Newcastle United 2-2 Liverpool: Dominik Szoboszlai rescues point in dramatic St James’ Park draw

Dominik Szoboszlai struck a stoppage-time penalty to earn Andoni Iraola a point on his first Liverpool outing as the Reds came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

In a pulsating meeting between the two, Matthias Jaissle’s Newcastle looked on course for victory after twice taking the lead, only for Lewis Hall’s 96th-minute challenge on Victor Munoz to hand Liverpool a late lifeline.

Szoboszlai made no mistake from the spot, denying Jaissle a winning start and ensuring Iraola avoided defeat in his first competitive game in charge.

Newcastle made the faster start, with the pre-match tributes to club great Kevin Keegan creating an electric atmosphere inside St James’ Park.

The hosts needed only five minutes to turn that energy into a lead. Will Osula won possession and immediately sent Anthony Elanga clear from the halfway line, with the Swedish forward racing through before calmly finishing for his first Premier League goal for Newcastle.

Liverpool’s midfield was caught too high up the pitch, leaving Osula with just the visitors’ two centre-backs to beat after receiving the initial pass from the edge of the Newcastle area.

Iraola acknowledged afterwards that Liverpool had been guilty of trying to force the game too much in possession.

“It’s something we’ve been talking about all week,” Iraola said after the game. “We have to finish more plays, we were trying to overdo things in the first phase.”

Much of the pre-match attention had centred on Alexander Isak, who was making his return to St James’ Park after enjoying an uninterrupted pre-season. However, the striker endured a difficult afternoon, with Newcastle supporters greeting his every touch with a chorus of boos.

Liverpool gradually found their rhythm after the interval and were rewarded for a brighter start to the second half when Cody Gakpo restored parity.

Ten minutes after the restart, Gakpo picked up possession and fired a precise low effort beyond Lukas Hornicek to make it 1-1.

The celebrations had barely settled when Newcastle regained their advantage.

Yoane Wissa produced one of the game’s standout moments three minutes later, beating several Liverpool players before finding Joe Willock, who finished the move to put the hosts back in front.

Newcastle continued to threaten while Liverpool searched for another response, with both sides creating half-chances during an increasingly frantic closing period.

For much of the second half, Liverpool struggled to seriously trouble the Newcastle defence, but they were handed one final opportunity deep into added time.

Hall brought down Munoz inside the penalty area in the 96th minute, giving Szoboszlai the chance to rescue Liverpool.

The Hungary international showed no hesitation, blasting the ball into the roof of the net to secure a 2-2 draw.

For Newcastle, it was a frustrating conclusion to what had otherwise been an encouraging first competitive outing under Jaissle.

The German coach praised his players for their effort and commitment despite the late disappointment.

“Hard luck, I would say. I’m really, really happy with the performance after such a short amount of time. The guys were fighting till the end, they put their heart on the pitch and this is something we said that’s not negotiable.

“That’s the standard. And together with the crowd, it was, in general, a really good performance. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the full three points. The heads are a little bit down, but they’re also realistic, they know that we had many mini challenges already.”

Iraola, meanwhile, felt Liverpool had done enough to avoid defeat and credited his substitutes with providing the energy required to fight back.

“I don’t think we deserve to lose the game and I value the effort from the players. I haven’t looked at the stats, but I’m sure we will have more chances, more everything.

“I think the players coming from the bench gave us energy. I don’t know if they played better, worse, but they gave us energy. And you can feel the way we want to play, everyone is not going to last 90 minutes. So we need this energy from the ones coming from the bench and I think today it happened.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Newcastle United vs Liverpool score?

Newcastle United drew 2-2 with Liverpool at St James’ Park, with Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock scoring for the hosts and Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai finding the net for Liverpool.

Who scored Liverpool’s late penalty against Newcastle?

Dominik Szoboszlai converted Liverpool’s 96th-minute penalty after Lewis Hall brought down Victor Munoz.

Who are Liverpool’s next home Premier League fixtures?

Liverpool’s next three home fixtures are against Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Manchester City.

Can I buy Liverpool hospitality packages?

Yes. Eventmasters offers Liverpool hospitality packages for selected fixtures at Anfield, with options including premium seating and hospitality lounge experiences.