Szoboszlai's Late Penalty Saves Liverpool in Dramatic Opener

Andoni Iraola’s first Premier League game in charge of Liverpool ended not with a statement win, but with a roar of relief.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time salvaged a 2-2 draw at St James’ Park, after Liverpool had twice trailed against a Newcastle United side that will feel it threw away two points.

Newcastle led 1-0, then 2-1. They never killed it. Liverpool never went away.

Liverpool Rescue a Point at the Death

Anthony Elanga had put Newcastle ahead, punishing Liverpool in a game where the visitors never truly found their rhythm. The hosts, rebuilt and written off by many after a summer exodus of key players, looked sharper, hungrier, more cohesive for long spells.

Iraola, though, saw something else in his team.

"It's not the result you wanted before the game, but obviously finishing, scoring in the last minute, it gives you a better taste," the Liverpool manager 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."

The first equaliser came when Newcastle’s back line simply backed off. Early in the second half, Cody Gakpo took full advantage, stepping into space and punishing the hesitation to cancel out Elanga’s opener. It was a goal that summed up Newcastle’s evening: promising structure undone by lapses at key moments.

Newcastle responded, regained the lead, and seemed to have done enough. The clock ticked deep into added time. St James’ Park sensed a statement win to launch the Matthias Jaissle era.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

A “Soft” Penalty and a Bitter Finish

With the game almost over, Lewis Hall dived into trouble. His foul on Liverpool’s Victor Munoz in the box handed Szoboszlai the chance to rescue Iraola. The midfielder kept his nerve, and Newcastle’s two points vanished with one swing of his right foot.

For Yoane Wissa, who had run himself into the ground up front, the late twist cut deep.

"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," the Newcastle forward 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’s Newcastle pressed, broke, and battled like a side desperate to prove the doubters wrong. For 98 minutes, they looked on course to do exactly that. The 99th left their new head coach wrestling with mixed emotions.

"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."

His frustration was clear, but so was his pride in a group that has been forced into a rapid reset.

"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.

This was special, already delivering on a high level and it makes us proud. (Newcastle have) a really good base to build on."

Two New Eras, One Shared Question

For Newcastle, a point against Liverpool would have sounded acceptable before kick-off, given the churn in their squad and the low outside expectations. By full-time, it felt like a win thrown away.

For Liverpool, the mood was inverted. The performance was patchy, the defending uncertain, the control intermittent. Yet they left Tyneside with something to show for their late surge and their refusal to fold under pressure.

Iraola walked away insisting his side did not deserve defeat. Jaissle left convinced his did not deserve to be denied victory.

Both managers will find encouragement in the fight and structure their teams showed. But as the season stretches out in front of them, one question looms over both clubs: can either turn these wild, chaotic openings into something more ruthless and reliable?