Newcastle led twice and were 99 minutes from beating Liverpool. Then Lewis Hall went to ground
Elanga inside five minutes, Willock two minutes after Gakpo's equaliser, and St James' Park was ready to celebrate a new manager's debut. Szoboszlai's stoppage-time penalty took it away.
Two managers made their league debuts at St James' Park and one of them nearly got the perfect start. Anthony Elanga scored inside five minutes, punishing a Liverpool midfield that had committed too many bodies forward too early.
Liverpool came out better after the break and Cody Gakpo levelled on 55, set up by Ryan Gravenberch. Two minutes later Joe Willock put Newcastle back in front, and from there it was a matter of holding on.
Nine minutes of stoppage time, and one lunge
In the 96th minute Lewis Hall went in on substitute Victor Munoz inside the Newcastle box. Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot, VAR looked at it, and after a long wait Dominik Szoboszlai put it into the top corner. The clock read 99 minutes.
Matthias Jaissle called the decision really soft, which is what you say when your side has just been caught at the very end. He was happier with the rest: "I'm really happy with the performance. The guys were fighting till the end."
Andoni Iraola pointed at his substitutes: "Players from the bench gave us energy. Everyone won't last 90 minutes." On a day when Liverpool had 27 shots and saw sixteen of them blocked, that is the honest reading — they never quite found the clean route through.
Newcastle did the hard part well
Thirteen shots from 39.2% of the ball, four on target and two goals is a good day's work. Yoane Wissa was a constant problem, Elanga finished the one chance that mattered early, and five yellow cards is the price of a game defended at that pitch.
Match facts
- 5' — Anthony Elanga (Newcastle)
- 55' — Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), assisted by Ryan Gravenberch
- 57' — Joe Willock (Newcastle)
- 90+9' — Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool), penalty
- Penalty awarded for Lewis Hall's challenge on Victor Munoz, confirmed by VAR
| Stat | Newcastle United | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 39.2% | 60.8% |
| Total shots | 13 | 27 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 7 |
| Shots blocked | 4 | 16 |
| Passes completed | 222 (75.8%) | 370 (84.1%) |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.43 | 2.73 |
| Corners | 2 | 6 |
| Fouls conceded | 16 | 15 |
| Offsides | 2 | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 3 |
What's next
Newcastle go to Tottenham on Saturday 29 August, against a side that has its own reasons to be angry after opening weekend. Liverpool host Nottingham Forest the same day — a point from St James' Park is not a bad start for Iraola, but it will not feel like one for a while.
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