Dominik Szoboszlai's Late Penalty Secures Draw for Liverpool Against Newcastle

Dominik Szoboszlai held his nerve deep into stoppage time to rip the points from Newcastle’s grasp and keep Liverpool’s unbeaten run at St James’ Park alive in a breathless 2-2 draw that felt like a nod to Kevin Keegan’s wildest days.

The Hungary midfielder smashed home from the spot in the ninth minute of added time, silencing a furious home crowd after Lewis Hall was penalised for a tangle with substitute Victor Munoz. The decision left Newcastle players stunned and Hall distraught, but Szoboszlai was ruthless from 12 yards, salvaging a point and stretching Liverpool’s unbeaten sequence on Tyneside to 10 games.

It was brutal on Newcastle. They thought they had won it. Twice.

Joe Willock, only just on the pitch, had seemingly delivered the decisive punch in the 57th minute, sweeping a low shot across Alisson Becker and into the far corner seconds after coming on. His goal arrived barely four minutes after Cody Gakpo’s long-range equaliser had wiped out Anthony Elanga’s opener, and St James’ Park exploded as if the afternoon’s Keegan tribute had bled straight into the football.

On a day built around the man who electrified both Tyneside and Merseyside, the game did its best to live up to the billing. Before kick-off, both teams warmed up in Keegan number seven shirts, an emotional nod to the figure who shaped eras at both clubs. Once the whistle went, the sentiment vanished and the hostility kicked in.

No one felt that more than Alexander Isak. The £130 million forward endured a torrid return to his old ground, jeered relentlessly by the 52,630 crowd and overshadowed by Yoane Wissa, who produced his sharpest Newcastle display yet in the role partly designed to replace him.

Newcastle’s new head coach Matthias Jaissle, only weeks into the job and still waiting to see exactly what his squad will look like after the transfer window shuts, saw enough to encourage him. His side were organised, aggressive and inventive on the break. Across the technical area, Andoni Iraola left with a point and relief, but also with a list of problems to solve.

The tone of the afternoon changed inside five minutes.

Newcastle sliced Liverpool open with a move as slick as anything Keegan’s entertainers once served up. Amar Dedic, impressive on debut, slid a clever ball into Will Osula, whose timing was immaculate. One touch, then a perfectly weighted pass sent Elanga racing clear. He burned past Milos Kerkez and drilled a right-foot finish across Alisson and into the far corner. The noise was instant and ferocious; the jeers for Isak turned into a roar for a new hero.

Liverpool hit back with possession, but little incision. Their first real threat came in the 18th minute when Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort forced Lukas Hornicek into a sharp save. Newcastle, though, refused to sit back. Lewis Miley’s raking diagonal released Dedic again on 22 minutes, his shot flicking off Kerkez and looping behind for a corner. Jeremy Jacquet then read the danger perfectly to prevent Osula from reaching a threaded pass from Wissa.

Despite dominating the ball, Liverpool struggled to unpick Newcastle’s shape. Szoboszlai’s 26th-minute free-kick thudded straight into the wall after he had been pulled back by Wissa, and by half-time the visitors had created little to truly trouble Hornicek. Newcastle’s narrow 1-0 lead felt fully earned.

The second half opened with Liverpool finally showing some menace from a Szoboszlai corner, but Newcastle almost landed the next blow. Harvey Barnes and Elanga broke at speed, only to waste the chance with a poor final decision, and Miley’s 48th-minute strike drifted harmlessly into Alisson’s grasp.

Liverpool’s equaliser felt inevitable once Gakpo began to find space. He curled one effort just over in the 53rd minute with Hornicek rooted, a warning that went unheeded. Two minutes later, given time to set himself 25 yards out, Gakpo unleashed a skidding drive that ripped past the Newcastle keeper and into the net. One touch, one clean strike, and Liverpool were level.

St James’ Park barely had time to catch its breath before Newcastle hit back.

Wissa, tormenting Liverpool between the lines, twisted away from his marker and fed Willock. The substitute stepped inside, opened his body and arrowed a low shot across Alisson and inside the far post. The response was instant, the finish clinical, and the stadium erupted again. Jaissle’s fist-pump on the touchline said everything.

Newcastle smelled blood. Jacob Ramsey, another substitute, volleyed wide from a promising position on 70 minutes, and Wissa was denied by Alisson in a one-on-one that could have killed the game. Liverpool, stretched and chasing, looked vulnerable every time Newcastle sprang forward.

Yet they stayed in the fight. As the clock ticked into stoppage time, the pressure grew, the ball living almost permanently in Newcastle’s half. Then came the moment that flipped the mood.

Referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot after Hall’s challenge on Munoz, the Newcastle defender reacting with disbelief as home players surrounded the official. The decision stood. The stadium bristled. Szoboszlai, impassive, stepped up and drilled his penalty home.

Newcastle slumped, robbed of a statement win. Liverpool walked away with a draw that felt like a rescue mission completed. For Jaissle, there was evidence his side can punch with the league’s heavyweights. For Iraola, there was relief, but also a clear question: how long can Liverpool live this dangerously and still stay in the title conversation?