Dominik Szoboszlai shines in Liverpool's draw at St James’ Park
Dominik Szoboszlai walked into the noise at St James’ Park and walked out with the ball under his arm and Liverpool’s first big question of the post-Salah era partly answered.
Who takes the penalties now? For one afternoon at least, the answer was emphatic.
Szoboszlai grabs the spotlight
Deep into a chaotic finish, with Liverpool staring at defeat, Szoboszlai stepped up from 12 yards and absolutely thrashed the ball into the top corner. No hesitation, no disguise, just power and precision. Alexander Isak watched on. So did Alexis Mac Allister. So did Cody Gakpo.
Szoboszlai later revealed this wasn’t improvisation.
“I was practising a lot in the pre-season, obviously we didn’t have any [penalties during the friendly games], but in training, so thanks to the second and third goalies to be there for me.”
The technique showed. The confidence, too.
So is the hierarchy settled now Salah has gone? Not quite, according to Andoni Iraola.
“I think we have not only Dom [Szoboszlai] and Alexander [Isak] – we have more very good specialists. Alexis [Mac Allister] also was on the pitch and he’s a very good penalty-taker, Cody [Gakpo] – we have a lot. But I think Dom showed the level. It’s an almost impossible penalty to stop.”
On this evidence, he has set the standard. Across the 90 minutes, Szoboszlai ran Liverpool’s dead-ball game as well, taking every corner and free-kick. When the match tilted towards chaos, he was the one who imposed order from the spot.
Before his equaliser, Gakpo had dragged Liverpool back into it with a superb low drive from outside the box, arrowed into the bottom corner. The Dutchman was relentless. He fired off six shots – the most by any player in Gameweek 1 so far – and his work off the ball saw him hit the DefCon threshold and walk away with 12 points.
Liverpool still took 27 shots in total, yet somehow needed a late penalty just to escape with a draw.
Isak muted, Wirtz off the pace
For Isak, this was supposed to be the emotional return, the first outing back at St James’ Park. Instead, it turned into a test of patience.
He was involved in five of Newcastle’s attacking moments, either shooting or creating, but the sharpness never quite came. A header was blocked, a decent opening from just inside the box flew over, and the mood in the stands grew edgy.
Iraola, though, saw value in the grind.
“I think he expected a little bit the atmosphere, I don’t think [it] has been a big surprise for him. I think he has tried everything, has given us good positions on the ball. [He] probably has had a couple of situations to finish inside the box, but probably not the clearest that he wanted or we wanted, but I value that. He has continued pushing on in the game, fighting, and I think it’s a good step for Alex for being the first game.”
Alongside him, Florian Wirtz struggled just as much. Used as part of a front two, the £7.5m man never really found his rhythm. He was hooked just after the hour, his afternoon summed up by an early effort that Lukas Hornicek pushed away smartly.
Liverpool had their own problems. Both full-backs laboured, while Rio Ngumoha looked uncomfortable on the right. The youngster never settled, and when Victor Munoz replaced him, the difference was stark. Munoz attacked his flank, drove at defenders and eventually won the late penalty that Szoboszlai buried.
At the back, Liverpool’s structure wobbled, even if Jeremy Jacquet emerged with some credit before tiring and coming off on 70 minutes.
“Jeremy [Jacquet] hasn’t done a proper pre-season, so it was kind of expected he didn’t finish the game.
“All the substitutes gave us energy. We need it because it’s difficult to last the full 90 minutes with the same players the way we want to play. Players coming off the bench can affect the game.”
They did. Without them, Liverpool would have left empty-handed.
Wissa leads the Jaissle charge
For all the late drama, this was a statement performance from Newcastle under Matthias Jaissle.
Anthony Elanga struck, Joe Willock came off the bench to score, but Yoane Wissa stole the show. From a No 10 role behind Will Osula, he knitted everything together. He drifted into pockets, carried the ball with purpose and repeatedly punched holes in Liverpool’s back line.
He should have scored more. He missed a couple of big chances that would have killed the game. But the way he surged forward to create Willock’s goal underlined why Jaissle has handed him such responsibility.
“With the new role he’s given me it’s given me a lot of confidence. I’m one of the leaders so I need to back him. Because on the pitch you can’t always hear him so I need to make sure the guys are on alert.
“The manager expects me to be a leader and lead the group. He wants me to be winning balls, making sure everyone is going forward, going for the kill, and sometimes just be calm. He wants me to keep up the energy. He wants a lot of energy and that’s the role he gave to me and I am very happy.”
The message is clear: Wissa is central to this new-look Newcastle. Tottenham, next weekend’s opponents, have been warned. Both Newcastle goals here came from rapid transitions, balls slid in behind, runners breaking free. Spurs will need to be braced for that tempo.
Behind Wissa, Hornicek and Amar Dedic were assured, while Lewis Miley impressed in midfield despite a limited pre-season. Newcastle looked organised, aggressive and committed to Jaissle’s high-energy blueprint.
Injuries and early questions
Not everything went Newcastle’s way. Captain Dan Burn is out for the next few weeks after suffering an ankle injury in training. He arrived at St James’ Park on crutches, a protective boot wrapped around his right leg – a jarring sight for a fanbase used to his ever-present reliability.
Osula also caused concern. After a collision, he clearly struggled but tried to play on before eventually coming off in the 56th minute. There has been no update yet, though Jaissle’s pre-match press conference before the EFL Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion should bring clarity.
So Liverpool leave with a point, rescued by a midfielder who might just be their new penalty talisman. Newcastle leave with frustration, but also with a performance that hints at something bigger under Jaissle.
If this is only the first act, what happens when Wissa starts finishing as ruthlessly as Szoboszlai?
