Dominik Szoboszlai shines in Liverpool's draw at Newcastle
Dominik Szoboszlai walked towards the Gallowgate End with St James’ Park howling at him and the clock almost gone. No Mohamed Salah. No debate. Just a £7.0m midfielder with the game – and perhaps Liverpool’s new penalty hierarchy – in his hands.
He didn’t blink.
He thrashed the ball into the top corner, an “almost impossible penalty to stop,” as Andoni Iraola later put it, and Liverpool escaped with a point they barely deserved, yet never stopped chasing, in a wild 2-2 draw.
Szoboszlai stakes his claim
This wasn’t a gentle, opening-day spot-kick. This was a pressure cooker. Away from home. Hostile. Late. And Szoboszlai owned it.
“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 work showed. The technique was flawless, the conviction even more so.
The obvious question followed: is this the answer to Liverpool’s post-Salah penalty riddle? Or did Alexander Isak, on his emotionally charged return to St James’ Park, simply step aside?
Iraola was careful to widen the frame.
“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.”
On this evidence, Szoboszlai has planted a flag. Beyond the penalty, he ran Liverpool’s dead-ball operation, taking every corner and free-kick. He looked like the designated man.
Before his equaliser, Gakpo had dragged Liverpool back into the contest with a precise, drilled finish from outside the box, low into the corner. The Dutchman was relentless: six shots, the most by any player in Gameweek 1 so far, and a full haul of defensive contribution points to reach 12 in total. He buzzed around the edge of the area, always looking to pull the trigger.
Liverpool as a whole fired off 27 shots. The volume was there. The control, less so.
Isak and Wirtz struggle on big return
For Isak, this was supposed to be a statement afternoon. Back at St James’ Park, back in front of a fanbase that once adored him. Instead, it became a grind.
He was involved in five of Newcastle’s attacking moments, either shooting or creating, but nothing quite clicked. A header was blocked, another effort ballooned over from just inside the box. The noise from the stands never really turned into momentum for him.
“I think he expected a little bit the atmosphere… I think he has tried everything, has given us good positions on the ball,” Iraola said. “He has had a couple of situations to finish inside the box, but probably not the clearest that he wanted or we wanted… He has continued pushing on in the game, fighting, and I think it’s a good step for Alex for being the first game.”
Florian Wirtz, priced at £7.5m and deployed alongside Isak in a front two, fared no better. Hooked just after the hour, he had one early sight of goal, denied by a sharp stop from Lukas Hornicek, but drifted out of the contest as Liverpool tightened up around him.
Others in red laboured too. Both full-backs looked off the pace, while Rio Ngumoha struggled badly down the right, never quite settling against the speed and aggression of Newcastle’s press. His replacement, Victor Munoz, immediately brought more thrust and ended up winning the decisive late penalty.
At the back, Liverpool wobbled. The line looked ragged at times and they were repeatedly exposed on the break. Jeremy Jacquet, though, emerged with some credit. The £5.0m defender held things together as best he could 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. Munoz won the penalty. The bench tilted the game back towards Liverpool when it looked lost.
Wissa shines in Jaissle’s new Newcastle
For all the late frustration, Newcastle under Matthias Jaissle looked like a team with an idea and a cutting edge in transition.
Anthony Elanga struck first, Joe Willock came off the bench to score the second, but the performance belonged to Yoane Wissa.
Nominally a No 10 behind Will Osula, Wissa roamed, linked, and drove Newcastle forward. He missed a couple of big chances, yes, but he constantly found pockets of space and combined smartly with Osula, who stretched Liverpool’s back line with his runs in behind.
The standout moment came on the break, Wissa carrying the ball with real purpose before feeding Willock for Newcastle’s second. It was everything Jaissle wants from him.
“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,” Wissa said. “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.”
Energy won’t be a problem. On this showing, Wissa will be a major threat against Tottenham Hotspur next weekend. Both Newcastle goals came from quick, ruthless counters, and Spurs will know they cannot afford to leave the back door open.
Behind Wissa, Hornicek and Amar Dedic were steady, Hornicek making that key save from Wirtz and dealing calmly with Liverpool’s aerial bombardment. In midfield, Lewis Miley, fresh from a limited pre-season, impressed with his composure and range of passing. He did not look short of rhythm.
Injury clouds for Newcastle
Not everything went Newcastle’s way.
Captain Dan Burn is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury in training. He arrived at St James’ Park on crutches and in a protective boot, a stark image for a side about to enter a heavy run of fixtures.
Osula also caused a scare. He appeared to be struggling after a collision but pushed on until the 56th minute before finally making way. There was no immediate update, but with an EFL Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion in midweek, Jaissle’s next press conference should provide clarity.
So Newcastle walk away with two points dropped, a late equaliser conceded, and a captain injured. Yet they also leave with a clear attacking identity, a revitalised Wissa, and a system that unsettled Liverpool.
And Liverpool? They leave with questions about their defending, but perhaps one big answer from 12 yards.
