Liverpool striker Luis Suarez scores the equalizer against Newcastle after evading Fabricio Coloccini and goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Story highlights

Luis Suarez's 10th goal this season earns Liverpool a 1-1 draw with Newcastle

Striker cancels out Yohan Cabaye's opener; also involved as Fabricio Coloccini sees red

Napoli's Italian title hopes suffer setback after conceding late equalizer against Torino

Bayer Leverkusen move up to fourth place in Germany despite having a player sent off

CNN  — 

Luis Suarez may have been the villain of Liverpool’s 2011-12 season, but the Uruguay striker is doing his best to make amends in another difficult start to this English Premier League campaign.

The fallout from Suarez’s eight-match suspension for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra ultimately led to Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish losing his job as manager in May.

His successor Brendan Rogers is under increasing pressure after the club’s worst start to a season in more than a century, but Suarez’s inspirational performance in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with 10-man Newcastle helped prevent a fourth defeat in 10 EPL games.

His second-half equalizer – a superb display of control for his 10th goal this season after chesting down a long pass and rounding the keeper – lifted the 18-time English champions up to 12th in the table.

The confrontational Suarez is never far from the headlines, having been accused by several opposition managers of diving and going to ground too easily.

Such was his combative presence on Sunday that he lured visiting defender Fabricio Coloccini – a fellow South American from neighboring Argentina – into a rash challenge that earned a red card.

While Liverpool couldn’t capitalize on that advantage, Rodgers was grateful for another virtuoso show from Suarez – who also scored in last weekend’s Merseyside derby draw with Everton, when he had a late winner wrongly ruled out for offside.

“I thought he was unplayable. Coloccini getting sent off was frustration,” said Rodgers, whose team trailed to Yohan Cabaye’s strike just before halftime.

“I don’t think he could get near him today, and he’s a good defender, Coloccini.

“Suarez is so bright, so clever, he’s a world-class striker. On that form today he really frustrates and provokes defenders. He has a hunger for the game, he has a hunger for goals.”

It was, however, Liverpool’s fifth draw this season and followed a humiliating 3-1 midweek League Cup defeat at home to Rodgers’ former club Swansea – when Suarez also scored.

“Once we can turn those draws into wins by converting the chances … but that’s about players, the type of players you need. If we can get that over the next couple of (transfer) windows it bodes really well for us,” said Rodgers, who was criticized for his lack of top signings in August while allowing England striker Andy Carroll to leave for West Ham.

The result left Newcastle in 10th place, and came at a cost of injuries to midfielder Cabaye, defender James Perch and top scorer Demba Ba.

Meanwhile, Queens Park Rangers moved off the bottom after a 1-1 draw at home to Reading in Sunday’s other EPL game.

French striker Djibril Cisse scored a second-half equalizer that will lift some of the pressure on his manager Mark Hughes, though both teams remained in the bottom three.

In Italy’s Serie A, Napoli failed to capitalize on Juventus’ first defeat in 50 matches, being held 1-1 at home by Torino on Sunday despite a sixth-minute goal from Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani.

Substitute Gianluca Sansone leveled in time added on to leave Napoli – beaten by Atalanta in midweek – in third place, five points behind leaders Juve.

Fiorentina moved up to fourth after a 4-1 win at home to Cagliari, while Lazio went in the other direction after a 4-0 defeat by seventh-placed Catania.

In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen moved up to fourth place after beating Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-2 despite having midfielder Simon Rolfes sent off just over a minute after he came on.

Leverkusen went 3-1 ahead straight after the substitute’s 65th-minute dismissal and held on against a team that is battling to avoid an immediate return to the second division.

Werder Bremen beat Mainz 2-1 in Sunday’s other Bundesliga fixture, with two goals from Aaron Hunt lifting his team to seventh place and above the visitors on goal difference.

In Spain’s La Liga, Levante moved up to fifth after a 0-0 draw with seventh-placed Sevilla on Sunday.

Real Betis can reclaim that position with a draw at Getafe on Monday.

Valladolid claimed eighth spot with a 1-0 win at bottom club Osasuna while Espanyol won 1-0 in a clash with fellow strugglers Real Sociedad.

Deportivo la Coruna joined Sociedad and Celta Vigo on 10 points from 10 games after beating Mallorca 1-0, while Athletic Bilbao moved above that group to 14th with a 2-1 win at Grenada thanks to two goals from Aritz Aduriz.