Liverpool struck late from the penalty spot to salvage a 2-2 draw away at Newcastle United on Sunday in the Premier League debuts of new managers Matthias Jaissle and Andoni Iraola.
The Magpies needed just five minutes to draw first blood, with Anthony Elanga applying a cool finishing touch to a breakneck counter-attack.
Liverpool drew level 10 minutes into the second half thanks to a wonderfully precise effort from distance by Cody Gakpo. However, just two minutes later, Newcastle were back in the lead thanks to Joe Willock, who curled an excellent finish beyond Alisson just 110 seconds after coming onto the pitch.
But there was still time for one more twist, with Dominik Szoboszlai dispatching a 99th-minute penalty, won by debutant Victor Munoz, who was felled in the box by Lewis Hall.
A tale of two managers: Jaissle enjoys fluidity as Iraola’s forced to battle
Two managers making their debuts at their new clubs went head-to-head today, but one enjoyed his day far more than the other.
Matthias Jaissle is something of an unknown in English football, having spent the last three years in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ahli, so you can understand the initial trepidation from some Newcastle supporters.
Those fans might be feeling a little better about their side’s prospects after a dynamic performance, full of quality and intensity.
Right from the first whistle, Newcastle were in Liverpool’s faces, not giving the Merseysiders a single second to try to get a foothold in the game. The Magpies battled hard, and when they did turn the ball over, their only thought was to race forward with their devastatingly fast forwards.
That was exactly how the opening goal came about, with William Osula and Elanga catching the Reds short at the back from their own attack — the latter scoring his first Premier League goal for the club on the opening weekend, having gone 32 league matches without a strike for the Magpies last season.
By contrast, Andoni Iraola arrives at Anfield with relatively high expectations following his success in leading Bournemouth into Europe for the first time. At the very least, there are no doubts regarding what style and quality he’ll look to bring to Liverpool.
Neither commodity was really on show at St. James’ Park on Sunday, however. Yes, Gakpo’s equaliser was a moment of magic, but it was very much a brief flash in a performance that lacked urgency, quality and, at times, basic organisation.
At times, Virgil van Dijk was attempting to be a one-man wall to stop Newcastle’s counter-attacks and endless crosses into the box. That all three Liverpool midfielders were caught upfield on the opening goal to leave their defence stranded only exemplified how disjointed this performance was.
Of course, this is game one. There are 37 to go this season and adjusting to a new manager is always going to take time. However, Iraola will at least expect his side to vastly improve the basics when they host Nottingham Forest next week.
The Spaniard can, however, take great heart in the fact that his side kept going until the end to salvage a point. Jaissle, meanwhile, must figure out how to help his side see games out after a wonderful performance was ruined.
A tale of two strikers: Isak flounders as Wissa spearheads Newcastle
There has been vast transfer movement at both Newcastle and Liverpool this summer, but it was the headliners from last year that wrote the stories on Sunday.
Neither Yoane Wissa nor Alexander Isak enjoyed their debut seasons at their new clubs in 2025/26.
The former scored just once in the Premier League and three times overall in 28 appearances after trading Brentford for Newcastle. The latter, meanwhile, managed just three Premier League strikes and four overall in 22 appearances after swapping Tyneside for Merseyside, with a broken leg further hindering his progress.
Wissa and Isak had very different experiences on Sunday, and will leave St. James’ Park with vastly contrasting emotions.
Wissa was the spearhead for Newcastle, starting out in the No.10 position before moving into the striker role later in the piece. The DR Congo international provided the assist for Willock’s strike in the second half, but that was only one moment in an excellent performance that yielded four shots, 40 touches, three passes into the final third, three line-breaking passes and 11 duels won from 18 contested.
The diminutive striker was brought off in second-half stoppage time to a rare standing ovation from the Newcastle supporters, in what was arguably his best performance yet in a black and white shirt.
By contrast, Isak was jeered and booed at every single opportunity by the Newcastle supporters as he finally faced the club for the first time since his controversial transfer.
The pressure applied from the stands appeared to get to Isak, who missed two big chances and failed to score from four shots worth 1.03 xG. The Sweden international did create one chance, but was also unsuccessful with all three dribble attempts, and passed up the opportunity to score the last-gasp equaliser, allowing Dominik Szoboszlai to take the penalty.
But for all that, it will be Isak going home with a smile on his face and Wissa frustrated as yet more late drama in this fixture saw Liverpool grab a point from the spot at the death.
Newcastle vs Liverpool: Five key stats
- Anthony Elanga scored his first Premier League goal for Newcastle in his 33rd appearance in the competition.
- Cody Gakpo now has five Premier League direct goal involvements against Newcastle (3g, 2a), only managing more against Tottenham (3g, 3a) in the competition.
- Joe Willock scored just 110 seconds after coming onto the pitch.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 14 opening-day Premier League matches: WWWWDWWWWDDWWWD.
- Newcastle vs Liverpool is now the second-highest scoring Premier League fixture of all time with 202 goals. Only Liverpool vs Tottenham has produced more goals (211).