When Liverpool faced Newcastle last August, fans celebrated Rio Ngumoha’s phenomenal 100th-minute winner. This time, they secured a late equalizer through Dominik Szoboszlai’s 99th-minute penalty, but the feeling was more one of relief than jubilation as they saved a point.

After the match, Andoni Iraola remarked that his team did not deserve to lose and praised their perseverance as they fought back to clinch a 2-2 draw.

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A loss would have marked Liverpool’s first defeat on the opening weekend since the 2012-13 season. While a draw boosts their morale, it does not overshadow the challenges ahead.

“It’s probably not the result you want when you come in before the game, but we definitely deserve this point and even more,” Iraola stated on BBC Radio 5 Live. “The team has never given up, and we’ve recovered one point; probably the taste is better because we scored in the last minute.”

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Iraola can feel satisfied with the outcome, especially considering his team was behind twice at the lively St James’ Park.

However, during the flight back to Merseyside, he had the opportunity to reflect on a performance that underscored the need for more squad depth.

“You’re expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least, but they didn’t look like a top four team today,” former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said on 5 Live. “There are more players to come in, so you can’t make a real decision on how their season is going to go. There’s a definite lack of creativity, and they need to get the best out of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak because you certainly didn’t see their best today.”

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All eyes were on Wirtz and Isak, with the Sweden striker facing relentless boos from the crowd whenever he touched the ball. Wirtz started strong but was substituted shortly after Newcastle took a 2-1 lead. Isak made 28 touches and seemed energetic but squandered a great opportunity in the second half—chances he would typically convert during his time at Newcastle.

Both players, acquired for hefty sums last summer, will need to ramp up their performance and synergy in the forthcoming weeks.

‘I’ve Liked a Lot of Things I’ve Seen’

Despite the draw, Liverpool’s performance continues to raise questions.

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One pressing issue is the future of Cody Gakpo as the transfer window nears its end. If Liverpool manages to secure two additional attackers, Gakpo may be on the way out.

The club has been linked with Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris St-Germain while also facing rejected bids for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.

Still, the Dutchman shone against Newcastle, scoring a well-crafted goal, alongside another bright spot in the form of Spanish forward Victor Munoz, who made his Liverpool debut from the bench.

Munoz drew the late penalty after coming on for Ngumoha, but Iraola’s decision to substitute the English teenager after just over an hour underscored the challenge he faced on the right.

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Ngumoha is set to turn 18 next week and has spent most of his youth career playing on the left but struggled to impact the game on the right.

Iraola aims to have wingers adaptable to both sides, leaving the continuity of this strategy uncertain as Liverpool seeks additional attackers.

What remains clear is that Iraola needs more options. Once Munoz and Alexis Mac Allister entered the match in the 63rd minute, Iraola’s remaining bench consisted of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Ronald Araujo, Wataru Endo, Kostas Tsimikas, Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, and Lewis Koumas.

Defensively, both Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong struggled at full-back, and Liverpool conceded both goals on counter-attacks.

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The absence of a defensive midfielder was evident, prompting Iraola to position Mac Allister just ahead of the back four after Joe Willock’s goal put Newcastle up 2-1.

Liverpool has now conceded more goals from fast breaks across all competitions than any other Premier League team since last season, totaling nine.

All these factors will likely weigh on the mind of the new Liverpool manager, but the match represented a relatively encouraging beginning to his tenure. Iraola prefers to hold debriefs the day after matches.

“I’ve liked a lot of the things I’ve seen from the team,” he expressed. “There are definitely areas to improve, especially regarding the goals, but I have also seen elements that I liked, including the energy, particularly from the players coming off the bench. I believe we finished the game quite strong physically.”

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“We will never give up. I can guarantee you that,” Szoboszlai stated to Sky Sports. “We have to fight every time, for the full 90 minutes. Everyone who came off the bench also made an impact. We need the entire squad ready.”

That tenacity was not in doubt on Tyneside. However, this Liverpool squad must enhance both quality and depth moving forward.

When Liverpool came to Newcastle last August, there was utter jubilation as Rio Ngumoha scored a remarkable 100th-minute winner.

They scored late again this time around, through Dominik Szoboszlai’s 99th-minute penalty, but it felt more like a sense of relief than joy as they rescued a point.

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Andoni Iraola said afterwards that his side did not deserve to lose and, to their credit, they never gave up as they earned a 2-2 draw.

A defeat would have been Liverpool’s first on the opening weekend since 2012-13. A draw will do wonders for their spirit but it will certainly not mask their concerns.

“It’s probably not the result you want when you come in before the game but we definitely deserve this point and even more,” Iraola told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“The team has never given up and we’ve recovered one point and probably the taste is better because we score in the last minute.”

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Iraola will be content with the outcome, given his side trailed twice at a raucous St James’ Park.

But on the flight back to Merseyside on Sunday evening, he would have had time to consider the performance, which highlighted why his squad needs more depth.

“You’re expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least but they didn’t look like a top four team today,” former Scotland winger Pat Nevin told 5 Live.

“There are more players to come in, so you can’t make a real decision on how their season is going to go.

“There’s a definite lack of creativity and somehow they must get the best out of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak because you certainly didn’t get the best out of them today.”

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All eyes were on Wirtz and Isak – the Sweden striker, signed from Newcastle in a drawn-out saga last September, was booed relentlessly whenever he touched the ball. Wirtz did start positively, but was replaced just after the hour mark after Newcastle went 2-1 up.

Isak had 28 touches and looked fired up but wasted a brilliant opportunity in the second half – the kind of which he would take regularly when he was at Newcastle.

Both of them, signed for nine-figure fees last summer, will know that their overall output and connection must improve over the coming weeks and months.

‘I’ve liked a lot of things I’ve seen’

This remains a Liverpool side offering more questions than answers.

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One significant question is the Cody Gakpo conundrum, which will roll into the final week of the transfer window.

If Liverpool do bring in two more attacking players then Gakpo may leave.

The club have been linked with Paris St-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye and have had two bids rejected for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.

Yet Dutchman Gakpo was Liverpool’s best player at Newcastle and took his goal brilliantly – while there was another positive in the performance of Spanish forward Victor Munoz on his Liverpool debut from the bench.

Munoz won the late penalty after replacing Ngumoha but Iraola’s decision to take off the English teenager off after just over an hour summed up how much he struggled down the right.

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Ngumoha will turn 18 next week and has preferred to play down the left throughout his youth career but failed to have an impact on the other side.

With Iraola determined to have his wingers able to play on both sides, it remains to be seen if that experiment persists once Liverpool get more attackers in.

What is for certain is that Iraola needs more options. Once Munoz and Alexis Mac Allister came on in the 63rd minute, Iraola’s remaining bench options were: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Ronald Araujo, Wataru Endo, Kostas Tsimikas, Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas.

Defensively, both Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong had poor games at full-back and Liverpool were undone on the counter attack for both of the goals they conceded.

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The lack of a defensive midfielder showed and it was revealing to see Iraola use Mac Allister just ahead of the back four after Joe Willock put Newcastle 2-1 up.

Liverpool have now conceded more goals via fast breaks in all competitions than any other Premier League team since the start of last season – nine.

All that and more will be food for thought for the new Liverpool boss but this was a relatively positive start to life under Iraola – who prefers to wait until the day after the match for a debrief.

“I’ve liked a lot of the things I’ve seen from the team,” he said. “There’s definitely things to improve like the goals but I’ve seen a lot of things I’ve liked from the team. I’ve liked the energy, especially the players coming from the bench. I think we finished the game quite strong physically.”

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“We will never give up. I can guarantee you that,” Szoboszlai told Sky Sports. “We have to fight every time – all day long during the 90 minutes. Everybody who came off the bench also made an impact as well. We need the whole squad and we need to be ready.”

That desire was never a cause for concern on Tyneside. But this Liverpool squad must improve, both in terms of quality and quantity.