Dominik Szoboszlai's Late Penalty Secures Liverpool Draw Against Newcastle
Dominik Szoboszlai held his nerve deep into stoppage time to rip the points out of Newcastle’s hands and keep Liverpool’s unbeaten run at St James’ Park alive in a game Kevin Keegan would have recognised instantly.
The Hungary midfielder buried a 99th-minute penalty in front of a stunned home crowd, salvaging a 2-2 draw after Lewis Hall was penalised for a challenge on substitute Victor Munoz. Newcastle’s players protested, Hall looked bewildered, but Stuart Attwell pointed straight to the spot and Szoboszlai did the rest.
For Newcastle, it felt like daylight robbery.
They thought they had the game won when Joe Willock stepped off the bench and scored with his first real involvement, just seconds after Cody Gakpo had dragged Liverpool level. Instead, they walked away with only a point on a day that had promised so much.
Keegan tributes, old scars, and a hostile homecoming
Tyneside and Merseyside had come together before kick-off to celebrate Keegan, the man who electrified both clubs. Both teams warmed up in number seven shirts, the tribute emotional, the applause generous.
The mood changed the moment the whistle went.
Alexander Isak, back at St James’ Park as a £130 million Liverpool forward, was targeted from the first touch. Every miscontrol, every duel lost, fed a crowd of 52,630 that had decided its villain early. Isak never escaped them. It was a miserable return.
Yoane Wissa, the man signed in part to fill the void Isak left behind, went the other way. He produced his most complete Newcastle performance yet, stretching Liverpool, linking play, and tormenting a back line that never looked entirely settled.
Newcastle’s new head coach Matthias Jaissle, still learning his squad after only a few weeks in the job and with the transfer window still open, will have taken plenty of encouragement from what he saw. Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola, trudging back across the Pennines with a point, left with relief – and a to-do list.
Dedic shines, Elanga strikes, Liverpool rocked
The tone was set early. Five minutes in, Newcastle sliced Liverpool open with a move of real quality.
Amar Dedic, impressive on debut, slid a clever pass into Will Osula’s feet. Osula’s timing was perfect, his through ball even better. Anthony Elanga burst beyond Milos Kerkez, opened his body and drove a right-footed shot across Alisson Becker into the far corner.
St James’ Park erupted. The jeers for Isak turned to a roar for Elanga, and Liverpool were suddenly chasing.
They responded, but only in flashes. Lukas Hornicek had to be sharp to claw away Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort on 18 minutes, yet Newcastle’s biggest problem came from themselves. Sloppy in possession, they repeatedly handed Liverpool the ball in dangerous areas, inviting pressure they did not need.
Lewis Miley calmed them briefly with a gorgeous 22nd-minute diagonal to Dedic, whose strike flicked off Kerkez and looped behind for a corner. Jeremy Jacquet then read Osula’s run perfectly to cut out Wissa’s through-ball, denying Newcastle a clear opening.
Liverpool hogged the ball but did little with it. Szoboszlai smashed a 26th-minute free-kick straight into the wall after Wissa dragged him down, and that summed up their first half: possession without penetration. Newcastle went in at the break deservedly in front, their lead narrow but secure.
Gakpo ignites, Willock answers, Newcastle surge
Liverpool emerged sharper after the restart. Szoboszlai’s early corner caused a scramble, but it was Newcastle who should have landed the first punch of the half.
Harvey Barnes and Elanga broke at speed, racing into space with Liverpool exposed, yet the final ball deserted them. Moments later, Miley found room on the edge of the box but couldn’t trouble Alisson with his 48th-minute strike.
The warning signs were there. Gakpo finally made them count.
On 53 minutes he bent a curling effort just over, Hornicek rooted to the spot. Two minutes later, given time and room 25 yards out, he made no mistake. His low, skidding drive flew past the Newcastle keeper and into the bottom corner. One touch to set, one to lash, and Liverpool were level.
St James’ Park fell briefly silent. Then it exploded again.
Newcastle hit back almost instantly. Wissa danced through the Liverpool midfield with quick feet and sharp control, carving out a lane for Willock, who had just come on. The midfielder stepped inside, opened his body and drilled a precise shot across Alisson and into the far corner.
The noise was ferocious. Willock wheeled away, Wissa punched the air, and Jaissle’s technical area erupted. The sense of momentum swung hard back towards black and white.
Newcastle went hunting for a third. Jacob Ramsey, another substitute, met a bouncing ball with a 70th-minute volley but dragged it wide. Wissa then raced clear one-on-one, only for Alisson to stand tall and block, a huge save that kept Liverpool alive.
It felt important at the time. It proved decisive.
Late twist, bitter taste
As the clock ticked into added time, Newcastle looked to be seeing it out. They had managed the chaos, squeezed the space, and pushed Liverpool away from Hornicek’s goal.
Then came the moment that changed everything.
Munoz drove into the box, Hall stepped across, and the two tangled. Attwell took a long look and pointed to the spot. Hall’s reaction said it all – arms out, face etched with disbelief – but the decision stood.
Szoboszlai picked up the ball. Ninety-nine minutes gone, the stadium holding its breath. He sent Hornicek the wrong way and buried his penalty, low and emphatic.
Liverpool celebrated in front of their travelling fans. Newcastle slumped.
Jaissle will replay the final minutes in his head, knowing his side had Liverpool where they wanted them and let them off the hook. Iraola, for all the questions his team’s performance raised, left with a point and a reminder that his side can still conjure something from nothing when it matters most.
On a day built around Keegan, both clubs delivered the kind of drama he made his name on. The only thing missing for Newcastle was the ending they thought they’d already written.
