Dominik Szoboszlai's Late Penalty Secures Draw for Liverpool

Dominik Szoboszlai walked towards the Gallowgate End with the game on the line and the noise at full tilt. No Mohamed Salah. No Alexander Isak. Just Liverpool’s new No 8, a dead ball and a question.

He answered it with violence.

The Hungarian’s late penalty, rifled into the top corner, salvaged a 2-2 draw for Liverpool at St James’ Park and may have settled the club’s first post-Salah spot-kick debate in the process.

Szoboszlai takes charge

There was never a hint of doubt in the strike. Szoboszlai, priced at £7.0m in FPL terms, stepped up and hammered the ball where no goalkeeper could reach. It was the finish of a player who has been waiting for this exact moment.

“I was practising a lot in the pre-season… in training, so thanks to the second and third goalies to be there for me,” he said afterwards.

The surprise was not that Liverpool got the penalty. It was that Isak, back at St James’ Park and on the pitch, didn’t take it.

Andoni Iraola played it cool.

“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.”

Szoboszlai’s influence stretched far beyond that single kick. He owned Liverpool’s set pieces, taking every corner and free-kick, and dictated much of their dead-ball threat.

Before his equaliser, Gakpo had dragged Liverpool back into the game with a superb drilled effort from outside the box, arrowing into the bottom corner. The Dutchman was relentless: six shots, more than any other player in Gameweek 1 so far, and enough defensive work to trigger the DefCon threshold and finish on 12 points. He was everywhere Liverpool needed him to be.

Isak muted, Wirtz off the pace

For Isak, this was supposed to be a triumphant return to Tyneside. It never quite caught fire.

Newcastle’s No 9 was involved in five of their attacking moments – either shooting or creating – but it was a day of half-chances and half-moments. A header blocked. A shot ballooned over from just inside the box. The crowd wanted a statement. What they got was industry and frustration.

Iraola defended him.

“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… 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 (£7.5m) struggled to impose himself. Used as part of a front two, he was hooked just after the hour, his most notable moment a decent early effort that Lukas Hornicek (£5.0m) turned away.

Liverpool had their own disappointments. Both full-backs laboured, and Rio Ngumoha (£6.0m) never looked settled on the right. His replacement, Victor Munoz (£6.0m), immediately offered more direct running and drew the late penalty that Szoboszlai buried.

At the back, Liverpool’s shape felt fragile, yet Jeremy Jacquet (£5.0m) emerged with credit. He defended with composure before being withdrawn on 70 minutes.

“Jeremy [Jacquet] hasn’t done a proper pre-season, so it was kind of expected he didn’t finish the game,” Iraola explained. “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. And Liverpool needed every ounce of it.

Wissa at the heart of Newcastle’s new look

For all the late drama, this was a statement performance from Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle.

They led twice. They ran hard. They countered with purpose.

Anthony Elanga (£6.0m) and substitute Joe Willock (£5.0m) scored the goals, but Yoane Wissa (£6.0m) stole the show. Stationed in a No 10 role behind Will Osula (£6.0m), Wissa knitted attacks together, drove at defenders and repeatedly stretched Liverpool on the break.

He missed a couple of big chances, yes, but he was the heartbeat of Jaissle’s new system, carrying the ball brilliantly to set up Willock’s strike. His words afterwards told you everything about his status in this side.

“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… 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.”

On this evidence, Tottenham will have their hands full next weekend. Both Newcastle goals came from fast breaks, and the speed of those transitions will punish any high line that switches off for a second.

Behind Wissa, Hornicek and Amar Dedic (£4.5m) were assured, while Lewis Miley (£5.5m) impressed in midfield, particularly notable given his limited pre-season minutes. Newcastle looked like a side already buying into their new manager’s demands.

Injury concerns and what comes next

Not everything went Newcastle’s way.

Club captain Dan Burn (£5.0m) is out for the next few weeks with an ankle injury picked up in training. He arrived at St James’ Park on crutches, a protective boot on his right leg, and his absence will reshape Jaissle’s defensive options just as the season starts to build rhythm.

Osula also raised concern. He appeared to struggle after a collision but pushed through until the 56th minute before being withdrawn. No update has been given yet, but with West Bromwich Albion awaiting in the EFL Cup in midweek, Jaissle is likely to face questions on his fitness before that tie.

So Liverpool leave with a point they had to drag out of the fire, their new penalty-taker seemingly established and their defensive flaws still exposed. Newcastle walk away frustrated but emboldened, their new era already carrying a clear identity.

If this is what Jaissle’s Newcastle look like in week one, what happens once the finishing catches up with the football?