Alexander Isak Faces Hostility in Liverpool's Tyneside Return

Alexander Isak hadn’t even reached the glass doors of St James’ Park before the hostility hit him.

The Liverpool striker, back on Tyneside for the first time since his explosive £125million switch to Anfield last September, was met by a wall of noise as he darted from the team coach towards the stadium. “Rat” rang out from the home support, a pointed soundtrack to his return.

It didn’t stop there. During the warm-up, the jeers rolled down from the stands every time he wandered near the touchline. When he headed for the tunnel at the end of the drills, the boos followed. Isak, perhaps expecting nothing less, allowed himself a brief, knowing smile.

Once the game started, Liverpool’s decision to hand him a start felt almost provocative. Every touch from their record signing drew howls from the Newcastle end, the first half in the stands reduced to a barrage of X-rated chants and venom aimed at the Swede.

The home fans did cheer him once, though. When referee Stuart Attwell waved play on after what looked like a clear foul on Isak, leaving the forward raging on the turf, St James’ Park roared its approval. Sympathy was in short supply.

On the ball, he was a peripheral figure. Liverpool never found any real attacking rhythm before the break, and Isak became increasingly marooned up front, starved of service and space. The hostility from the stands was relentless; the involvement on the pitch was anything but.

His big chance finally came after half-time. Cody Gakpo laid the ball into his path, the opening he had been waiting for, and Isak snatched at it. The shot ballooned high and ugly, and the response from the Newcastle supporters was as merciless as you’d expect.

For new head coach Andoni Iraola, unlocking Isak’s talent will be one of the central tasks of this Liverpool season. Nights like this only underline how difficult that job might be. Arne Slot, his predecessor, never truly managed it, not helped by the striker’s injury problems, and the early evidence suggests there is still plenty of work to do.

Florian Wirtz, expected to be the main supply line into Isak, also laboured. The Germany international ran, chased and offered himself, but his influence never matched his effort. By the time he was withdrawn midway through the second half, his performance had drifted into the category of one that promised much and delivered little.

There was at least one small step forward for Isak. For the first time as a Liverpool player, he completed the full 90 minutes, still on the pitch when Dominik Szoboszlai slammed home a late penalty to snatch a dramatic equaliser.

The goal silenced the home crowd for a moment. Not for long. When the final whistle went and Isak finally walked off the pitch, the abuse picked up again from those who had stayed behind, keen to have one last word with their former hero.

This is not the opening chapter Isak or Liverpool had in mind for the new campaign. But the season is young, and the scrutiny on a £125m forward will only intensify. Now comes the real test: can the Reds turn raw potential and a bruising homecoming into the kind of firepower that justifies the fee?