Iraola's Liverpool debut ends in late drama

Andoni Iraola's first competitive match as Liverpool manager ended in a 2-2 draw at St James' Park, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a 99th-minute penalty to snatch a point. The result was a dramatic start to the Premier League season for both clubs, who began new eras under new managers.

Newcastle took the lead within five minutes when Anthony Elanga raced clear and finished past Alisson. Cody Gakpo equalised for Liverpool with a low drive from range, but Joe Willock restored Newcastle's advantage shortly after coming off the bench. With almost the last action of the game, Lewis Hall was adjudged to have fouled Victor Munoz in the penalty area, and Szoboszlai converted the resulting spot-kick with a powerful strike into the roof of the net.

Iraola, who replaced the sacked Arne Slot in the close-season, acknowledged the late goal changed the mood. "Scoring at the end probably gives you a better taste and I'm obviously happy we've recovered one point, but we had done more than enough to score that goal," he said. "If it had been earlier, probably the run of the game was for us. But I value that we never gave up." He added that he "wouldn't have signed up for this result" before the game but felt his side deserved the point and possibly more.

Newcastle's new head coach, Matthias Jaissle, was left with "mixed feelings" after seeing his team twice lead. "For me, it was no penalty," he said. "It was a really soft one. If you give that, we will see many, many penalties." Despite the disappointment, Jaissle praised his young team's performance. "When you lose two points like that, it's really hard to digest but there is also a lot of confidence and we are really proud of what we saw," he said.

Isak's hostile return

Alexander Isak made his first return to St James' Park since his British record £125 million transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool last summer. He received a hostile reception from the home fans, who booed him during the warm-up and throughout the match. Isak struggled to make an impact, and his evening was summed up when he missed a clear chance in the 70th minute.

Iraola defended the striker, saying the reception was not a surprise. "I think Alex expected a bit the atmosphere. It wasn't a big surprise for him," he said. "He has tried everything and given us good positions on the ball. I value that he has continued pushing and fighting. It's a good step for Alex."

Liverpool's midfield concerns

The draw again exposed Liverpool's vulnerability to counter-attacks, a problem that dogged them last season. Both Newcastle goals came from Liverpool losing the ball high up the pitch. Ryan Gravenberch, deployed as the deepest midfielder, was caught out of position for the first goal, and a misplaced pass led to the second.

Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, speaking on Sky Sports, reiterated his belief that the team needs a specialist defensive midfielder. "I think the team needs a defensive midfielder personally," he said. "We've been talking about the defensive midfielder at Liverpool for the past three years." He argued that the current midfielders are all naturally attacking players.

Iraola pushed back against the suggestion that a new signing is the answer. "It's not just personnel," he said. "I understand that Ryan Gravenberch is basically the number six and is on the edge of the box, and if he shoots and scores then we are saying what a play from Ryan Gravenberch. I don't want us to take that from his game but we have to adapt as a team to these situations."

Jamie Carragher was more critical, posting on Twitter after Newcastle's goals: "LFC Midfield all bombing forward happened all pre-season, madness!" and "Again! This midfield cannot work, I said it before a competitive ball was kicked."

New signings and departures

Liverpool's summer has been dominated by the need to replace Mohamed Salah, who departed to Trabzonspor, and the arrival of Florian Wirtz and Isak for a combined outlay of more than £200 million. Both players struggled to influence the game against Newcastle, prompting criticism from Gary Neville on his podcast. "The big thing for Liverpool is they've got this quarter-of-a-billion-pound front two, Isak and Wirtz and bloody hell, we've been kind to them," he said. "They're going to have to start playing sooner or later or else, to be fair, they're going to get quite a lot of criticism."

The Reds remain in the transfer market for wingers, with Bradley Barcola and Yankuba Minteh linked. Curtis Jones finalised a £30m (€35m) transfer to Inter Milan on Friday, further thinning their midfield options.

A memorable debut for Lewis Koumas

The match also saw Lewis Koumas make his Premier League debut for Liverpool, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute. The 20-year-old winger is the son of former Premier League player Jason Koumas, who was released by Liverpool as a youngster before making his name elsewhere. Koumas was on the pitch to celebrate Szoboszlai's late equaliser.

Keegan tributes and other results

Both clubs paid tribute to Kevin Keegan before the match, a player who had scored hat-tricks for both teams. Newcastle were without captain Dan Burn due to injury.

The draw leaves Liverpool in ninth place after the first round of games. Manchester City defeated Bournemouth 2-1, while Brighton thrashed Aston Villa 4-0. Liverpool's next match is against Nottingham Forest.