Good evening and welcome to another Premier League liveblog. Tonight, it’s the game which provided the fixture from which the Premier League have been effectively trading on since 1996: Liverpool v Newcastle at Anfield.

Of course, what many people are hoping for is this…

watch?v=gwCDYc-r3iI

What we’ll likely get, however, is an open game but not necessarily a high-scoring one. Much, after all, has been made of Liverpool’s lack of goals this season which is now under 1.5 a game. And tonight there without their top scorer and primary playmaker Luis Suarez. At the other end, Liverpool have one of the best defences in the division. Newcastle, meanwhile, did have the best until they played Chelsea and Manchester City. So hardly the recipe for racking up goals. But we live in hope.

The teams:

Liverpool Reina, Johnson, Enrique, Skrtel, Agger, Adam, Henderson, Spearing, Downing, Carroll, Bellamy

Newcastle Krul; Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, R Taylor; Obertan, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez; Vuckic; Ba

And we’re off…

Liverpool make an assured enough start.

Hint of a handball as Henderson heads the ball into the Newcastle box and it bounces up. Referee plays on though.

Great ball across the box from Enrique… but no-one is there

An interesting call from Cristian Nyari there on twitter, who argues that a lot of Liverpool players on different wavelengths in attack… which does look to be the case a lot.

Krul comes far for a cross, fails to hold out but Newcastle just about get it away.

Liverpool have caused the only bits of trouble so far because the game itself has been cautious enough.

Newcastle get into the Liverpool box for what seems like the first time but, from the left, Ba plays a meek ball inside.

GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Newcastle United

A shock for Liverpool since they had been in control as a cross is whipped into the box, Cabaye heads it on, it touches off Ba and then finally off Agger to divert past Reina.

GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle

Great response from Liverpool and a great strike from Craig Bellamy. Jose Enrique lofts another fine ball into the centre, it falls to Charlie Adam who drills at goal. The ball is deflected back out to an unmarked Bellamy who sizes it up and fires it into the corner despite a lot of bodies in the way.

That’s Bellamy’s 150th goal in English football and against one of his former clubs.

It’s a very open game now.

Skrtel heads just wide from a corner.

This from Opta:

Craig Bellamy has now scored in four successive Premier League appearances against Newcastle United. Thorn.

Vuckic tries a speculative Cantona-against-Arsenal-96 volley but it’s well over.

The game has settled again.

Ryan Taylor heads a deep cross away but why didn’t Charlie Adam jump? It looked perfect for him!

And that’s half-time, a first half that ebbed and flowed both in terms of the teams attacking and the level of entertainment.

And the second half is under way.

WHAT a tweet from @LiterallyJamie. This is simply superb:

“Chaos at HT as Dalglish accosts Mike Ashley, brandishing a receipt and demanding £35m worth of Sports Direct store credit.”

Free-kick for Liverpool out wide which Carroll makes strong contact with. Except it goes in the opposite direction to goal. And he pushed Taylor to get on the end of it.

Steven Gerrard is about to come on.

Gerrard on for Adam… for the second time in two games. Would that say a lot about furure formations?

Oh no Carroll! He was given five yards of space and played miles onside thanks a superb Steven Gerrard ball over the top. Even a middling touch would have put Carroll through one-on-one for a sure finish… but it’s an atrocious touch. Krul easily collects and Carroll looks forlorn.

GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle

Craig Bellamy whips a free over the wall but, just as Krul looks to be diving down to divert it, Simpson gets a head on it, sending it into his own net.

First time Liverpool have scored more than once at home since 24 September.

Brilliant from Skrtel! A deflected pass puts Ba through on goal and his finish is superb as he slides it past Reina from an angle with his first touch. With the ball about to bounce into the net, though, Skrtel dives to desperately clear it just in time.

Carroll hits the bar! A brilliant delivery from Gerrard and the striker does well to meet. But, from that distance, he probably should have scored.

Bellamy goes off the pitch with blood streaming down face from a cut to the eye. Seemed Coloccini caught him with an elbow. Kuyt goes on.

And another LiterallyJamie gem tonight…

“Carroll hits the bar, then falls over. Same as every Friday night.”

GOAL! Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle United

A superb goal. Henderson slips Gerrard in with a lovely ball before the captain drives it past Krul from an angle.

Still feels like there are more goals in this game.

Bellamy is getting stitches apparently. “A nasty cut”.

No, that’s not a typo.

It has to be said Liverpool look so much better with Gerrard.

Paul Tomkins argues on twitter that they’ll look so much more formidable if they have Suarez, Gerrard and Lucas in the same time. Although that is obviously likelier to be next season.

Gerrard has been given Man of the Match on Sky. That is a joke given the length of time he was on for. Should have been Bellamy.

Krul comes ludicrously far out of goal to collect but only smashes it off his centre-back. The ball looks to fall for Carroll but Krul then clears. Again… not his night. Or season.

FULL-TIME: Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle United

And that’sit. Easy for Liverpool in the end despite the initial scare. And, while Henderson, Gerrard, Enrique and – specifically – Bellamy were superb in the comeback, there was a lack of conviction from Newcastle. Even after they went ahead it seemed they would have been content with a point. And, to a certain extent, they ended up with nothing because of that attitude.

Gerrard’s impressive cameo, however – featuring a goal and a number of fine deliveries – should leave Liverpool a lot happier after the last few troubling weeks.

We’ll be back with a full programme tomorrow.