Analysis: Heartbreak for battling hosts

Newcastle had just suffered a painful defeat right at the death - only you would not have known it. Not by the standing ovation the Geordies afforded their exhausted side at full-time against Liverpool.

Newcastle had run the champions mighty close - and the home support recognised that.

After going 2-0 down and with Anthony Gordon dismissed, it had previously felt a long way back for the 10 men. The away end even felt emboldened enough to chant about Alexander Isak as they asked Newcastle to "hand him over".

Yet the spirited hosts rallied.

Bruno Guimaraes' header reignited the stadium as the captain waved his arms up and down and whipped up the fans after pulling a goal back.

Suddenly it felt like Newcastle were playing with a man advantage at a raucous St James' Park as they swarmed Liverpool and made them retreat.

They would lose Sandro Tonali and Joelinton to injury as well, but still Eddie Howe's side kept scrapping as an unlikely scorer stepped up.

Unlikely may seem a strange word to use to describe a striker, but substitute Osula had only previously bagged one top-flight goal for Newcastle, against Ipswich Town in April, since his arrival from Sheffield United last year.

It has got to the stage where Gordon, a winger by trade, has been picked ahead of the Dane in attack. Yet Osula thought he had snatched a point for his side - only for Rio Ngumoha to score a last-gasp winner.

It was a hammer blow for Newcastle, who will somehow have to regroup and lift themselves for a trip to Leeds United on Saturday - and Howe needs a breakthrough in his search for a striker.

Newcastle, after all, are unable to count on one of the world's best centre-forwards in Isak, and will be without the suspended Gordon for the next three games.

Their search for a replacement for Callum Wilson also goes into the final week of the window after bids for Wolves forward Jorgen Strand Larsen and Brentford's Yoane Wissa were rejected.