Newcastle v Liverpool player ratings: Gordon 8, Botman 5; Van Dijk 4, Nunez 9

Super-sub Nunez comes on to flip game on its head

NEWCASTLE UNITED RATINGS: Nick Pope - 6. Steady performance and some decent saves before twice having to dig the ball out of his net - not that he could do a lot about Nunez's clinical brace. PA

Kieran Trippier - 7. Stuck to the task and defended well against Liverpool's lively wide players. EPA

Fabian Schar - 5. Not a great game for the Swiss as he and his fellow defenders crumbled late on. Nowhere to be seen as the Reds turned things around. PA

Sven Botman - 5. Was enjoying a decent game at the heart of the home defence, some long range passing catching the eye. Then it all went wrong. Didn't react quickly enough to danger and his miskick put Nunez in for equaliser. Reuters

Dan Burn - 5. Not his best game and then dithered and was caught in no man's land at the crucial moment as Nunez ran in behind for the winner. Reuters

Sandro Tonali - 6. Like a lot of Newcastle players, enjoyed a strong first half but influence faded after the break. Subbed on 72 minutes. EPA

Bruno Guimaraes - 5. His usual brilliant self in the first-half but will have nightmares about his role in the winner. Newcastle were sloppy with the ball as the jitters set in and his late error proved costly. EPA

Joelinton - 6 Plenty of effort from the hard-running midfielder. PA

Miguel Almiron - 6. On another day (perhaps one last season) he'd have had a couple. Finishing was erratic, missing one at the back post, also thwarted by Allison but then unlucky as he struck the post with a fine curling effort. Reuters

Alexander Isak - 6. Not one of the talented Swede's better games. Great run leading to the red card but peripheral after that. AFP

Anthony Gordon - 8. Eye-catching display against Liverpool by the boyhood Evertonian. Continued his electric start to the season with a goal and a hand in the move that saw Van Dijk sent off. Things started to go wrong after he was withdrawn. Getty

NEWCASTLE SUBS: Callum Wilson (Isak, 73) - 5. Virtual bystander as game slipped away from his team. Getty

Harvey Barnes (Gordon, 73) - 6. Caused a few problems but momentum shifted soon after Newcastle's second-half subs. Reuters

Sean Longstaff (Tonali, 73) - 5. Struggled as the game was taken away from his side. Getty

Elliot Anderson (Joelinton, 83). N/A; Matt Targett (Botman, 86). Getty

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 7. Could do nothing about Gordon's opener. Made some good saves, one to thwart Almiron from close range was particularly impressive. Getty

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 4. Howler to present Gordon with the opportunity to open the scoring. Salah's pass was a firmly struck but his blunder, letting the ball run beneath his foot, gave Gordon a clear run on goal. Booked early and lucky to stay on. Reuters

Joel Matip - 6. Drafted in because of Konate's injury and did well in the circumstances. How Liverpool must wish he could stay fit. Reuters

Virgil van Dijk - 4. The Dutch centre-half left his team in the lurch following his 29th minute red card. He didn't like the decision but he went through the man to get the ball. Getty

Andrew Robertson - 6. Typically committed display as Liverpool dug in with 10 men. Quality going forwards wasn't always there. Getty

Dominik Szoboszlai - 7. Started brightly but had to be more disciplined following the red card. Looks a good signing having hit the ground running in the Premier League. EPA

Wataru Endo - 5. Worked hard during a difficult debut for the club. Withdrawn after an hour with match fitness an issue. Reuters

Alexis Mac Allister - 6. Another player who had to be focused and disciplined following the red card. Tireless display in the circumstances. Reuters

Mohamed Salah - 7. Struggled to make a consistent impact for the out-numbered Reds but then provided a moment of absolute quality to create the winner for Nunez. EPA

Cody Gakpo - 5. Struggled to make an impact. Will have better days in Red. Subbed after 58 minutes as Klopp reconfigured his side. EPA

Luis Diaz - 6. Made a lively start to the game but was then sacrificed after Van Dijk's sending off. EPA

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Joe Gomez (Diaz, 33) -7. Thrown on after Van Dijk's dismissal and staked his claim for more regular starts. Impressive effort from the defender as the 10 men stood firm. Reuters

Diogo Jota (Gakpo, 58) - 7. Unlucky to miss out on the starting line-up after a promising start to the season. Movement and energy was a help to his side as they turned things around. Getty

Harvey Elliott (Endo 58) - 6. Fresh legs and energy helped Liverpool turn the tide as their starting midfielders tired. PA

Darwin Nunez (Mac Allister, 77) - 9. Reds substitute sank Newcastle with two absolutely ruthless finishes. Could be a turning point in his Liverpool career. Getty. Jarell Quansah (Matip 78) - N/A

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score a devastating brace and turn what seemed a certain defeat into a thrilling victory 2-1 at St James' Park on Sunday.

The Uruguayan has had a difficult start to life at Anfield following his big money move from Benfica in the summer of 2022 - so much so that he found himself on the sidelines for the important early season trip to Newcastle.

But with his side down to 10 men following Virgil van Dijk's 29th-minute red card, he was summoned from the bench to offer some pace and energy in the closing stages.

The Reds had looked dead and buried when the Dutch defender was dismissed just three minutes after Anthony Gordon had fired the home side into a 25th-minute lead.

However, they escaped further punishment, riding their luck at times, to make it to the latter stages of the game still only one goal behind, and ultimately emerged with three points after substitute Nunez scored an unlikely late double.

Defender Trent Alexander Arnold said afterwards: “It was something for the ages, to be honest, one of our best performances since the manager’s come in – and we’ve had some outstanding performances as a team, as individuals. But I think we’ll look back on this game as something very, very special.”

You can see the player ratings from Sunday's match in the gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.