Liverpool rescued a point at St James’ Park in dramatic fashion, but the 2-2 draw with Newcastle exposed plenty of concerns for Andoni Iraola to address.
Anthony Elanga gave Newcastle an early lead before Cody Gakpo levelled shortly after half-time. Joe Willock restored the hosts’ advantage, but Dominik Szoboszlai kept his cool to convert a stoppage-time penalty and rescue a point for the Reds.
There were positives, but Liverpool were far from convincing.
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson – 6/10
Not the start he would have wanted.
Alisson was beaten inside the opening few minutes by Elanga and looked too rooted to his near post for the opener.
He didn’t receive much help from an uncertain defence afterwards, although he did make some important interventions.
Jeremie Frimpong – 5/10
A difficult afternoon.
Frimpong tried to get involved early but struggled with his possession and looked uncomfortable throughout.
He was also caught out when Newcastle broke forward for Willock’s goal.
Liverpool will need considerably more from him.
Jérémy Jacquet – 7/10
A really encouraging Premier League debut.
Jacquet was thrown straight into a difficult environment at St James’ Park but didn’t look overawed.
He showed a willingness to receive the ball and was composed in possession.
A promising first outing.
Virgil van Dijk – 7/10
A steady performance from the captain.
Van Dijk did a good job organising the defence and helping Jacquet through his first Premier League appearance.
He can’t be blamed for everything that went wrong, particularly considering his limited pre-season involvement.
Milos Kerkez – 5/10
An inconsistent afternoon.
Kerkez was keen to get forward but looked erratic at times.
His early yellow card also meant he had to be careful for the remainder of the game.
There is clearly attacking potential there, but defensively he needs to improve.
Ryan Gravenberch – 6/10
A quiet first half.
Gravenberch struggled to impose himself on the midfield, although he improved after the break.
He played a role in the build-up to Gakpo’s equaliser.
There is still work to do for him to fully adapt to Iraola’s midfield demands.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 7/10
Never stopped running.
Szoboszlai worked incredibly hard and covered huge amounts of ground.
He didn’t always look completely comfortable in the new system, but he showed the mentality Iraola will love.
And then came the biggest moment.
With virtually the last kick of the game, Szoboszlai stepped up and hammered the penalty into the roof of the net.
Ice cold.
Florian Wirtz – 5/10
A disappointing afternoon.
Liverpool supporters will expect much more from Wirtz, and he struggled to influence the game.
There were flashes of quality, but they were too infrequent.
Liverpool need their record signing to become a player who dictates matches.
Cody Gakpo – 7/10
Liverpool’s Man of the Match.
Gakpo was arguably Liverpool’s only consistent attacking outlet for long periods.
He wasn’t afraid to shoot from distance and constantly looked for ways to get involved.
His reward came after half-time when he produced an excellent long-range finish to bring Liverpool level.
A very timely performance given the uncertainty surrounding his future.
Rio Ngumoha – 6/10
A quiet afternoon for the youngster.
Ngumoha couldn’t reproduce the impact he had made at St James’ Park previously and struggled to give Newcastle’s defence enough problems.
Still, this was another valuable Premier League experience for a player with enormous potential.
Alexander Isak – 5/10
A frustrating return to his former home.
Isak was isolated for much of the game and struggled to get into the match.
His first clear-cut opportunity came late, but he fired over the bar.
Liverpool need to find a way of getting their £125m striker more involved.
The substitutes
Alexis Mac Allister – 6/10: Still working towards full match fitness but brought more bite to the midfield.
Víctor Muñoz – 6/10: Direct, quick and difficult to mark. His ability to attack defenders could become a major asset.
Ronald Araújo – 6/10: A composed introduction and looked comfortable during his first Premier League appearance.
Lewis Koumas – 7/10: One of the brightest substitutes. Energetic, aggressive and constantly pressing. A very encouraging cameo.
Iraola – 6/10
There will be plenty for the new Liverpool boss to analyse.
The first half in particular was disjointed, with Liverpool looking short of intensity and communication.
The players didn’t always look comfortable with the new system, while Newcastle repeatedly exposed Liverpool when they attacked quickly.
Iraola picked a strong starting XI, but the performance demonstrated that this squad still needs work.
And with the transfer window closing soon, he will surely want reinforcements.
Five major talking points
1\. Munoz looks a real threat
Víctor Muñoz made an immediate impression from the bench.
His pace and direct running gave Newcastle something different to deal with, and he looked extremely difficult to contain.
His involvement in winning the late penalty showed exactly what he can offer.
Liverpool need more players capable of attacking defenders.
2\. Possession isn’t enough
Liverpool had around 60% possession and 27 attempts, but still struggled to create enough genuinely clear opportunities.
That’s a major concern.
The Reds can dominate the ball, but they need more imagination and creativity in the final third.
3\. Wirtz and Isak need to give Liverpool more
These are two of Liverpool’s biggest attacking players.
Wirtz needs to become more influential.
Isak needs more service but also needs to find ways of affecting games when opportunities are limited.
Liverpool simply cannot afford for both to have quiet afternoons regularly.
4\. The counter-attack vulnerability is worrying
This could become a serious problem if it isn’t fixed quickly.
Liverpool committed players forward but were vulnerable whenever Newcastle won possession and attacked the spaces left behind.
Iraola’s pressing system requires everyone to work together.
The distances between the players need to improve.
5\. Squad depth remains a concern
Perhaps the biggest issue of all.
Liverpool are expected to compete across four competitions, but this game showed how quickly the team can look short of options when things aren’t going according to plan.
The Reds need more quality and experience throughout the squad.
A point gained — but plenty of lessons
The late penalty saved Liverpool from defeat, and there is credit due for fighting until the final whistle.
But the result shouldn’t hide the problems.
Liverpool have plenty of quality.
They also have plenty of work to do.
Iraola has inherited a talented squad, but it isn’t the finished article.
The next few days of the transfer window could be extremely important.
Because if Liverpool genuinely want to compete for everything this season, they need to become much more convincing than they were at St James’ Park.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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