Dominik Szoboszlai's Last-Minute Penalty Saves Liverpool Against Newcastle
Dominik Szoboszlai buried a penalty deep into stoppage time to rip up Newcastle’s script and drag Liverpool out of trouble on a night Kevin Keegan would have recognised instantly.
The Hungary midfielder held his nerve in the ninth minute of added time, drilling home from 12 yards after Lewis Hall was judged to have tripped substitute Víctor Muñoz. The decision left St James’ Park stunned and furious, but it stretched Liverpool’s unbeaten run on Tyneside to 10 games and froze a famous home win in its tracks.
Newcastle had felt they’d already done the hard part. Joe Willock had stepped off the bench and scored with his first meaningful touch on 57 minutes, restoring a lead that had vanished almost as soon as Cody Gakpo found his range from distance. Willock’s strike looked like the defining moment. Szoboszlai had other ideas.
Keegan tributes, Isak’s torment
The day had started in harmony. Both sets of players emerged for the warm-up in Keegan number seven shirts, a shared nod to the man who lit up both clubs. The mood changed sharply once the whistle blew.
Alexander Isak, back at St James’ Park and cast as the villain by a crowd of 52,630, heard the jeers from his first touch. He never escaped them. While the £130million forward endured a miserable return, Yoane Wissa produced his most complete display in a Newcastle shirt, harrying, linking and tormenting Liverpool’s back line.
New Magpies boss Matthias Jaissle, still only weeks into the job and with a squad that may yet change before the window closes, watched his side play with aggression and clarity for long spells. Across the technical area, Andoni Iraola left with a point, some relief, and a long list of issues to address.
Dedic, Osula and Elanga slice Liverpool open
Newcastle struck early and with style. After just five minutes, Amar Dedic, impressive on debut, slid a clever pass inside. Will Osula read it perfectly, delaying just long enough to slip in Anthony Elanga. The Sweden international burned past Milos Kerkez and, with Alisson Becker exposed, rolled a right-foot finish across the keeper and into the far corner.
The place erupted. Isak watched on, a spectator to the kind of ruthless counter-attack he was once expected to lead.
Liverpool tried to hit back immediately. Lukás Hornícek reacted sharply to claw away Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort on 18 minutes, a reminder that Jaissle’s side were not going to stroll this. Yet Newcastle’s looseness in possession kept inviting pressure they didn’t need, and the visitors camped higher up the pitch.
Lewis Miley briefly flipped the momentum with a gorgeous raking pass to Dedic, whose shot flicked off Kerkez and behind. Jérémy Jacquet then did just enough to stop Osula reaching a through-ball from Wissa as Newcastle threatened to slice Liverpool open again.
For all their possession, Iraola’s side created little of substance. Szoboszlai smacked a 26th-minute free-kick straight into the wall after Wissa tugged him back, and that summed up Liverpool’s first half: plenty of the ball, not enough incision. Newcastle went in ahead, deservedly and defiantly.
Gakpo responds, Willock explodes
Szoboszlai tried to change the mood early in the second half, whipping in a dangerous corner that Newcastle scrambled clear. The hosts then should have punished Liverpool on the break. Harvey Barnes and Elanga surged forward at pace but failed to pick the killer pass, and Miley’s 48th-minute effort never truly threatened Alisson.
The warning signs were there. Gakpo curled a 53rd-minute effort just over with Hornícek rooted, the kind of near-miss that shifts belief on a touchline. Two minutes later, he didn’t miss.
Given too much room and too much time 25 yards out, Gakpo stepped into a skidding drive that flew past Hornícek and into the bottom corner. St James’ Park fell silent for a moment, the air punched out of it.
The response was instant. Wissa, again at the heart of it, danced through space on the edge of the area and slipped the ball into Willock, only just on the pitch. The midfielder stepped inside, picked his spot and drilled low across Alisson. One touch to settle, one to finish, and Newcastle were back in front almost before Liverpool had finished celebrating.
Newcastle push, Liverpool hang on
With the crowd roaring every tackle, Jaissle’s side went hunting for a third. Substitute Jacob Ramsey met a dropping ball with a 70th-minute volley but dragged it wide, a half-chance that could have killed the contest. Wissa then raced clear one-on-one, only for Alisson to stand tall and block, a huge save that kept Liverpool alive.
Those misses lingered as the clock ticked into stoppage time. Newcastle, so front-foot for so long, began to edge deeper, legs tiring, minds fraying. Liverpool pushed, recycling the ball, forcing corners, asking questions.
Then came the moment that changed everything. As Muñoz drove into the box, Hall stepped across. Contact, a tangle, a fall. Referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot. Hall sank to the turf in disbelief, the stadium howling around him.
Szoboszlai shut it all out. One run-up, one clean strike, and Hornícek had no chance.
Newcastle walked off feeling robbed of a statement win. Liverpool, bruised but unbroken, escaped with a point. For both managers, the performance said plenty. The season will reveal how much this late twist really costs.
