Szoboszlai Saves Liverpool in Dramatic St James’ Park Clash

Andoni Iraola’s Premier League debut as Liverpool manager was seconds from ending in defeat when Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up and ripped up the script.

Nine minutes into stoppage time at St James’ Park, with Newcastle United clinging to a 2-1 lead and the home crowd already tasting a statement opening-day win, Lewis Hall clipped Victor Munoz in the box. Szoboszlai buried the penalty. 2-2. A point snatched from a game Liverpool had spent long spells chasing rather than controlling.

Iraola didn’t pretend it was what he came for. But he was in no mood to accept that his side had deserved to leave empty-handed.

“It’s not the result you wanted before the game, but obviously finishing, scoring in the last minute, it gives you a better taste,” he said. “I don’t think we deserve to lose the game today. I value the effort from the players, they never gave up, and at the end it arrived, and we could recover at least one point.”

Liverpool Twice Peg Newcastle Back

Newcastle, reshaped and written off by many after a summer exodus of star names, twice had Liverpool where they wanted them.

Anthony Elanga struck first, punishing Liverpool in the opening half and giving Matthias Jaissle the perfect platform in his first league match in charge. The visitors struggled to impose themselves, and the mood inside St James’ Park turned from cautious to buoyant as the minutes ticked by.

The second half brought a different tempo. Liverpool pushed higher, moved the ball quicker, and Newcastle’s back line, so disciplined early on, began to retreat.

The pressure told. Cody Gakpo levelled, with Newcastle’s defence standing off and paying the price as the Dutchman cancelled out Elanga’s opener. It felt like a turning point, a chance for Liverpool to seize control.

Instead, Newcastle punched back. They went 2-1 up, re-igniting the noise and belief in the stands and on the touchline. For a side in transition, this was starting to look like the perfect response to a turbulent summer.

Then came the chaos of stoppage time.

Hall’s Late Lapse Costs Newcastle

As the clock bled into the ninth minute of added time, Newcastle were almost there. They had survived Liverpool’s late push, cleared crosses, blocked shots, and looked set to bank three precious points and a powerful message to the rest of the league.

One moment undid it.

Hall’s challenge on Munoz in the area, with the game all but done, handed Liverpool one last lifeline. Szoboszlai didn’t blink. His spot-kick silenced St James’ Park and turned a famous win into a frustrating draw.

For Yoane Wissa, who had poured himself into the contest up front for Newcastle, the emotions were raw.

“It’s rough, especially 30 seconds before the end of the game, but that’s a huge step for us. That’s the mentality we need to have through the season,” he said. “The manager (Matthias Jaissle) came three weeks ago and gave us a lot of information, now we show on the pitch we are ready for the season. We needed this win to make a statement, but in the end we draw. We have so much to work on.”

Jaissle: Pride, Frustration and a ‘Soft’ Decision

Jaissle, only three weeks into the job, stood between satisfaction and irritation. His young, unfancied side had gone toe-to-toe with Liverpool and led twice. They had shown structure, intensity and resilience in what many on Tyneside would have accepted as a bonus fixture given the upheaval of recent months.

Then the referee pointed to the spot.

“It was indeed a game of mixed feelings, especially in the end when you get a decision, two points away, it is really hard to digest,” Jaissle admitted. “For me it is a really soft penalty as you call it here, if you give these penalties then you need to give a lot in the season.”

He didn’t hide his annoyance at the call, but he refused to let it drown out what he had just seen from his squad.

“There is also a lot of confidence and we are really proud of what we saw, the young lads were doing an amazing job with all the challenges of a transition period,” he said. “This was special, already delivering on a high level and it makes us proud. (Newcastle have) a really good base to build on.”

Iraola, by contrast, walked away knowing his team had escaped. The performance was patchy, the defending uncertain, the control intermittent. Yet the fight was there, and Szoboszlai’s cold-blooded finish gave his reign something to build from rather than explain away.

Newcastle left the pitch with two points gone and a sense of injustice. Liverpool left with a warning about the work still to be done under Iraola.

Both, though, walked off with a clearer picture of what they might become this season.