Arne Slot was not pleased with how Monday night's (August 25) fixture between his Liverpool side and Newcastle United unfolded.
The Reds managed to secure a last-gasp 3-2 win away from home after 16-year-old Premier League debutant Rio Ngumoha bagged the winner in the dying moments.
Ngumoha's goal, which made him the youngest scorer in Liverpool's history, capped off what was an enthralling and action-packed night under the floodlights at St James' Park.
The ongoing Alexander Isak saga meant the Newcastle faithful were charged up for the game and their high levels of passion passed onto the home side's players.
However, that somewhat contributed to Newcastle's downfall in the first half, as Anthony Gordon was over-eager in trying to win the ball off Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk, and ended up putting in a reckless challenge on the defender.
A VAR check caused referee Simon Hooper to change his original decision of a yellow card to a red one, which left Newcastle in a vulnerable position as Ryan Gravenberch had given the away team the lead earlier in the half.
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Hugo Ekitike doubled Liverpool's lead right after the break, but a goal just before the hour mark from Bruno Guimaraes and a late effort from substitute William Osula appeared to have earned Eddie Howe's side a well-earned point.
Ngumoha was able to clinch the win despite being on the pitch for just four minutes, as Dominik Szoboszlai allowed Mohamed Salah's pass to through his legs and into the path of the teenager.
The Premier League debutant demonstrated immense composure in front of goal to send himself and the away fans into dreamland.
Slot not a fan of quality during Monday's Premier League clash
While the game would have been a delight for Liverpool supporters and an entertaining affair for neutral viewers, Slot appeared not too impressed with the contest.
"I'm not too sure if I saw a football match. It was set-piece after set-piece, long throws," the Liverpool manager told Sky Sports after the match. "It didn't have a lot to do with tactics."
The Dutchman was proud of how well his team played in the first half despite the challenges that came The Reds' way.
"I liked how we stood strong. It was a very difficult first half hour, 45 minutes. We didn't collapse at all and went 1-0 up."
The 46-year-old then touched on why it was difficult to secure a more comfortable victory despite being a man up over Newcastle.
"You would expect a big plus for us, but when a goalkeeper takes every free-kick, there is not much hope if you are one player up. That's why it was so difficult to bring the 2-0 over the line," he explained.
Liverpool will be looking to make it three wins from three in the league when Arsenal visit Anfield this coming Sunday (August 31).
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