Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool: Szoboszlai’s Stoppage-Time Penalty Rescues Point for Reds
Dominik Szoboszlai kept Liverpool’s unbeaten start alive with a dramatic stoppage-time penalty, cancelling out Joe Willock’s second-half strike to earn a 2-2 draw against Newcastle at St James’ Park in a game that had everything.
The Hungarian slotted home from the spot in the ninth minute of added time after Lewis Hall was penalised for felling substitute Victor Munoz, stretching Liverpool’s unbeaten run at the ground to 10 matches and denying Newcastle a first win over the Reds in some time.
It was a cruel outcome for the hosts, who had gone back in front through Willock just seconds after he came on, following Cody Gakpo’s equaliser that had cancelled out Anthony Elanga’s opener. The occasion doubled as a tribute to Kevin Keegan, with both sets of players warming up in number seven shirts in honour of the man who shaped the fortunes of both clubs, and the match itself lived up to that sentimental backdrop.
Yoane Wissa was outstanding for Newcastle throughout, while £130m signing Alexander Isak endured an uncomfortable afternoon in front of a hostile 52,630 crowd – the striker he was signed in part to replace. New Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle, only weeks into the job with a squad that may yet change further before the transfer deadline, will have taken plenty of encouragement from his side’s performance. Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, heads back to Merseyside with relief at the result but plenty to ponder.
Newcastle made the ideal start. Debutant Amar Dedic threaded a pass to Will Osula inside five minutes, and his precise ball forward sent Elanga away from Milos Kerkez to fire past Alisson Becker and in off the far post.
Liverpool responded almost immediately, with goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek producing a smart save to deny a deflected effort from Florian Wirtz. Newcastle continued to look dangerous on the counter, with Dedic and Wissa both involved in further openings before the break, while Szoboszlai’s free-kick – won after being pulled back by Wissa – crashed into the wall. Newcastle held their slender lead at half-time despite Liverpool’s greater share of possession.
The second half continued in similar fashion, with Harvey Barnes and Elanga breaking quickly for the hosts without adding to the scoreline. Gakpo then levelled matters, first curling narrowly wide before finding the target two minutes later with a skidding 25-yard drive that beat Hornicek all ends up.
Newcastle’s response was swift. Wissa’s clever footwork created the opening for Willock, on for barely a minute, to cut inside and finish smartly across Alisson to restore the hosts’ lead. Jaissle’s side continued to threaten, with substitute Jacob Ramsey dragging a volley wide and Alisson producing a crucial stop to deny Wissa one-on-one.
But there was late heartbreak for Newcastle when referee Stuart Attwell awarded a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time, to the fury of Hall, and Szoboszlai made no mistake from 12 yards to snatch a share of the spoils for Liverpool.
