There was already a special atmosphere at St James’ Park before kick-off. Both clubs paid tribute to Kevin Keegan, who died in July at the age of 75 and had close ties to both Newcastle and Liverpool. Alexander Isak also returned to Newcastle for the first time since his £125 million move to Liverpool. Every touch from the Swede was greeted by loud whistles from the home crowd. Liverpool arrived with an impressive recent record in the fixture, having won 23 of the previous 35 meetings.
Elanga exploits Liverpool’s open spaces
Under new head coach Matthias Jaissle, Newcastle made by far the stronger start. As early as the fifth minute, Liverpool were caught without sufficient defensive cover after committing numbers forward. Will Osula released Anthony Elanga from inside his own half, and the Swede used his pace to break clear and finish for 1-0. It was Elanga’s first league goal for Newcastle and ended a personal run of 40 Premier League appearances without scoring.
Liverpool enjoyed far more possession afterwards but initially made life difficult for themselves in the final third. Florian Wirtz forced Lukas Horníček into a fine save after 18 minutes, while at the other end Alisson had to deny Osula with his foot. Liverpool particularly struggled to contain Newcastle’s pace whenever they lost possession.
Iraola highlighted exactly that issue afterwards. He said the team had spent the entire week discussing the need to finish attacks more decisively. Instead, Liverpool had tried to “overplay” certain situations early on, leaving space for Newcastle to counter dangerously.
Newcastle led 1-0 at the break, but Liverpool emerged with far greater purpose after half-time. Cody Gakpo, already one of the visitors’ biggest threats in the first half, struck from around 20 metres in the 55th minute and found the bottom corner with a precise low finish.
Willock responds almost immediately
Liverpool’s joy lasted less than three minutes. Jaissle introduced Joe Willock, and the substitute made an almost immediate impact. Yoane Wissa drove forward powerfully past several Liverpool players before finding Willock, who restored Newcastle’s lead.
Wissa in particular could then have put the game beyond Liverpool. The former Brentford forward accumulated 0.94 expected goals and passed up two excellent opportunities to make it 3-1. On one occasion he failed to convert a Lewis Hall cross, before later being denied one-on-one by Alisson. Even so, his assist for the second goal and constant threat in transition made him one of Newcastle’s standout performers. Willock, meanwhile, needed only moments after coming on to score and produced the most effective substitute appearance of the evening.
The overall numbers nevertheless strongly favoured Liverpool. The visitors had 61 per cent possession, attempted 27 shots and put seven on target. Newcastle registered 13 efforts, four of them on target. The gap was even clearer in touches inside the opposition box, 36 to 16, and passes into the final third, 160 to 75. Liverpool also led the corner count 6-2.
Liverpool were also clearly ahead in expected goals, 2.98 to 1.58. Newcastle still led deep into stoppage time largely because they attacked much more directly and efficiently in transition. Liverpool controlled possession and produced a high volume of shots, but that control did not always translate into the level of dominance the numbers might initially suggest.
Szoboszlai holds his nerve in the 99th minute
Liverpool increased the pressure late on. Isak missed a good chance on his return to his former club, while Wissa squandered another opportunity at the other end to put the result beyond doubt.
Then substitute Victor Muñoz became the decisive figure. Lewis Hall caught the Spaniard inside the penalty area in stoppage time, and referee Stuart Attwell immediately pointed to the spot. After a lengthy VAR review, the decision stood. Newcastle boss Jaissle later described the penalty as “really soft”.
Szoboszlai was unaffected by the hostile atmosphere. The Hungarian drove the penalty high into the corner in the 99th minute. Horníček guessed the right way but had no chance against the precision of the finish.
Szoboszlai later explained just how unusual the situation had been. With around 50,000 supporters against him, he said he could not even hear the referee’s whistle and had to watch Attwell closely to know when he was allowed to begin his run-up. Newcastle are an extremely difficult opponent, especially on opening day, and Liverpool now had to “take the positives” from the result, he added.
Both managers see plenty of room for improvement
Iraola was still only partly satisfied after his first competitive match as Liverpool manager. He admitted that he would not have accepted a draw before kick-off, although the point naturally felt better after such a late equaliser. Defensive protection following Liverpool attacks is likely to be one of the main areas of focus in training over the coming days.
Jaissle also spoke of “mixed feelings”. Alongside his frustration with the penalty decision, there was also pride in a young team still going through a period of transition. One problem from last season, however, remains unresolved: since the beginning of the previous campaign, Newcastle have now dropped 29 points from winning positions. Among teams from Europe’s five major leagues, only the now-relegated Wolfsburg had been more vulnerable over the same period.
Newcastle are back in action on Wednesday when they host West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup, before travelling to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday. Liverpool have slightly more time to analyse the draw: the Reds host Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday and will be looking for their first victory under Iraola.
