Liverpool rescued a point in their opening game of the new Premier League season after netting a 99th-minute equaliser against Newcastle at St James Park. Dominik Szoboszlai fired home from the penalty spot with just seconds remaining after Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock had scored either side of a Cody Gakpo strike. Both sides were ushering in new eras, with the hosts welcoming Matthias Jaissle in the dugout and Andoni Iraola taking charge of the Reds in the top flight for the first time. And it proved to be a thrilling game in the North East an open contest between two teams with managers eager to quickly endear themselves to their respective fanbases. Table of ContentsMagpies fly out the blocksA thrilling second halfMagpies fly out the blocksWith the atmosphere already electric on a day when both sets of supporters paid tribute to the late Kevin Keegan, the noise inside St James Park was ramped up in no small way with just five minutes gone when Newcastle broke the deadlock.Just seconds after Liverpool saw a promising move filter out in the Magpies box, the hosts burst upfield, William Osula carrying the ball before playing in Elanga, who finished confidently past Alisson.Lukas Hornicek in the Newcastle goal then did well to keep out Florian Wirtzs bobbling effort as the Reds looked to get back into the contest. A thrilling second halfHaving gone into the break behind, Iraolas side began the second period positively, with Hornicek poking away a header from former Newcastle man Alexander Isak from a Liverpool corner. Gakpo then saw a fierce effort fly narrowly over the bar. It proved to be something of a sighter. Moments later, the Dutch international found space on the edge of the Newcastle area before unleashing a low drive that beat Hornicek and nestled into the corner of the net. Momentum was firmly in the visitors favour. However, just minutes after conceding, another Newcastle counter saw Yoane Wissa somehow wriggle through several Reds players in the middle of the pitch before playing in Willock. The substitute, still with plenty to do, engineered a yard of space before bending a fine effort past Alisson to restore the hosts advantage. Wissa perhaps should then have capped off his impressive performance by extending the lead but he failed to connect with Lewis Halls low cross. At the other end, Isak blasted a wild strike high over the goal much to the delight of the Newcastle faithful. With five minutes remaining, Wissa had another good chance to make the points safe, but again the striker could not capitalise and Alisson was quick to smother the danger. But just when it looked like Newcastle were set to record a famous victory, Liverpool substitute Victor Munoz went down under what looked like a tired lunge from Hall deep into stoppage time.The referee pointed to the spot and Szoboszlai duly converted the resulting penalty to salvage a point for the visitors and leave the hosts deflated. Topics Liverpool F.C. Newcastle United F.C. Premier League Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read WATCH: Elanga breaks deadlock for Newcastle against Liverpool 101 GreatGoals 23rd August, 2026 LIVE Newcastle v Liverpool: Commentary, updates, goals and stats Jon Fisher 21st August, 2026 Newcastle vs Liverpool: Line-ups confirmed at St James Park Mitch Fretton 23rd August, 2026 Manchester City v Bournemouth: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch Nicholas McGee 23rd August, 2026 De Zerbi: Tottenham were not ready to fight in desperate Brentford defeat Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026 Brentford 3-0 Tottenham: Big-spending Spurs slump to dismal opening defeat Nicholas McGee 22nd August, 2026
