Liverpool salvage 2-2 draw at Newcastle as Szoboszlai converts 99th-minute penalty
Liverpool rescued a 2-2 draw at Newcastle's St James' Park on Sunday in their Premier League opening weekend match, Dominik Szoboszlai converting a 99th-minute penalty. The late spot-kick ensured the visitors left Tyneside with a point after a match in which they trailed twice.
The result contrasted with last August's dramatic finish at the same ground, when Rio Ngumoha scored a 100th-minute winner, but this time Liverpool's late goal felt more like relief than celebration. Andoni Iraola said afterwards that his side did not deserve to lose, and Newcastle recovered to earn a draw despite falling behind on two occasions at a raucous St James' Park. A defeat would have been Liverpool's first on the opening weekend since 2012-13.
Attention centred on Liverpool's high-profile summer signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, both recruited for nine-figure fees last summer; Wirtz started brightly but was withdrawn just after the hour mark following Newcastle's 2-1 lead. Isak, who was signed from Newcastle last September, had 28 touches and missed a clear chance in the second half. Both players will be expected to raise their output and their connection with the side in the weeks ahead.
Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin questioned Liverpool's performance level after the game, saying: "You're expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least but they didn't look like a top four team today. There are more players to come in, so you can't make a real decision on how their season is going to go. There's a definite lack of creativity and somehow they must get the best out of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak because you certainly didn't get the best out of them today." Iraola reflected on the match in fuller detail, saying: "It's probably not the result you want when you come in before the game but we definitely deserve this point and even more. The team has never given up and we've recovered one point and probably the taste is better because we score in the last minute." Szoboszlai added: "We will never give up. I can guarantee you that. We have to fight every time - all day long during the 90 minutes. Everybody who came off the bench also made an impact as well. We need the whole squad and we need to be ready."
The Cody Gakpo situation remained unresolved after the match, with the report noting that if Liverpool bring in two more attacking players then Gakpo may leave; the club have been linked with Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye and have had two bids rejected for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh. Gakpo was Liverpool's best player at Newcastle and "took his goal brilliantly", while Victor Munoz impressed on his Liverpool debut from the bench and won the late penalty after replacing Ngumoha. Rio Ngumoha will turn 18 next week; he had preferred to play down the left throughout his youth career and was substituted after just over an hour, a decision Iraola said reflected the youngster's struggles on the right.
Defensive shortcomings featured prominently: Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong were cited as having poor games at full-back and Liverpool were undone on the counter for both goals they conceded. The lack of a specialist defensive midfielder was highlighted when Iraola deployed Alexis Mac Allister just ahead of the back four after Joe Willock put Newcastle 2-1 up. Statistically, Liverpool "have now conceded more goals via fast breaks in all competitions than any other Premier League team since the start of last season - nine."
Iraola described the night as a "relatively positive start to life" in charge while preferring to conduct a full debrief the day after the match. The outcome leaves Liverpool with a point but with transfer-window decisions, including the Cody Gakpo conundrum, set to roll into the final week of the transfer window.
