Liverpool and Newcastle Draw 2-2: Isak's Frustrating Return
Alexander Isak’s return to Tyneside never really caught fire, and Liverpool escaped St James’ Park with a 2-2 draw that flattered them more than anyone in red would care to admit.
The build-up made Isak the story. Back at his former club, walking into a wall of noise and pointed chants, this was teed up as his afternoon. It never became his game.
Newcastle struck first, slicing Liverpool open with worrying ease. Anthony Elanga finished off a slick move in the first half, punishing a defence that looked far too open for an opening day side with top-four ambitions. Liverpool’s response was sluggish, their play around the box blunt and predictable, the crowd sensing more damage.
Only after the break did Andoni Iraola’s team finally land a punch of their own. Cody Gakpo, under his own cloud of uncertainty this summer, found the equalizer, dragging Liverpool level and briefly quietening the home end. It felt like a platform.
It wasn’t. Almost immediately, Newcastle surged back up the pitch with a sharp counter, and this time Joe Willock arrived to apply the finish. A well-worked move, a ruthless response, and Liverpool were behind again with half an hour still to survive.
The minutes that followed exposed Liverpool’s lack of conviction in the final third. Possession without incision, crosses without menace. And in the middle of it all, Isak’s frustration began to spill over.
Just after the 70-minute mark, he peeled into a dangerous pocket, waiting for the delivery that might finally give him his moment. Milos Kerkez overhit the cross horribly, the ball flying beyond him. Isak’s reaction said everything: a furious shout of “Milos!” and then hands to his head, the chance gone before it had even begun.
He could hardly point fingers for long. His own finishing deserted him when it mattered. Earlier, he had lashed a presentable effort over the bar; late on, he mistimed a header in the final 10 minutes. The openings came, the net never bulged. For a forward of his calibre, it was a messy, wasteful afternoon.
Liverpool, somehow, still had one last twist in them.
Victor Munoz, one of the new faces in Iraola’s squad, came off the bench for Rio Ngumoha and injected the kind of direct threat Liverpool had been missing. Deep into stoppage time, he drove into the box and drew a clumsy trip from Lewis Hall. The whistle went. Penalty. St James’ Park groaned.
Isak stayed on the pitch, but the responsibility fell to Dominik Szoboszlai, newly installed as one of Liverpool’s vice-captains. He didn’t blink. He whipped the ball into the top corner, a ruthless strike that salvaged a point Liverpool’s overall display barely merited and brought a visible sigh of relief from Iraola on the touchline.
The late rescue act couldn’t hide the issues. Liverpool’s attacking cohesion is only one part of Iraola’s in-tray. Midfield balance remains fragile, full-back areas look problematic, and the patterns of play still feel like a work in progress rather than a finished product.
The clock is ticking. Liverpool’s hierarchy has 10 days left in the window to fix a squad that still carries a Mohamed Salah-shaped void. Ronald Araujo has arrived on loan from Barcelona, Munoz has come in from Osasuna, but the hole on the right of that front line gapes wider with every passing game.
Paris Saint-Germain pair Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye sit high on the list of targets, yet talks with the French champions have stalled. Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh is another name on the radar, though he comes with a hefty price tag and an injury to complicate any move.
Then there is Gakpo. He scored here, offered a reminder of his value, and still finds his name linked with a move away, with Tottenham circling. Iraola must decide whether he is a pillar of the rebuild or a sale that funds the reset.
On Tyneside, the scoreboard said 2-2. For Liverpool and for Isak, it felt like unfinished business.
