Dominik Szoboszlai’s 99th-minute penalty rescued a point for Liverpool against Newcastle, making it a 2-2 draw, but the feeling after the final whistle was pure relief, not jubilation. This wasn’t like last August’s 100th-minute winner against Newcastle where Rio Ngumoha brought utter joy. Instead, manager Andoni Iraola’s side, which trailed twice at a raucous St James’ Park, earned a draw that prevented their first opening weekend defeat since 2012-13, but certainly didn’t erase the looming questions.
The Performance That Screamed “Not Top Four”
Iraola immediately said his side didn’t deserve to lose, and credit where it’s due, they never gave up. He told BBC Radio 5 Live, “The team has never given up and we’ve recovered one point and probably the taste is better because we score in the last minute.” You can bet he’s content with snatching a point after being down twice at St James’ Park. But on that flight back to Merseyside, he had to be thinking about a performance that absolutely screamed for more depth. Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin didn’t mince words on 5 Live, either, stating, “You’re expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least but they didn’t look like a top four team today.” He nailed it when he added there’s “a definite lack of creativity,” especially with the output from Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak needing a serious boost.
Wasted Shots and Transfer Window Worries
All eyes were on Wirtz and Isak, who were signed for nine-figure fees last summer. Isak, the Sweden striker, was booed relentlessly every time he touched the ball after his drawn-out saga moving from Newcastle last September. He had 28 touches and looked fired up, but then he wasted a brilliant opportunity in the second half, the kind of shot he used to bury regularly for Newcastle. Wirtz started strong but got pulled just after the hour mark after Newcastle went 2-1 up. Both know their overall output and connection must improve. Then there’s the Cody Gakpo conundrum, which is rolling into the final week of the transfer window. While Gakpo was Liverpool’s best player at Newcastle and took his goal brilliantly, he might be out the door if Liverpool brings in two more attackers, with links to PSG’s Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, plus two rejected bids for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh. Spanish forward Victor Munoz had a positive debut off the bench, even winning the late penalty after replacing Rio Ngumoha. But the decision to take Ngumoha off after just over an hour because he struggled on the right highlights Iraola’s determination to have wingers play both sides. Ngumoha prefers the left, and this experiment might not stick. The bench options, once Munoz and Alexis Mac Allister entered the game in the 63rd minute, were sparse: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Ronald Araujo, Wataru Endo, Kostas Tsimikas, Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, and Lewis Koumas. Iraola needs more options, plain and simple.
This squad is clearly offering more questions than answers right now. With the transfer window still open, Iraola’s got his work cut out for him. He needs to make some moves, and fast, because the “spirit” from this draw won’t mask the deep concerns much longer. What happens next? We’re all glued to find out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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