Newcastle v Liverpool player ratings: Pope 4, Burn 5; Nunez 8, Alexander-Arnold 9

Nunez and Gakpo on target in 2-0 win over 10-man Newcastle at St James' Park

NEWCASTLE UNITED RATINGS: Nick Pope - 4. Conceded two in less than 20 minutes. His night got worse when he was sent off for needlessly handling the ball outside the area and denying Salah a clear run at goal. AFP

Kieran Trippier – 6. Was one of the few Newcastle players that had a good game. Created a number of dangerous situations with his crosses. Reuters

Fabian Schar – 4. Made the surprising decision to step out of the backline instead of tracking Gakpo in the buildup to the Reds‘ opener. Should have at least hit the target when a Trippier corner found him in the second half. Getty Images

Sven Botman – 5. Got caught out a number of times by Salah’s pace. Getty Images

Dan Burn – 5. Hit the bar in the 41st minute from a Trippier cross. Did well to deny Salah what would have been a tap-in in the 74th minute. PA

Sean Longstaff – 5. Had a tough day in the middle of the field. Struggled to track the runs of Bajcetic. Getty Images

Joelington – 6. Had to focus more on his defensive duties due to the early red card to Pope. Became a bit more involved in attack after the break as the Magpies chased the game. PA

Elliot Anderson – 5. Had a tough game until he was subbed off early for goalkeeper Kevin Dubravka. PA

Miguel Almiron – 5. Almost scored early in the game after being set up by Saint-Maximin. Struggled to have an impact on the match after the Magpies were reduced to 10 men. AFP

Alexander Isak – 6. His unorthodox style and unpredictability caused Liverpool defenders all sort of problems. Had a couple of half chances which he snatched at. Reuters

Allan Saint-Maximin – 7. Arguably Newcastle’s best player. His quick feet got him out of tight spaces on several occasions and only an excellent save from Allison denied him a goal in the first half. Getty Images

SUBS: Martin Dubravka (Elliot, 24') – 7. Came on with the Magpies already two goals down. Made several saves to keep the scoreline respectable. Action Images

Jacob Murphy (Kieran Trippeir, 64’) – 6. Came on and did well. Despite being played in an unfamiliar right-back role, the Magpies looked more dangerous in the second half. Action Images

Antony Gordon (Miguel Almiron, 64’) – 5. Struggled after coming on. Could have had an assist if only Wilson had been more efficient in front of goal. Action Images

Callum Wilson (Isak, 64) – 5/ Missed Newcastle’s best chances when he failed to beat Allison from close range. Action Images

Matt Richie (Joelinton, 71’) - N/A Failed to make much of an impact after coming on. Reuters

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker – 8. Excellent work to tip Maximin’s shot onto the bar in the first half and also set up Salah for a quick counter which led to Pope being sent off. Did well to deny Wilson in the second half. Getty

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 9. Showed his excellent range of passing when he set up Nunez’s goal with a whipped pass from midfield. His crosses caused all sorts of problems for the Magpies backline. EPA

Joe Gomez – 7. Looked more solid next to the imperial Van Dijk. Stuck to his job well and stayed close to Newcastle attackers. PA

Virgil Van Dijk – 8. The return of Van Dijk from injury seems to have done Liverpool’s defence a world of good. The imposing centre-back hardly put a foot wrong all game and always chose the safe option whenever there seemed to be uncertainty. Reuters

Andy Robertson – 7. Kept Almiron quiet and could have had an assist of his own. PA

Jordan Henderson – 7. The Liverpool captain once again showed his composure and calmness on the ball. Sat deep next to Fabinho to help break up Newcastle’s attacks. Getty Images

Fabinho – 7. A good day in the middle of pitch for the Brazil midfielder. Successfully broke up several attacks and helped start moves from the back. Getty Images

Stefan Bajcetic - 7 The young midfielder continued his impressive form by helping the Reds win the midfield battle. Got into promising positions in the first half. PA

Mohamed Salah – 8. Did well to set up Gakpo’s goal in the first half and played a huge part in Pope’s sending off. Only a last-ditch clearance denied him a goal in the second half. A tireless performance from the Egyptian. Getty Images

Cody Gakpo – 8. Timed his run on to Salah’s lofted pass perfectly and slot past Pope in the Newcastle goal. Kept the home defenders busy. Getty Images

Darwin Nunez – 8. Still had a lot to do after Alexander-Arnold played the ball to him for his goal. Showed composure to control the ball in the air and apply the finish. His pace gave Trippier problems on the right wing. AFP

SUBS: Diogo Jota (Gakpo, 60’) – 7. Looked sharp despite just returning from injury. Should have got on the scoresheet when he headed Alexander-Arnold’s cross wide. Did well to set up Firmino in the 89th minute. Getty

Harvey Elliot (Henderson, 60’) – 5. Failed to have much of an impact after coming on. Getty

James Milner (Stefan Bajcetic, 60’) - 6 Brought on to use his experience to help the Reds see out the game. Kept it simple and went about his job quietly. Reuters

Roberto Firmino (Nunez, 60’) - 5 Looked rusty after coming on and gave the ball away a few times to create dangerous situations. Should have at least connected with the ball after being set up by Jota. Getty Images

Liverpool won at 10-man Newcastle United 2-0 to boost hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League on Saturday.

The result ended Newcastle's 17-game unbeaten streak in the league and handed Eddie Howe's team just a second loss of the season — both of them against Liverpool.

A rampant Liverpool were already two goals up by the time Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope was sent off in the 22nd minute for a straight red card after handling the ball outside the area. That made the rest of the game largely a matter of seeing things out for the visitors, who cut the gap to fourth-placed Newcastle to six points and have a game in hand.

Darwin Nunez opened the scoring with an emphatic finish in the 10th minute after Trent Alexander-Arnold sent a ball over the top of the defence to the Uruguayan forward, who managed to control it with the help of his chest before firing past Pope.

Mohamed Salah then picked out Cody Gakpo in the area with a delicate chip seven minutes later and the Netherlands international finished clinically to double the lead. Gakpo, who joined from PSV Eindhoven in January, netted his first Liverpool goal on Monday in the 2-0 win over Everton.

Matters only got worse for Newcastle when Pope rushed out to meet a kick up the field by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker and attempted a diving header to prevent Salah from going clear on goal. Pope made a total mess of his attempt, though, and then grabbed the ball with his hand in what looked like an inadvertent reflex.