Szoboszlai's Last-Gasp Penalty Rescues Liverpool at Newcastle in Iraola's First Test
Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stoppage-time penalty in the ninth minute of added time to salvage a 2-2 draw for Liverpool at Newcastle United on 23 August 2026 — the kind of escape that sends travelling supporters home believing anything is possible.
It was also Andoni Iraola's first match as Liverpool's head coach. The Basque, who built his reputation at Bournemouth over three seasons before announcing his departure in April, now carries the Anfield reins. His opening assignment could hardly have been tougher: a trip to Tyneside against a Newcastle side with pace to burn on the break.
That pace hurt Liverpool twice. Joe Willock fired Newcastle 2-1 ahead on a counter-attack, and both of the home side's goals came from fast breaks — a recurring problem for Liverpool. Since the start of last season, they have conceded nine goals via fast breaks, more than any other Premier League side. A counter-attack, simply put, is when a team wins the ball back and races forward before the opposition can reorganise.
Cody Gakpo was Liverpool's brightest performer, scoring one of the goals and carrying the threat whenever he got the ball. Szoboszlai, who also scored a free-kick in Liverpool's last visit to Newcastle's ground in a January defeat at Bournemouth — where a 3-2 loss ended a 13-match unbeaten run — was the man who held his nerve when it mattered most.
The penalty came from the bench. Victor Munoz, making his Liverpool debut after replacing Ngumoha — an English teenager who turns 18 next week — won the spot-kick with a sharp run into the box. Munoz and Alexis Mac Allister had been introduced together in the 63rd minute. For a young player to win a decisive penalty on his first appearance is the stuff of debut dreams.
Szoboszlai stepped up and buried it. Afterwards, he told Sky Sports: "We will never give up. I can guarantee you that." It was a statement that fits the Hungarian's persona — a player who has built a habit of late heroics, whether from open play, set pieces, or twelve yards out.
For Iraola, the draw offers both encouragement and a warning. Liverpool created enough to win, but the defensive fragility on the break is a thread he will need to address quickly. The January defeat at Bournemouth, when Amine Adli scored with the final kick of the game, showed how costly a late collapse can be.
Behind the scenes, Liverpool are still working the transfer market. They have had two bids rejected for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh and have been linked with Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, though those remain rumours for now. With the window still open, reinforcements may yet arrive.
What fans will remember from Tyneside, though, is the refusal to fold. Down a goal, deep in stoppage time, on the road — and still they found a way. Iraola's Liverpool have shown, on day one, that they will fight to the last kick.
