Reds Relapse: Newcastle 1, Liverpool 0

Liverpool visited Newcastle on Halloween weekend and looked dreadful as they sputtered to a dull 1-0 defeat at the hands of Alan Pardew's Magpies. Liverpool's attack produced little and the defense coughed up another mistake goal, making this a match to forget. With the Real Madrid game right around the corner, the moving on process thankfully won't last a full week.

Liverpool lined up without Fabio Borini in the starting eleven despite his contributions in the cup, with Brendan Rodgers instead allowing Mario Balotelli to play up top on his own. Glen Johnson retained his place in the side and Steven Gerrard slid his way back into the midfield.

The first half was, as the announcers put it, one of the most boring football spectacles that we'd seen in a long time. Besides a goal line clearance from Glen Johnson and a half chance for Martin Skrtel on the other end, neither team created any chances. Liverpool's passing was generally poor, although Steven Gerrard looked reinvigorated after being rested against Swansea.

Liverpool failed to improve after half time, and Newcastle found a breakthrough in the 73rd minute through Ayoze Perez. The ball fell to Alberto Moreno in the box, and he allowed Perez to easily dispossess him and score to break the deadlock. Newcastle almost found a second goal four minutes later when Perez and Remy Cabella broke into Liverpool's half for a two on one opportunity, but Mignolet did well to deny Cabella's open shot.

This was a dismal game that I won't dwell on too long, and hopefully you enjoyed your weekend otherwise. Look out for our Madrid coverage later today.