Featured Image Credit: beIN SPORTS
Topics: Premier League, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Football, Richard Keys
Nasir Jabbar
Topics: Premier League, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Football, Richard Keys
Richard Keys has urged the Premier League to make a major rule change after seeing Liverpool beat Newcastle United.
Newcastle and Liverpool were involved in an instant classic as Arne Slot's side secured a dramatic victory on Monday.
Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring in the 35th minute before the hosts were reduced to 10 men when Anthony Gordon was sent off following a VAR review, with Alan Shearer issuing damning verdict.
Just after the restart, Hugo Ekitike doubled his side's lead until Bruno Guimaraes reduced the deficit.
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William Osula equalised two minutes from time, though the visitors snatched all three points after Rio Ngumoha slotted past Nick Pope in stoppage time.
The fixture lived up to its billing, but Keys found one problem from the game.
Keys took exception to how long the ball was in play for during Newcastle vs. Liverpool.
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He claimed fans are being 'robbed' after revealing the ball was in play for just 40.8 per cent of the match before proposing a 60-minute ball in play clock.
"So a match that ran to 100+ minutes saw a ball in play time of just 40.8% - the lowest in a PL match for 15 years," he wrote on X. "Fans are being robbed. We should play to a 60 minute ball in play clock."
Slot appeared to agree with Keys as he bemoaned the amount of set-pieces, claiming it was a match that didn't have a lot of tactics.
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"I'm not too sure if I saw a football match today. It was set-piece after set-piece, long throw," he told Sky Sports.
"It didn't have a lot to do with tactics, what I said before the game, but I liked a lot how we stood strong. Very difficult first half hour, 45 minutes, but we didn't collapse at all, we stood strong."
Slot added: "Going down to 10 men, you would expect that that is a big plus for us, but when a goalkeeper takes every free kick, then there's not so much help if you are one player up, and that's why it was so difficult for us to bring the 2-0 over the line.
"I don't think there was so much open play to be played. In a set-piece, a long throw-in, a long ball from the goalkeeper, you don't need an extra man."