Match report
Szoboszlai's stoppage-time penalty rescues Liverpool draw at Newcastle
Newcastle and Liverpool shared eight goals' worth of drama in a 2-2 draw in the Premier League's opening round, with Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty deep into stoppage time denying Newcastle a first win of the season. The result left both sides level on one point apiece after a single match played.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Newcastle struck early through Anthony Elanga, who finished after five minutes from a William Osula assist to give the home side a lead they held at half-time. Liverpool responded shortly after the interval when Cody Gakpo converted a Ryan Gravenberch pass in the 55th minute, only for Joseph Willock to restore Newcastle's advantage two minutes later, teed up by Yoane Wissa.
Liverpool dominated territory and chances for long spells, with 61 percent of possession and 27 shots to Newcastle's 13, translating into a higher expected-goals figure of 2.23 against 1.42. That pressure eventually told when Szoboszlai converted from the spot in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time to snatch a 2-2 draw and deny Newcastle victory at the death.
Elanga opened the scoring inside five minutes and was rated 7.6, the highest mark of the match, while teammate Willock also scored and posted a 7.3 rating in a lively Newcastle display.
Liverpool's dominance in shots, firing 27 attempts to Newcastle's 13, underlined their control despite failing to convert it into victory.
Newcastle and Liverpool drew 2–2 (half-time 1–0).
Newcastle met Liverpool in the Premier League (Regular Season - 1). Kick-off was Sunday, 23 August 2026, 15:30 UTC at St James' Park. Referee: Stuart Attwell.
Team pages: Newcastle · Liverpool · Premier League
Key moments
- 5' Goal: Anthony Elanga (assist: William Osula) — 1–0
- 55' Goal: Cody Gakpo (assist: Ryan Gravenberch) — 1–1 · Watch Cody Gakpo's goal video (55')
- 57' Goal: Joe Willock (assist: Yoane Wissa) — 2–1 · Watch Joe Willock's goal video (57')
- 90' Goal (penalty): Dominik Szoboszlai — 2–2 · Watch Dominik Szoboszlai's goal video (90')
Starting line-ups
Newcastle (4-2-3-1)
- 21 Lukáš Horníček
- 3 Lewis Hall
- 4 Sven Botman
- 12 Malick Thiaw (c)
- 37 Amar Dedić
- 67 Lewis Miley
- 14 Sean Steur
- 11 Harvey Barnes
- 9 Yoane Wissa
- 19 Anthony Elanga
- 10 William Osula
Liverpool (4-2-3-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Newcastle 38%, the draw 28%, Liverpool 34%. It finished Newcastle 2–2 Liverpool.
Home ground outweighs Liverpool's rating edge — Liverpool are the stronger side on our strength rating, but home ground gives Newcastle the lean. The draw at 28% is about what a gap this size usually leaves.
Why Newcastle at 38%?
Home ground, against the rating. Liverpool sit 81 points higher on our strength rating — 1940 to 2021. Sides with a 50–100-point rating edge on the road won 32.9% of 10,532 such games.
Why only 38%?
Because Liverpool are the stronger side on our strength rating. Both sides are inside their first six league games — home wins land softer this early in the season, so this trims Newcastle's column. Across 10,693 opening-stretch games since 2010, home sides won 42.8% where the rating map expected 44.9%, with draws up 2.1 — negative in every season since 2018.
Why the draw at 28%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 28.3%. These teams' recent games average 3.2 goals — a high-scoring environment. Games in that environment drew 22.8% of 16,983. The goals environment takes 2.4 points off the draw. Early-season fixtures add 2.1 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
Last 6 between them: Newcastle 1 win, 1 draw, Liverpool 4 wins. Most recently Liverpool 4–1 Newcastle, 7 months ago. Fixture history hasn't carried forward once class is level: past leaders won just 28.1% of 5589 such games — no measurable edge, 0 points.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Newcastle vs Liverpool final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Premier League fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Cody Gakpo's goal against Newcastle (55').
- Watch Joe Willock's goal against Liverpool (57').
- Watch Dominik Szoboszlai's goal against Newcastle (90').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Newcastle 2–2 Liverpool. Explore more on the Newcastle and Liverpool team pages or the Premier League page.