'We should have won' - Dominik Szoboszlai reflects on dramatic 99th-minute penalty as Liverpool draw 2-2 with Newcastle

Dramatic penalty rescues Reds

Szoboszlai rescued a point for Liverpool with a 99th-minute penalty after Victor Munoz was brought down inside the box by Lewis Hall. Elanga had fired Newcastle ahead before Cody Gakpo equalised, only for substitute Willock to restore the hosts' lead two minutes later. On an emotional afternoon marked by pre-match tributes to the late Kevin Keegan, the spoils were shared amidst dramatic scenes in front of over 50,000 fans at St James' Park.

'We should have won'

Speaking to Sky Sports after the final whistle, the Hungarian midfielder admitted the deafening roar from the home crowd meant he could not even hear the referee's whistle before stepping up to convert the spot-kick.

Reflecting on that high-pressure moment and his side's resilience, Szoboszlai said: "To be honest, I didn't even hear the referee's whistle. I had to look at him if I can go. I was practising a lot during the pre-season. We didn't have any penalties during games, but in training. We need to take the positivity of the first game and move on.

"More than 50,000 fans in the stadium against you. You can't hear your own voice. That's why I love football and that's why I am doing it. To come here is always tough. Everybody knows the [Newcastle] fans are unbelievable. They have a great team and a manager - new - but he has proven himself in many other clubs. But we were prepared, and we needed to be closer to each other under a new manager as well.

"We needed to know what was going on in the game. It's a good thing coming back into the game after 2-1 down. If I am honest, we should have won. But that's football. You don't win easy in the Premier League - doesn't matter who you play against. We have to be aware of that, and we need to take care in the next game."

Lessons from new era

Szoboszlai established himself as one of Liverpool's most reliable performers during Arne Slot's difficult final campaign at the club, and the midfielder now appears central to the tactical rebuild under his successor. When quizzed on what he has picked up since adapting to Andoni Iraola's demanding philosophy, the Hungarian explained: "That we will never give up. I can guarantee you that. We have to fight every time - all day long for 90 minutes. Everybody who came off the bench also made an impact as well today. We need the whole squad, and we need to be ready."

Testing league fixtures await

The hard-earned point provides an early psychological boost for Liverpool as Iraola continues to embed his tactical blueprint during the opening weeks of the season. Matthias Jaissle's Newcastle also showed plenty of encouraging signs despite the high-profile summer departures of midfield duo Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali. Both sides will now look to tighten up defensively ahead of a demanding run of fixtures in their push for a top-four finish.