absence of class fast becoming matched by a lack of spirit.

The visitors’ day unravelled at an alarming pace once Pennant had profited from a moment of outrageous fortune.

Any sympathy for Newcastle’s defenders did not last the remaining two minutes before half-time – Gerrard teeing up Torres to score, with imperious ease, Liverpool’s second.

And it took the Spaniard – aided by rabbit-in-the-headlights defending – just six minutes after the interval to return the favour for his rampaging skipper.

So what had been an initially encouraging away performance fell apart, despite substitute Obafemi Martins’ solo efforts to salvage visiting pride.

Their dynamic duo apart, Liverpool were rarely much better than ordinary on a day which, for them, was as much about avoiding injury as picking up points.

But they made good when Newcastle heads dropped in adversity.

Stop me if you think that you’ve heard this one before . . .

Gallows humour is now the order of the day for United’s travelling fans, so predictable are their team’s failings.

But it’s the very familiarity of this particular tale which underlines that, unlucky or not yesterday, Kevin Keegan is in charge of too many players unfit for purpose.

And what of Keegan himself, on a day he will remember nothing like as fondly as his last defeat here as Newcastle? Sadly, while again let down by all too many in black and white, he was far from blameless for this surrender.

Picking Alan Smith in central midfield, on the evidence of this sorry season, is inexcusable.

Expecting the one-paced Damien Duff to lend decent support to Michael Owen – while Martins warmed the bench – is absurd.

At least Smith’s switch – to cover Joey Barton’s absence – meant a rare but widely welcomed return for Charles N’Zogbia in his natural wide left territory.

And it was N’Zogbia, after the largely Liverpool-dominated opening exchanges, who teed up the game’s first chance.

How Newcastle could have done with the type of luck which favoured Liverpool then.

From N’Zogbia’s inswinging right-wing corner, Abdoulaye Faye’s glancing near-post header brought a possibly instinctive but probably involuntary save from Jose Reina.

With Torres around though, that was as good as it got for Faye.

Given his first run on the defender, the striker beat him on the outside with ominous ease, before unleashing a shot which brought the first of several defiant saves from Steve Harper.

Gerrard – picked out by Xabi Alonso on a surface slickened by rain – then tested Harper low down from the best part of 30 yards.

But although possession remained at a premium for the visitors, they offered enough on the break to maintain cautious optimism.

Yes, it took a combination of Harper and Butt to keep out another Gerrard strike after Newcastle had been caught napping by a quickly-taken free kick.

And then referee Peter Walton failed to be moved by Gerrard’s persuasive tumble over Enrique.

But an upbeat half-time Keegan team talk beckoned until 90 seconds of calamitous luck and sheer class.

Teased by Pennant for the previous 43 minutes, fate conspired against Enrique to leave the Spaniard – and his disbelieving manager – in torment.

Having beaten Pennant to Torres’ through ball, Enrique’s attempted clearance rebounded off the winger and somehow looped over a wrong-footed Harper and in.

But if that was tough on Newcastle, what followed underlined the gulf in class down which they could yet drop into the Championship.

Torres laid the ball off to Gerrard in midfield and headed for goal in the sure and certain knowledge that his skipper would pick out his run.

He duly did, and having outpaced Faye, the £20.5 million man sold Harper with a flash of Pele-esque brilliance – going one side of the keeper while the ball went the other.

The difference here, unlike at Mexico ‘70, was that Torres – into an empty net – scored.

Dead, Newcastle were buried within six minutes of the restart. You can guess the gravediggers.

Torres capped a thrilling run through the middle with a perfectly-weighted pass which Gerrard collected before coolly lifted over the outrushing Harper.

In the eye of the storm, Harper alone refused to be blown away, spreading himself brilliantly to deny Gerrard after more magic from Torres.

Liverpool’s split priorities at least meant that dynamic duo disappeared down the tunnel early enough to prevent a rout.

And the introduction of Martins for a dismal Duff almost provided some small measure of consolation.

The Nigerian earned a sight of goal after muscling John Arne Riise out of possession, only to shoot straight at Reina.

But he did better – much better – in producing arguably the moment of the match with an audacious shot on the turn from almost 40 yards which left Reina stranded but came back off the bar.

It still needed Harper to come to Newcastle’s rescue with two saves seven minutes from time.

First, he was out boldly and spread himself bravely to smother substitute Dirk Kuyt’s header, then went down sharply to his right to keep out Riise’s fierce shot.

But the damage, yet again, had been done.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez:
"It was more or less the perfect day - we got the points and we could take players off ahead of the Champions League in Italy on Tuesday.

"The first goal was a bit lucky but the second was a fantastic piece of play and that one was the big difference.

"The understanding between Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard is good and they can kill off any team those two."

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan:
"The opening goal was a freak one and that's the sort of luck we need going for us at the moment.

"But the second goal killed us, it was bad to concede straight away and 2-0 down here at half-time, it's difficult.

"Prior to that I was relatively pleased but we were blown to bits in the space of three crazy minutes. Were we unlucky to lose? No. They were better than us."

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Riise, Alonso, Lucas, Pennant (Hyypia 78), Gerrard (Kuyt 66), Benayoun, Torres (Crouch 72).
Subs Not Used: Itandje, Babel.

Booked: Riise.

Goals: Pennant 43, Torres 45, Gerrard 51.

Newcastle: Harper, Beye, Faye, Taylor, Jose Enrique, Milner (Geremi 44), Butt, N'Zogbia, Duff (Martins 58), Owen, Smith.
Subs Not Used: Forster, Cacapa, Carroll.

Att: 44,031.

Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).

BBC Sport man of the match: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard