Anthony Elanga Shines in Liverpool's Defeat Against Newcastle

Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool tenure barely had time to draw breath before it was punched in the gut.

Seven minutes into his first competitive game in charge, at a raucous St James’ Park, Liverpool were already chasing shadows and a deficit. Newcastle, under their own new boss Matthias Jaissle, didn’t bother with any feeling-out process. They went straight for the throat.

The warning came with the goal. The execution was ruthless.

William Osula dropped off the front line, unchecked, took a simple ball into feet and turned. No pressure. No contact. No red shirt close enough to make him think twice. In front of him, green grass and opportunity.

To his left, Anthony Elanga saw the same thing and went.

The Swedish winger exploded into space, burning past Milos Kerkez and turning the foot race into a formality. Osula slid the pass in behind, Elanga gathered it in stride and, with Alisson shuffling across his goal, whipped a low finish into the far corner.

St James’ Park erupted. Liverpool’s new era had its first problem.

“Alisson might be a little close to that near post and it leaves a gaping hole for Elanga to find. That gap is far too big,” he said, questioning the usually impeccable positioning of Liverpool’s No.1.

The criticism didn’t stop with the goalkeeper. Neville rewound the tape to the start of the move and took aim at the heart of Liverpool’s defence, Virgil van Dijk and new signing Jeremy Jacquet.

“You would expect Van Dijk and Jacquet to go with Osula but they let him drop in and turn,” he said. “They don’t push in. They are 15-20 yards deep of where they should be. You see Arsenal’s defenders do it to perfection.”

It was a brutal assessment, but the pictures backed him up. Van Dijk and Jacquet held a conservative line, retreated instead of engaging, and Osula used that freedom to unlock the game.

Jacquet’s selection had been one of the pre-match talking points. Iraola opted for the Frenchman ahead of fellow new arrival Ronald Araujo, a bold call for such a high-intensity opener away from home.

“It was a difficult call. Both of them played well in the last friendly,” Iraola explained before kick-off. “Jeremy is comfortable with and without the ball. Playing against Osula and Wissa, who are good players, will not be easy. We have Ronald ready to go if we need him.”

The theory made sense. On the pitch, the early evidence was harsher.

What will frustrate Iraola most is that Liverpool actually started well. They were sharp in the opening exchanges, carving out chances that should have changed the mood entirely. Van Dijk had a sight of goal. Cody Gakpo found space. The visitors moved the ball with purpose and pinned Newcastle back.

Then one lapse, one lazy defensive shape, flipped everything.

Newcastle smelled vulnerability and punished it. Liverpool’s back line, under new instructions and new partnerships, looked like it was still learning the script. Elanga, Osula and the rest of Jaissle’s front line didn’t wait for them to catch up.

For Iraola, the message from day one is clear: in this league, against this kind of pace and aggression, any hesitation is fatal.