Dominik Szoboszlai Rescues Liverpool in Stoppage Time

Dominik Szoboszlai held his nerve deep into stoppage time to rip the noise out of St James’ Park and rescue Liverpool at the end of a wild afternoon Kevin Keegan would have recognised instantly.

Nine minutes into added time, with Newcastle seconds from a statement win, substitute Víctor Muñoz tumbled under a challenge from Lewis Hall. Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot. Hall sank to his knees in disbelief. Szoboszlai stepped up, sent his penalty low and true, and turned a home celebration into a 2-2 draw and a 10th Premier League game unbeaten for Liverpool on Tyneside.

Newcastle, who had led twice, were left staring at the turf. They had done enough. Almost.

Keegan in the stands, chaos on the pitch

This was a day built on nostalgia. Both teams emerged for the warm-up in Keegan number seven shirts, Tyneside and Merseyside briefly united to salute a man who lit fires at both clubs. The emotion was warm; the atmosphere at kick-off was anything but.

Alexander Isak, back at St James’ Park in different colours and different circumstances, walked into a wall of hostility from the 52,630 crowd. Every touch, every misstep, fed the noise.

Newcastle fed off it first.

After just five minutes, impressive debutant Amar Dedic sliced Liverpool open. Lewis Miley picked him out with a raking ball, Dedic darted forward and slipped a clever pass into Will Osula. One touch, head up, and Osula threaded a perfectly timed ball to Anthony Elanga. The Sweden international burned past Milos Kerkez and drilled a right-foot finish across Alisson Becker into the far corner.

The jeers for Isak turned instantly into rapture for Elanga. St James’ Park roared like the old days.

Liverpool stumble, Newcastle threaten

Liverpool did respond, at least in territory. They had the ball, they pushed the game high, but they were ragged. When they did break through, Lukás Hornícek stood firm, reacting sharply to claw away Florian Wirtz’s deflected strike in the 18th minute.

Newcastle, under new boss Matthias Jaissle, were not flawless either. Sloppy moments in possession invited pressure they could have avoided, but they also looked dangerous whenever they broke the press.

Miley’s sweeping pass released Dedic again on 22 minutes, his shot flicking off Kerkez and behind. Jérémy Jacquet then read Osula’s run well enough to cut out a through-ball from Yoane Wissa, who was starting to look like the sharpest forward on the pitch.

Liverpool, for all their possession, created little of substance. Szoboszlai smacked a 26th-minute free-kick straight into the wall after Wissa had tugged him back, a moment that summed up the visitors’ lack of incision. The half-time whistle arrived with Newcastle’s slim lead intact and the home crowd sensing something significant.

Gakpo hits back, Willock answers instantly

Liverpool emerged after the break with more purpose. Szoboszlai’s early corner caused a scramble, but when Newcastle broke, they really should have punished the visitors. Harvey Barnes and Elanga tore forward on the counter, yet the final pass and finish deserted them. Moments later, Miley dragged a 48th-minute effort harmlessly at Alisson.

The warning signs were there for Newcastle. They didn’t heed them.

Cody Gakpo first curled a 53rd-minute effort just over, Hornícek rooted. Two minutes later, he made no mistake. Given too much time and space 25 yards out, Gakpo stepped onto the ball and lashed a skidding drive past the Newcastle keeper. One clean strike, and Liverpool were level.

St James’ Park fell briefly silent. Then it exploded again.

Almost straight from the restart, Wissa twisted into life. The forward, turning in his best Newcastle performance since his move, danced through space on the edge of the box and slipped the ball to substitute Joe Willock, who had barely been on the pitch a matter of seconds. Willock stepped inside and whipped a precise shot across Alisson and into the far corner.

The noise was back. The momentum swung again. Keegan, watching on, could only have smiled.

Jaissle’s imprint, Iraola’s escape

Jaissle, still only weeks into the job and working with a squad that may yet change before the window closes, saw a team that looked bold and aggressive in transition. Wissa drove Liverpool’s defence backwards repeatedly, and Newcastle hunted a third.

Jacob Ramsey, off the bench, lashed a 70th-minute volley wide when he might have done better. Wissa then broke clear one-on-one, only for Alisson to stand tall and block, a huge save that kept Liverpool alive.

On the opposite bench, Andoni Iraola could only watch and fret. His side had the ball, but the structure wobbled whenever Newcastle sprang forward. He left Tyneside with a point, but also with fresh questions.

Penalty drama and a cruel twist

As the clock bled into stoppage time, Newcastle sat deeper, the energy drained from legs that had chased and harried all afternoon. Liverpool pushed, more out of desperation than design.

Then came the moment.

Muñoz, introduced late, drove into the box. Hall moved across, the slightest contact sending the substitute tumbling. To Hall’s astonishment, Attwell pointed to the spot. St James’ Park erupted in fury; Newcastle players swarmed the referee. The decision stood.

Szoboszlai took the ball, waited, and buried his penalty from 12 yards. No fuss, no flourish. Just a cold finish under maximum pressure.

Newcastle’s players slumped. Jaissle stared out, knowing how close his team had come to a signature win. Liverpool walked away relieved, still unbeaten on this ground, still with their run intact.

On a day built to remember Keegan, the football lived up to his legacy: chaotic, emotional, attacking to the last breath. If this is what Jaissle’s Newcastle and Iraola’s Liverpool look like in August, what on earth will they be by May?