‘It’s like being punched in the stomach’ – Beresford still haunted by Newcastle’s 4-3 defeat to Liverpool 29 years on

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IT took a decade before John Beresford could stomach a re-watch — and 29 years on it still ‘haunts’ him.The Newcastle legend, 58, will be at Anfield tonight to see his former side face leaders Liverpool.John Beresford was part of the Newcastle side that finished second in 1996GettyReutersStan Collymore scored a stoppage time winner in Liverpool’s 4-3 classic vs Newcastle[/caption]And one-time left-back Beresford enjoyed many memorable moments in the black and white as part of Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers.Yet despite some famous wins — such as a 5-0 triumph over Manchester United — there is one defeat in particular he gets asked about most.Keegan’s Magpies were ten points clear at Christmas in 1995 but blew the title after surrendering their lead to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils.A pivotal moment in that slump occurred on April 3, 1996 when they went toe-to-toe with Liverpool in a match decided in the final seconds by Stan Collymore.To this day, that 4-3 Anfield defeat makes Beresford feel “horrible”, even if it was voted the Premier League’s greatest match.Speaking exclusively to SunSport via BetSelect, the Toon fan favourite said: “I still get haunted by it.“It’s a bittersweet thing as I’m reminded about it so many times.“People used to say to me it got voted the best game in the Premier League and I was just like, ‘Whatever’.JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS“About ten years after I retired I was in a gym and it came up on Sky Sports Gold — and I thought, ‘I’m gonna watch it’.“I got on an exercise bike, then couldn’t take my eyes off it but it was just horrible. “It was interesting to watch it from the outside. It was hypnotic. But, I have to admit, it got to the last minute and I just couldn’t watch.”Robbie Fowler fired Liverpool into the lead after two minutes before Les Ferdinand and David Ginola put Newcastle 2-1 up. Fowler equalised early in the second half but Faustino Asprilla restored Toon’s advantage.Collymore drew Liverpool level as this thriller looked set to end with honours even — until the former England striker struck a killer blow deep in stoppage time.Beresford said: “I remember the goal clearly. I remember falling over. I tripped when John Barnes goes through and, as I get up, he rolls it to Collymore who smashes it in.“I felt sick and just couldn’t believe what had happened. It’s like being punched in the stomach.“It was the weirdest sensation as it’s the only time in a game where I thought, ‘That just doesn’t seem right’. How did we get beat? We had actually played really well.“Les even had a couple of great chances towards the end to go for us, you know, for when we went 3-2 up. I knew what the gaffer was like when he was in that mood.“Most managers would shut up shop and get people behind the ball but we just didn’t have those players.“Kevin just wouldn’t do it that way. You keep going and you score.“Even people who usually could slow it down with professional fouls couldn’t, it was that open.“There would be a shot, the keeper would save it… and then there would be a breakaway again.”Beresford continued: “Because of the Liverpool history of Kevin Keegan and Terry McDermott, there was always a buzz when we went to them and we’d always done okay.“Kevin just went beforehand, ‘Right, come on boys, this is where we can show everybody what we are’.“He never liked long Churchillian speeches. It was always just a little comment here and there and this was like, ‘We’re going for it’.”However, even Keegan was lost for words at the end of this one as their title dreams faded away.Beresford said: “It was the weirdest thing I had ever come across afterwards in the dressing room.“It was silence — absolute silence. I’m thinking that Kevin was going  to flip, because he could, he could give you a right b******ing.“But he didn’t say anything. It was the first time he’d been like that. I don’t think he knew what to say and was as distraught as we were.”United went on to lift the title as Newcastle finished second and a few months later Keegan had resigned.Beresford revealed: “A couple of years later, I bumped into Jamie Redknapp and he said Liverpool were devastated they beat us because they hated Manchester United.“Looking back, am I devastated we lost the league? Absolutely. Honestly, it still hurts now thinking about it.“But the part of it that I love is not that we came second — but we’re still talking about it now.”GettyBeresford admitted the defeat still hurts now[/caption]