Andoni Iraola's Resilient Liverpool Earns Draw Against Newcastle

Andoni Iraola walked off the pitch with a point and a paradox.

His side had trailed twice at Newcastle, undone early by Anthony Elanga and then again by Joe Willock, yet somehow still found a way to leave with something. Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai dragged the visitors level on each occasion, the second equaliser arriving late enough to feel like a small victory in itself.

"It's a strange feeling. Not the result we wanted but it's true, the way we scored the goal in the end, it tastes better. Still, we would have definitely preferred the win," Iraola told BBC, torn between frustration and relief. The comeback had not been part of the plan, but the resilience was.

Nightmare start, hard response

Liverpool’s afternoon began in the worst possible fashion. Behind inside five minutes, rattled by the noise and speed that always seem to define an opening day at Newcastle.

"We started the game the worst way we knew. Newcastle away, first game of the season, the atmosphere, they have very fast players and we concede the goal," Iraola admitted. His team were caught cold, punished instantly, and forced to chase.

"They punished us and we had to go against the result. But we didn't give up in any moment." That refusal to fold became the thread running through the rest of his post-match assessment.

Once the first goal went in, Iraola knew the game had to change tempo.

"Once you concede the first goal, you need the game to go fast. You need things to happen when you're losing," he said. Liverpool began to push higher, to hold the ball in more dangerous areas, and the pattern shifted.

Momentum swings and a late reward

After the break, the visitors finally imposed themselves.

"We could control the game in the second half. We had better possession around their box," Iraola reflected. When the equaliser came, it felt like a turning point rather than a lifeline.

"When we scored, it looked like we were the team going to turn the game but then they scored again." That second Newcastle strike could have killed the contest. Instead, it set up a frantic finish.

The intensity of the contest came at a cost. Iraola and his staff leaned heavily on the bench to keep the press and the running at full tilt.

Bench changes tilt the game

Jeremy Jacquet was one of those sacrificed to the demands of the system rather than form.

"Jeremy hasn't done a proper pre-season, so it was kind of expected that he didn't finish the game," Iraola explained. The changes were not cosmetic; they were essential to the way he wants his side to play.

"All the substitutes gave us energy. We need it because it's difficult to last the full 90 minutes with the same players the way we want to play. Players coming off the bench can affect the game."

One of them did exactly that. Victor Munoz forced the late penalty that salvaged the draw and left Newcastle furious.

"Victor almost had another penalty but the referee whistled before conceding it but it was even more clear. So he has really affected the game," Iraola said, still replaying the incident in his mind.

A chaotic opener, a point snatched at the death, and a manager already demanding more from a team that has shown it will not go quietly this season.