Liverpool v Newcastle announcement shocks pundit live on Sky Sports – ‘Oh my’
Liverpool took on Newcastle United in the Premier League at Anfield, where an announcement left one Sky Sports pundit shocked.
The Magpies travelled south to Anfield for their Premier League clash with Arne Slot’s table-topping Reds, with the match acting as a dress rehearsal for two sides facing off in next month’s EFL Cup Final.
However, three points were still at stake for both teams; Liverpool looking to go as many as 14 points clear at the summit and Newcastle having a chance to climb into the Champions League places.
As a result, full-strength teams were expected to be named by both managers at Anfield, yet a selection decision made by Eddie Howe in the visiting dugout will have left plenty of onlookers in shock.
Clinton Morrison reacts to Eddie Howe decision v Liverpool
That headline decision from Howe saw him leave Alexander Isak – Newcastle’s leading striker and arguably their most dangerous player – out of the matchday squad entirely despite no reported injuries.
Isak’s complete absence from the Newcastle side sparked expressions of shock in the Sky Sports News studio (26 February, 7:04pm), with Clinton Morrison the most surprised on the pundits present.
As Julian Warren read out the team sheet and mentioned the lack of Isak for Newcastle, Morrison gasped and said: “Oh my!”
Alexander Isak absence works in Liverpool favour v Newcastle
Although Morrison admitted that his disappointment with Isak’s absence was largely due to picking the Swede in his Fantasy Football team, the travelling Newcastle fans will have been absolutely crestfallen.
Isak has been the Magpies’ talisman at times this season and has racked up 19 goals in 24 Premier League appearances so far this term; with his deputy at Anfield, Callum Wilson, managing just one.
| Alexander Isak | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists |
| 2024/25 Season (all competitions) | 30 | 29 | 21 | 5 |
Although Liverpool will have gone into the match with even more confidence knowing their defence doesn’t have Isak’s dynamic running to deal with, Anfield will also be tinged with disappointment.
That’s because Isak is a major transfer target for the Reds this summer as Slot looks to bolster his frontline despite potentially having a treble under his belt, and the chance to see how Isak takes to the Anfield atmosphere may well have been welcome for the Liverpool boss.