No Salah, Mo Problems?
The Reds narrowly avoided defeat after a late penalty to draw 2-2 at St. James' Park after a late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai saved the Reds from a poor start to the season.
Goals from Anthony Elanga, Joe Willock, Cody Gakpo and Szoboszlai ensured this was another Premier League classic to add to the list of Newcastle v Liverpool fixtures.
GK: Alisson - 6.0
Both goals were out of the Brazilian's reach, but made an important save in the 86th minute to deny Yoanne Wissa and keep the deficit to one goal, which proved incredibly important.
RB: Jeremie Frimpong - 6.3
Always dangerous when he gets beyond the winger ahead of him, but his crosses left much to be desired this afternoon.
RCB: Jeremy Jacquet - 6.4
A solid Premier League debut, and didn't look out of place for a moment. Excited to see this young defender develop into a superstar. Replaced by Ronald Araujo in the 70th minute.
LCB: Virgil van Dijk - 6.5
Again unable to do much for Newcastle's second goal, but could he be doing more to demand positional discipline from the midfielders in front of him?
LB: Milos Kerkez - 5.1
Had a wonderful opportunity to put the ball on a plate for Isak in the 73rd minute, but overshot his cross. Kerkez has had better games for the Reds, that's for sure.
CM: Dominik Szoboszlai - 6.5
Made it too easy for Newcastle's second goal. The Hungarian and Gravenberch both enjoy getting forward, but this leaves the Reds too exposed on the counter. A frustrating afternoon for the Hungarian was saved by an emphatic penalty that he smashed into the top corner.
Dominik Szoboszlai equalises from the spot in the 99th minute! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0Ag9WitqHt
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 23, 2026
CM: Ryan Gravenberch - 6.1
Poor decision making on the edge of the box led to another Newcastle goal. Lacklustre tracking back didn't help either. Didn't do much afterwards and was replaced by Lewis Koumas in the 78th minute.
RW: Rio Ngumoha - 5.8
Struggled in the first half, and was replaced by Victor Munoz in the 63rd minute. Plenty of time for the young winger to improve and develop in this position, though.
CAM: Florian Wirtz - 6.2
Had a few good moments during the game, but still not reaching the levels he showed at Bayer Leverkusen. Replaced by Alexis Mac Allister in the 63rd minute.
LW: Cody Gakpo - 6.9
Came agonisingly close in the 53rd minute after cutting inside and letting one rip, but it flew just over the bar. Less than a minute later, the Dutchman fired one into the bottom left corner to equalise. Is this is final goal for Liverpool?
ST: Alexander Isak - 5.8
Had a good chance in the 69th minute but fired it way over the bar. The Swede had a few more chances in the second half, but nothing concrete came his way. Newcastle fans will be happy his performance was disappointing.
Subs:
Victor Munoz - 6.4
The Spaniard was bright and electric during his foray at St James' Park, but wasn't able to change the course of the game when he came on. Won the penalty that brought Liverpool level late on in the game.
Alexis Mac Allister - 6.1
Showed more positional discipline than Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, which protected the defence a bit more.
Ronald Araujo - 6.0
As Liverpool were chasing an equaliser, the Uruguayan didn't have much to do but dealt with everything that came his way.
Lewis Koumas - 6.1
Full of energy and a desire to win the ball back - all you can ask for from a young substitute. Clearly has Iraola's backing and will feature more during the season it seems.
This won't have been the start Iraola would have wanted, but playing away at Newcastle is no easy feat.
The Reds have plenty to improve on, and with just over a week until the transfer window closes, it's clear that Liverpool need some reinforcements if they are to compete across all fronts.
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