Overall, it was a great season for Liverpool, they won against Newcastle (which was the most important thing) but they underperformed in that match.
Pre-Match
The most important thing for Liverpool in relation to the Newcastle match was to win it: (1) there was still a chance that Liverpool could have won the league & (2) it would have been a morale-boosting victory. Liverpool did win the match but they did it the hard way.
Going into the game, there was still a small chance that Liverpool could overtake Man City and win the league. Granted, it was a 1/20 or 1/25 chance (those are estimates), but the possibility was very much real. However, The Reds went into the game looking defeated. This may be explained by what had happened in the past few days - not the Crystal Palace draw per se, but the events following that draw.
There were 2 things that had happened that I did not like in the build-up to that match:
(1) Brendan Rodgers emphatically declared that the title race was over after the Crystal Palace draw. I don't think that it was only a passing despondency or that he was trying to put pressure on Man City; I think that he truly meant that. If you look at Brendan Rodgers's Body Language and listen to the Tone of his Voice following the Palace draw, the Congruency with which he made that statement speaks for itself.
(2) Talks of Brendan Rodgers extending of his contract resurfaced vehemently & disruptively during those few days. Normally, that's good news for Liverpool fans but here it had a disruptive influence given that the title race was not over. Why not wait for a few more days? The reason why FSG did not entertain negotiations on that front was supposedly not to distract Liverpool from their quest to the championship. Yet here they were already in discussions with Brendan despite the season & the title race not being over. So, it looks like everybody had pretty much given up.
I personally think that it's criminal to give up when there is still a realistic chance to win.
Brendan tried to put on a brave face in his pre-match conference for the Newcastle match, saying that that Liverpool would give their best to the last second but the belief was not there anymore. When the leader throws in the towel, then it is bound to cause negative ripples throughout the team and it did.
The Match
The Liverpool players did not play well at all. They looked defeated before even kicking the ball. Newcastle took the lead with a Skrtel own goal, but they also had another very good opportunity to make it 2-0 in that first half. At half-time, Brendan Rodgers & the players probably realised that they could not end the season on a defeat. They upped the tempo ever so slightly for the 2nd half, and capitalised on Newcastle's porous defence and abysmal defending at set-pieces to turn the match to 2-1. That's how it stayed till the end, despite Newcastle being reduced to 10 men and then later to 9.
Only 13 shots on goal (5 on target) [Newcastle had 8 Shots] with very few clear chances against an out-of-form opponent playing with 10 men for 25 mins - that's not the real Liverpool (although they had 66% Possession). Good enough for many other teams, but not for the Tsunami that are usually Liverpool (this season).
The bright light is that they won the match and finished the season on a 'small' high.
Time for Reflection
Despite looking dejected against Newcastle, Liverpool still managed to win the match, which shows that they can overcome disappointment (even if it is for a brief moment) to rustle up a victory. That victory was important for many reasons - to finish the season on a small high, to show that they can do their job in adverse conditions, to gather 84 points and to secure 2nd place. Those are good precedents for a Liverpool side that looks set to fight for the title for many years to come.
For Brendan Rodgers, it was the first time in his career that he was realistically fighting for the title or any major trophy at the highest level. He has shown that he has what it takes to succeed even if he did not win this time. Of course, he has made some mistakes along the way, like underestimating the value of great defending or giving up on the title when there was still a small chance that it could be won, but that was to be expected. As he has shown in the past, he learns from his mistakes and he comes back stronger. So next year, Liverpool will have an even better & more experienced Brendan Rodgers as manager.
This was a phenomenal season & next season promises to be even more exciting with the return of Champions League football. 2nd Place in the Premier League, 84 points, 101 league goals, Champions League football guaranteed for next season, a Phenomenal Title Challenge, a Team that is being improved sensibly but potently, 5-6 potential new players announced, a manager who is over-delivering & gradually improving, Anfield expansion going forward as planned - that's a team on the up, a manager on the up and a club on the up.