Newcastle United and Liverpool drew 2-2 at St James' Park on Sunday 23 August, and the afternoon belonged to two new managers, one old icon, and a penalty that took nine minutes of stoppage time to become official. Anthony Elanga gave Matthias Jaissle a fifth-minute lead. Cody Gakpo equalised on 55 minutes. Joe Willock put Newcastle back ahead two minutes after coming on. Dominik Szoboszlai converted from the spot in the ninth minute of added time after Lewis Hall fouled substitute Victor Munoz, denying Jaissle a winning start and giving Andoni Iraola a first Liverpool point that felt more like relief than triumph.
Before kick-off, both clubs paid tribute to Kevin Keegan, who died in July at 75. Players warmed up in shirts bearing his name and number 7. There was a mosaic, a video tribute, and a mood Sky Sports described as emotional on all four sides of the ground. The football that followed was chaotic enough that Keegan might have enjoyed it, even if Jaissle did not enjoy the ending.
How the game unfolded
Newcastle flew out of the blocks. Will Osula released Elanga down the right in the fifth minute, and the Swede finished low past Alisson into the bottom corner for his first league goal for the club. Liverpool had more of the ball for long stretches but created little until the second half turned.
Gakpo levelled with a 20-yard strike on 55 minutes that Newcastle's own match report called unerring. Jaissle responded by sending on Willock for Sean Steur in the 56th minute. 110 seconds later, Yoane Wissa drove at the heart of Liverpool's defence and fed Willock, who curled beyond Alisson from just outside the box. It was Willock's first Premier League goal since 2024.
Liverpool's bench reshaped the ending. Iraola replaced Rio Ngumoha with Munoz and brought on Alexis Mac Allister as the game opened up. Newcastle still had chances. Jacob Ramsey dragged a volley wide. Alisson denied Wissa one-on-one. Then, with five minutes of added time already played, Hall challenged Munoz inside the box. Referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot. VAR confirmed "knee into thigh contact," per ESPN. Szoboszlai smashed the penalty into the top corner with almost the last kick.
Jaissle told reporters the decision was "really soft" and questioned whether it was "good for football," a complaint that will travel further than Newcastle's tactical notes from the day. Iraola said his side did not deserve to lose and praised the energy of the substitutes. Both statements can be true. Newcastle led twice. Liverpool scored late again, extending their run to 14 straight unbeaten Premier League opening days, the longest active streak in the division.
Who stood up
Elanga's goal set the tone for a Newcastle side still rebuilding after a summer of sales. Wissa was the other standout: his run created Willock's winner and he remained a threat until the late penalty. For Liverpool, Gakpo's strike was the cleanest open-play moment of a patchy afternoon. Szoboszlai's nerve from 12 yards kept Iraola from a debut defeat, and his quote to Sky Sports was blunt: "We will never give up."
The defensive picture was messier. BBC Sport noted Liverpool conceded more goals from fast breaks in all competitions than any other Premier League team since the start of last season, a count that now includes both Newcastle goals. Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong had difficult afternoons at full-back, and Iraola's decision to remove Ngumoha after just over an hour underlined how little joy Liverpool found down the right until Munoz won the late spot-kick.
Alexander Isak returned to the north-east in a Liverpool shirt and was kept quiet. That subplot stayed in the background because the wider story was midfield control. BBC Sport flagged the lack of a specialist holding midfielder and Iraola's use of Mac Allister just ahead of the back line after Willock's goal. Newcastle no longer have Bruno Guimaraes in the middle. Liverpool still look like they are searching for the same kind of anchor under a manager who prefers late substitutions to early fixes.
What the draw actually settles
It settles nothing about the top four. It does settle two debuts. Jaissle got a fast start, a crowd lifted by Keegan's memory, and a lesson in how thin margins are when a full-back lunges in the box at 96 minutes. Iraola got a point that papered over 80 minutes of uneven football and a bench that, after Munoz and Mac Allister came on, still listed Giorgi Mamardashvili, Ronald Araujo, Wataru Endo, and teenagers as the remaining options.
Newcastle's summer signing Amar Dedic was in the squad five days after arriving from Benfica for about £30m. Sunday was the first test of whether Jaissle's reunion recruitment can survive Premier League pace without Tino Livramento fit at full-back. The draw keeps the rebuild on track without proving the defence is stable.
For Liverpool, the late rescue fits a pattern. They scored a famous stoppage-time winner here last August through Ngumoha. This year the teenager was withdrawn before the drama. The squad depth Iraola inherits from Arne Slot's exit still looks thin in the middle and at full-back, even when the mentality Szoboszlai described stays loud.
What comes next
Newcastle visit Aston Villa on the weekend of 30 August. Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield in one of the first heavyweight fixtures of the new season. The window remains open until 1 September, and both managers still have squads that may change before then.
Sunday was entertainment with receipts. Jaissle will remember the penalty. Iraola will remember the point. Neither will confuse the draw with a finished project.
Sources
- Sky Sports: Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool match report (23 August 2026).
- Newcastle United: official match report (23 August 2026).
- BBC Sport: Iraola relief but Reds have work to do (24 August 2026).
- ESPN: Szoboszlai stoppage-time penalty (24 August 2026).
- Premier League: Sunday wrap (23 August 2026).