Owen's hat trick ruins Gullit's debut
Liverpool keeps Newcastle reeling with 4-1 rout
Posted: Sunday August 30, 1998 07:54 PM
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Liverpool sliced up Newcastle's defense, attacking relentlessly in the first 30 minutes with Owen scoring almost at will Shaun Botterill/Allsport |
NEWCASTLE, England (AP) -- So much for the glamor of new coach
Ruud Gullit arriving and changing Newcastle's dismal, early season
start.
Liverpool, behind three goals in 15 minutes by 18-year-old
English international Michael Owen (two in 85 seconds early in the
Game), drubbed Newcastle 4-1 Sunday in England's Premier League.
The victory moved Liverpool into first place with seven points,
the same as Aston Villa but it has a superior goal difference. Nottingham
Forest is third with six points.
Gullit, who was named in a shocking announcement Thursday to
replace Kenny Dalglish, jotted notes and watched the match
impassively from the grandstand in the first half.
He could not have liked what he saw, particularly from a chaotic
defense.
The sellout crowd of 38,000 came to St. James' Park for a party, hoping
to see wide-open, imaginative soccer. They did -- from Liverpool --
as the Magpies added an abysmal loss to two lackluster draws under
Dalglish.
Liverpool sliced up Newcastle's defense, attacking relentlesly
in the first half hour with Owen scoring almost at will.
He struck in the 17th, driving home a rebound from eight yards off a Paul Ince shot. Moments later in the 18th, he got a
pass from Steve McManaman and again scored from eight yards.
Newcastle's French international Stephane Guivarc'h stemmed the
flow in the 28th, scoring his first of the season from 10 yards as his shot went in off the goalpost to the left of
Liverpool's American goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
But Owen struck again in the 32nd for his fourth of the season,
this time dribbling through two defenders and then chipping it home
from 10 yards.
Czech forward Patrik Berger added a fourth just seconds from
halftime as he scored on a left-footed drive from 18 yards.
Gullit moved to the bench for the second half as Newcastle
looked more poised, although Liverpool didn't press its advantage.
"At least we played on their half and created some chances, but
still not enough," Gullit said of the second half. "But at least
it's a start.
"I knew that it was going to be like this, but I just wanted to
see it with my own eyes," he added. "It will take some time to do
something about it."
Rumors have suggested striker Alan Shearer may not be in
Gullit's plans. Gullit admitted every player was on trial.
"You have to see which players can cope with it and which
not," he said.
In Scotland on Sunday, Kilmarnock defeated Hearts 3-0 and
Motherwell and Dundee United played a late game.
On Saturday, Rangers defeated St. Johnstone 4-0 on goals by
Andrei Kanchelskis (26th), Giovanni Van Bronckhorst (45th), Rod
Wallace (56th) and Jorg Albertz (penalty 85th).
In two other key matches Saturday in the Premier Division,
Celtic and Dundee played a 1-1 draw as did Dunferline and
Aberdeen.
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