Dominik Szoboszlai Takes Late Penalty for Liverpool Against Newcastle

Andoni Iraola has laid out exactly why Dominik Szoboszlai – and not Alexander Isak – took Liverpool’s late penalty at St James’ Park.

Isak’s return to Tyneside, his first appearance back at Newcastle since his £125million move to Anfield last summer, was always going to be raw. Once the darling of the Gallowgate, the Sweden striker is now cast firmly as the villain after effectively forcing his way out, refusing to train or play before sealing his British-record transfer on Deadline Day.

The reaction was as fierce as expected. Every touch was jeered, every run booed. Yet deep into second-half stoppage time, it looked like the script was about to flip.

With Liverpool chasing the game in their Premier League opener, Victor Munoz tangled with Lewis Hall in the box. The referee pointed to the spot. Mohamed Salah is gone, the old order with him, and suddenly the question hung in the air: whose penalty is it now?

Cameras zoomed in on Isak, the noise rising as Newcastle fans braced themselves for the ultimate twist. But the drama took a different turn. Szoboszlai grabbed the ball, blocked out the chaos and thumped his penalty into the roof of the net. A ruthless finish. A salvaged point.

After the 1-1 draw, Iraola was asked why the Hungary international had taken responsibility instead of Isak.

“I think we have not only Dom and Alexander [Isak] – we have more very good specialists,” the Liverpool boss explained. “Alexis [Mac Allister] also was on the pitch and he's a very good penalty-taker, Cody [Gakpo] – we have a lot.

“But I think Dom showed the level. It's an almost impossible penalty to stop. I was happy obviously because at the end we recovered one point.”

The penalty that counted was the second big shout of the closing stages. Iraola made it clear he felt Liverpool should have had another earlier award for Munoz.

“I also think there is a clearer penalty before the Victor [Munoz] one to Victor again, but I think the referee whistles just before, so they cannot give it to you, but I think it was even more clear than the second one.

“I'm happy also for Victor because he has created problems to his opposition and I think these players from the bench that can alter games are going to be important for us.”

If the late spot-kick belonged to Szoboszlai, the emotional spotlight never really left Isak. Every reaction, every run, every missed half-chance fed into the narrative of his return.

Iraola, though, saw a player handling the hostility rather than shrinking from it.

“I think he expected a little bit the atmosphere, I don't think [it] has been a big surprise for him,” he said. “I think he has tried everything, has given us good positions on the ball.

“[He] probably has had a couple of situations to finish inside the box, but probably not the clearest that he wanted or we wanted, but I value that. He has continued pushing on in the game, fighting, and I think it's a good step for Alex for being the first game.”

No fairytale winner, no silencing of the boos, but a point rescued, a new penalty hierarchy revealed, and a £125million striker who now knows exactly what awaits him every time he comes back to St James’ Park.