Liverpool's start to their Premier League defense continued on Monday with a trip to the fortress that is St. James Park.
Given the circumstances surrounding the match, it figured to be an eventful evening and it did not disappoint.
After Newcastle fought all the way back to bring things level at 2, a very late Rio Ngumoha strike secured all three points for the visitors.
Here are a few overarching thoughts on the match.
Midfield continuity missing
Through the first two matches of the season, Arne Slot has been unable to call on the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai that he leaned on last season.
Gravenberch returned to action following his suspension on Monday and marked the occasion with a dominant performance and was the scorer of Liverpool's opener.
His performance is all the more impressive when considering he spent a majority of the match on a yellow card while dealing with the uber-physical Newcastle midfield.
Liverpool have looked far too easy to cut through in midfield, especially with a lead. it is not all entirely down to personnel, but it cannot help that this trio has not been able to share a midfield yet.
Mixed bag at central defense
At this point, Virgil van Dijk's brilliance is taken for granted by so many. Monday was a performance for the ages, seeming to hold down the Liverpool backline on his own at times, though Szoboszlai's performance at right-back was incredible as well.
Swap the Dutchman for any other defender in world football and Liverpool do not win that match yesterday.
Ibrahima Konate, on the other hand, struggled again, a concerning trend to start the season. As things stand, with minimal competition for his place in the team, Konate will have to sort things out, and do so quickly.
Szoboszlai's versatility key again
With Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez only fit enough to make the bench, Slot called on the Hungarian to fill in at right-back, something he had done periodically during pre-season but certainly not in a match as big and an environment as hostile as Monday.
Szoboszlai was incredible throughout, showing off the engine he is lauded for and making several blocks in front of goal.
Liverpool do lose something in their midfield without him there, but his ability to play at right-back could be huge for Slot in the future when injuries are an issue or even in-game when Liverpool are chasing a match late on.
Ngumoha needs to be managed carefully
It must be said. Liverpool have something very special on their hands with Rio Ngumoha. That was already certain, but Monday's remarkable winner from the 16-year-old really underscored this.
Excitement is palpable, and rightfully so, but he still is so young and has so much crucial development ahead of him.
The club need to be meticulous in their handling of the youngster for the good of all parties involved.
It has been so long, but it is hard to not draw parallels between Raheem Sterling's breakthrough at Liverpool and the potential breakthrough of Ngumoha this season.
The club handled Sterling's rapid rise very well (up until the fallout with Brendan Rodgers and his ensuing exit for the Etihad) and, though it is a completely different group of managers and staff now, fans should be reasonably confident that Ngumoha will be handled in the correct manner.