Karl Darlow 9; Sadio Mane 4, Mohamed Salah 3: Newcastle v Liverpool player ratings

Premier League champions held to a goalless draw at St James' Park

NEWCASTLE UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: Karl Darlow - 9. The 30-year-old made a succession of brilliant saves to ensure a point for his team. Magnificent display to keep out Salah, Firmino and Mane. Getty Images

DeAndre Yedlin - 7. Picked out Wilson with a clever ball early on and shot wide in the first half. Carried out his defensive duties impressively and snuffed out danger in his own box. Getty Images

Ciaran Clark - 7. The Irishman was not distracted by an early booking and maintained his concentration. He was unlucky not to win the game for his side with a superb headed set-piece late on. AFP

Fabian Schar - 8. The Swiss capped a fine performance with a splendid clearance off the line. Stood strong at the back, especially late on as Liverpool piled on the pressure. Getty Images

Federico Fernandez - 7. The Argentinian was skinned by Mane on one early quick break but regained his composure and showed great anticipation in keeping Liverpool at bay. Distribution was good. PA

Matt Ritchie - 6. Never stopped running and put in relentless effort. Picked out Clark for his team's best chance. Withdrawn for Lewis in the 86th minute. PA

Matty Longstaff - 7. The 20-year-old found room in the midfield and was the creative hub of the side, spraying passes about the pitch. Getty Images

Isaac Hayden - 7. Brought balance to the home side's midfield and got forward to support the attack. Picked up a fifth yellow card for a foul on Thiago so will be out for the Leicester game. PA

Jacob Murphy - 6. The 25-year-old was composed on the ball on a night when Newcastle could not afford to give away possession. PA

Joelinton - 5. Holds up the ball well but rarely threatens the goal. The Brazilian's most memorable contribution came when he tried an overhead kick and completely missed the ball. AFP

Callum Wilson - 7. Tested Alisson from the wing and glanced a header wide in the early exchanges. The striker gave Phillips a torrid time in the first half but saw less of the ball after the break. Getty Images

SUBS: Miguel Almiron - 6. Replaced Murphy after 67 minutes. The Paraguayan can provide pace and guile but he contributed more to the defensive rearguard after coming on. PA

Jamal Lewis - 5. Came on for Ritchie and saw out the last four minutes without too many alarms. REUTERS

LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 7. The Brazilian was secure throughout and his fine save from Clark late in the game ensured that Liverpool did not end the year with a defeat. AP Photo

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5. Not one of the full back’s better efforts. His crossing was below par, although he did produce the pass of the game with a ball that fizzed across the width of the pitch to Mane. PA

Nathaniel Phillips - 4. The 23-year-old’s strength is in the air but his lack of pace was exposed. Needs to use space more efficiently to compensate for this flaw. PA

Fabinho - 7. The Brazilian was calm and assured. He cut out a dangerous situation when Wilson shot from a tight angle. Given a yellow card for a cynical but necessary foul on Yedlin. Another composed performance. PA

Andrew Robertson - 7. Got up and down the left wing with gusto and delivered a number of tempting crosses, the best of which Firmino wasted. AP

Jordan Henderson - 6. The captain’s ability to move the ball quickly in midfield contributes hugely to the team’s style and he released Salah to set up a tempting chance. Looked a little tired. Getty Images

James Milner - 6. The 34-year-old put in a shift breaking up opposition attacks. Appeared a little rusty but worked hard. He was taken off for Thiago with 17 minutes left. AP Photo

Curtis Jones - 4. The 19-year-old was unable to make a difference from an advanced midfield position. He was replaced by Wijnaldum with 22 minutes left. PA

Mohamed Salah - 3. Missed two sitters, one in each half. The Egyptian found good positions but spurned the chances that came his way. A frustrating night. Reuters

Roberto Firmino - 4. Foiled by Darlow twice from headers, the Brazilian missed another when the goalkeeper flapped at the ball late on. Was let down by his control in the area when played in by Robertson in the first half. PA

Sadio Mane - 4. Never really got going. The Senegalese was not as sharp as usual and did not test the defence. He was unable to react quickly enough when Schar cleared off the line. Getty Images

SUBS: Georginio Wijnaldum - 5. Brought on to provide more energy in place of Jones with 22 minutes to go. Found room in the area but passed on the responsibility rather than shooting. Getty Images

Thiago Alcantara - 7. Joined the action in the 73rd minute when Milner was withdrawn. The midfielder was eager to get involved and showed off his passing range in a cameo that bodes well for 2021. AFP

Xherdan Shaqiri - 5. Sent on for Salah deep into stoppage time and had no chance to influence the game. PA

Premier League champions Liverpool missed the chance to open up a gap at the top of the table after being held to a goalless draw at Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Despite holding 73 per cent of the possession, having 11 shots (four on target), and taking 12 corners, Liverpool could not find a way to break the deadlock due to a combination of missed chances and inspired goalkeeping from Karl Darlow.

The draw continues Liverpool's patchy away form this season, with Jurgen Klopp's side winning two and drawing five of their eight fixtures on the road. Compare that to their home form of seven wins and a draw from the same number of games.

The point still sees Liverpool extend their lead in the standings to three points, although second-placed Manchester United have a game in hand.

For Newcastle, the point keeps them in 14th place, one point behind Arsenal.

Assessing the performances at St James' Park, Tony Evans has provided his player ratings in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.