Who was the bigger loss? Alexander Isak to Liverpool? Or Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool? Newcastle have scratched around to find a new centre-forward having spent £124m but neither arrival was deemed reliable enough to start at Anfield.

Neither did Isak of course - but Ekitike did and boy did we pay for it. He exposed United's fragile defending after they had run the match deservedly going ahead and within a two minute spell we were undone.

Defend like United did against quality and punishment is inevitable. Eddie Howe was deprived of the comfort blanket of a back five so compact in Paris and consequently we reverted to being flimsy and fragile.

The Mags chased Ekitike longer than Richard Burton pursued Elizabeth Taylor but he spurned our advances and killed us. Having scored at SJP in a 3-2 Liverpool victory he ladled it on at Anfield. Wonderful feet, radar vision, arrogance and ability in abundance.

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The Frenchman turned the game in the...