Liverpool

Liverpool starting XI:

Alisson: Arguably could have been in a better position for Anthony Elanga's goal. Could do nothing to keep out Joe Willock's strike. 5

Jeremie Frimpong: Poor display at right-back. Did get into some good positions down the flank but lacked that final delivery and picked up a deserved booking for tripping Harvey Barnes just outside the box. 4

Jeremy Jacquet: Encouraging start to life in the Premier League. Looks assured on the ball and has great passing range but must be more aware defensively. 6

Virgil van Dijk: Perhaps could have engaged earlier with William Osula in the move for the first goal but in truth, it was a wonderful run and finish from Elanga. Will know that Liverpool should not have let Joe Willock shoot for Newcastle's second goal. 6

Milos Kerkez: Struggled to keep up with Elanga for the goal and picked up a first-half booking. Did show some threat attackingly but has to improve defensively. 4

Dominik Szoboszlai: Was caught out of position for Newcastle's counter and this was an unusually average performance from the Hungarian but he took his penalty in injury-time brilliantly. 7

Ryan Gravenberch: Did well to create space initially but it was his pass that lost the ball just before Newcastle's opener. Made his 100th Premier League appearance and got the assist for Cody Gakpo. 6

Rio Ngumoha: Tried again down the right flank but it just did not click for the teenager, who scored the winner when Liverpool came here last season. A much tougher experience this time around. Replaced just after the hour mark. 5

Florian Wirtz: Was encouraging in phases and unlucky to be denied by a good save from Lukas Hornicek in the first half. Taken off just after the hour mark and will know that he must do more. 6

Cody Gakpo: Threatened and came close to scoring before unleashing a brilliant hit for Liverpool's first equaliser. Plenty of talk surrounding his future and this was a timely reminder of his quality. 8

Alexander Isak: Unsurprisingly booed whenever he touched the ball on his first return to St James' Park since his £125m move last summer. Looked pumped up but did nothing of note and wasted a brilliant chance at 2-1. Like Wirtz, must do more. 5

Substitutes

Victor Munoz (on 63, Ngumoha): The winger who Liverpool beat Newcastle to signing looked sharp when he came on and won the crucial penalty. 7

Alexis Mac Allister (on 63, Wirtz): Came on to bring some stability playing in front of the backline. 5

Ronald Araujo (on 70, Jacquet): Did what was asked of him when he came on to partner Van Dijk. 6

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Andoni Iraola spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Liverpool's draw against Newcastle: "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.

"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. They punished us and we had to go against the result. But we didn't give up in any moment. The energy of the players, especially the substitutes, it was a good recovery.

"Once you concede the first goal, you need the game to go fast. You need things to happen when you're losing. We could control the game in the second half. We had better possession around their box. When we scored, it looked like we were the team going to turn the game but then they scored again."

On Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz: "Jeremy hasn't done a proper pre-season, so it was kind of expected that he didn't finish the game. 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.

"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."

Goalscorer Dominik Szoboszlai spoke to MOTD: "It was a nice game. I would be more happy if we took the three points. But we take the positives, take the one point."

On manager Iraola: "We are still getting to know each other, the whole team and coaching staff. But we have a good company together and good team spirit and that's all that's needed to be successful."

Did you know?

• Liverpool remain unbeaten on matchday one in the Premier League in each of the last 14 seasons (since 2013-14), the longest active run in the competition.

• Arne Slot in 2024-25 is the only one of Liverpool's last seven managers to win their first Premier League game in charge of the club (D4 L2 – counting Houllier's first as joint with Evans).

Listen to Iraola's chat with BBC Radio Merseyside here

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool deserve credit for not giving up and fighting until the end, but the draw will only paper over some of the cracks that had been on display.

The Reds had 60% possession and 27 attempts on goal but despite that too many players had below-par games.

Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez disappointed in the full-back positions, while Alexander Isak was quiet on his first return to the side he left last September for a £125m move to Anfield.

Instead, Liverpool's most dangerous player was Gakpo, yet his future at the club is uncertain amid links with a move to Tottenham, and what happens this week in the transfer market - both in terms of incomings and outgoings - could prove pivotal in determining the sort of season Andoni Iraola's side will have.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after Liverpool's draw against Newcastle: "There wasn't a great deal in [the match] but you can see the weaknesses that Liverpool had last season have not gone away. The defence doesn't look quite there. I would say Ronald Araujo came on and looked quite impressive. very, very powerful and very, very strong. He might be a massive part of the answer.

"In terms of pace, there is a problem there but going forward they need to be a little bit more creative.

"You're expecting Liverpool to get top four this season at least, but they didn't look like a top four team today. There's 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 they certainly didn't get the best out of them today."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are three games in the Premier League on Sunday as the opening weekend continues, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Man City v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle v Liverpool (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated.

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I like everything I've seen from new Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle, but he's had the heart ripped out of his team with Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes leaving.

They were two absolute monsters in midfield, who were horrible to play against, but they have gone - and so has the influence of Anthony Gordon and the experience of Kieran Trippier.

It is sad to see. That's not to say Newcastle can't do well now, but I think their fans are realistic about this season and how it will go.

This will be a fascinating game because Liverpool are still adapting to life under Andoni Iraola and have struggled defensively in pre-season. Hopefully they can run for more than half an hour now, too.

I don't think they will have any problems up front, however.

Alexander Isak will get quite a reception - and not in a good way - from the home crowd, but I do think he will shine for Liverpool this year and that starts on Sunday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-3

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

St James' Park plays host to the meeting of two new managers this weekend as one of the highest scoring fixtures in Premier League history resumes on Tyneside.

Andoni Iraola ended three seasons at Bournemouth with a bang after leading the Cherries to European football for the first time and his arrival at Liverpool earlier this summer was well received following the decline under predecessor Arne Slot.

Following their title win with 84 points under Slot in 2024-25, Liverpool slipped to sixth last season after earning just 60. It was the biggest drop-off in terms of the overall points tally of any Premier League team when comparing the past two campaigns.

The arrival of Iraola, however, has been tempered by fan frustration surrounding Liverpool's limited transfer activity following the departure of Mohamed Salah.

Salah scored 257 goals and provided 120 assists in 442 games for the club but Liverpool have yet to bring in a new right winger, while the squad also looks light in central midfield where Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister are the only senior options.

Salah's absence and the lack of a direct replacement is likely to result in an increased focus on Alexander Isak. The £125m signing struggled amid injury problems after swapping St James' Park for Anfield in a protracted move last summer.

He returns to his former club for the first time on Sunday afternoon having scored just four goals in 22 games for Liverpool so far.

Newcastle kick off proceedings without Eddie Howe for the first time in five years, with replacement Matthias Jaissle taking charge of a Premier League side for the first time in his career.

Jaissle has won his opening game in charge at his three previous clubs and his Al-Ahli side were unbeaten at home in the Saudi Pro League last season.

The former Salzburg boss has midfield woes of his own to contend with following the departures of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, while Anthony Gordon has also been sold to Barcelona.

Newcastle have made seven new signings but a focus on youth means that a side that finished 12th last season is very much in transition. Jaissle's immediate task may be to simply steady the ship.

The Magpies have both scored (14) and conceded (13) in each of their last seven Premier League home games, while they have failed to defeat the Reds in the past 19 league meetings (D5, L14).

Liverpool had struggles of their own on the road last season, losing nine matches, but they have opened with a victory in each of the past 13 seasons.

Whoever the winner, one thing that this Premier League fixture usually promises is goals. There have been 198 scored so far – two more would make it just the third fixture in the competition's history to reach a double century.

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Last season, 22 of 35 BBC predictors had Liverpool down as champions and only three thought they would finish lower than second. This time, only four of 28 have them finishing higher than third.

Thomas Hitzlsperger - Prediction: 2nd

I've gone for them to finish second because I really like the way Iraola's teams play. Also, I am kind of biased here because I am really hoping Wirtz has the season now that people expected him to have last year.

Danny Murphy - Prediction: 3rd

Liverpool might need a bit more time before they are challenging for the title again. I am also not sure whether they think they have already got enough to replace Mohamed Salah by bringing in Victor Munoz and maybe giving Rio Ngumoha a bigger role, or whether they are really going to go for Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola, or someone like him, in the next few days.

Sue Smith - Prediction: 4th

I know it's a completely different level and expectation managing Liverpool and it's going be interesting to see how he does in that sort of step up, but all you can judge Iraola on is what he's done at Bournemouth and I think he's been brilliant. Defensively is my concern, though. Especially the right-hand side.

Premier League predictions 2026-27: BBC Sport pundits pick their top four

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

For Andoni Iraola, the waiting is almost over and there was certainly a sense of excitement as he spoke to the media before Liverpool's first Premier League game of the season, even if his squad feels thin at the moment.

Iraola is confident that things will be better come the end of the transfer window, in terms of attacking options, but stressed the need to adapt given how the market works.

The focus will be on "improving the squad because we already have very good players here". And the expectation around Anfield is that it will be a busy end to the transfer window for Liverpool.

Curtis Jones is on his way out and Iraola's assessment of that was that he "understood the situation", even though he liked what Jones offered and wanted to keep him.

For now, all eyes are on Sunday where the focus will turn on Alexander Isak as he makes his return to St James' Park. "Everyone will be very motivated and I think it is going to be the same for Alex," said Iraola.

After a season to forget last year for both Isak and Liverpool, the pressure is on to make sure things are different this season.

Iraola spoke about how "lovely" it has been to see the scale of the club whenever they travel, but he will be well aware too that the pressure will only intensify once the campaign gets under way.

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The Commentators' View trio of John Murray, Ian Dennis and Ali Bruce-Ball have been previewing the new Premier League season as they return for series three of their podcast.

Murray asked his co-hosts: "What is it that is most capturing your imagination about the season of Premier League commentary that lies ahead?"

Dennis responded: "After watching the Community Shield, Arsenal have already laid down a marker.

"I remember the time when Erling Haaland made his debut in the Community Shield at the King Power in Leicester and people were quick to jump to conclusions because he made nine touches or something like that.

"He soon put that to bed but Manchester City, on the evidence of the 90 minutes in Cardiff, didn't look quite up to speed - but that is maybe not surprising given players are still coming back from the World Cup and might not have got the minutes in from pre-season.

"To have lost Pep Guardiola would have been impactful enough, but to have now lost Rodri, as well as Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Nathan Ake - all of that experience - is a massive change for City.

"We'll have to see what happens between now and the end of the transfer window."

After Bruce-Ball agreed about Arsenal's strength, Dennis added: "You could also argue that Liverpool will be in transition this season as well given a new manager in Andoni Iraola.

"There's also no Mo Salah so potentially I'm thinking, could Manchester United look to take advantage of that and be the closest rivals to Arsenal given the impact that Michael Carrick had at the end of last season?"

Murray replied: "The thing I'm most looking forward to is exactly that - to see which one of those teams is going to be able to make a fast start when there's been so much change at so many different clubs."

Listen to the full episode of The Commentators' View on BBC Sounds

Keifer MacDonald
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Newcastle at St James' Park (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola said he is "excited" for the Premier League's return this weekend and believes he has "good players" who give him a chance to fight for "everything".

• The Liverpool manager added that, although he would like to add to his squad before the transfer window closes, he "does not spend too much time thinking about it" and instead insisted he will have to "adapt".

• He said that, although he valued Curtis Jones highly, the midfielder made it clear he wanted to leave Liverpool when the pair held talks during the first week of pre-season.

• Iraola also backed teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni to step up and be a "valuable" player, should Jones complete a move to Inter Milan. He explained: "I am very happy with Trey. Very, very happy. He has been very good in pre-season. Not only in the games but also when he trains with us and faces top-level players. I have no doubts with Trey. He will be very valuable for us this season and I hope he plays a lot."

• On the overall state of his squad as the season begins: "We are not at 100%, but I am happy in the sense that I think we are at a level where we can compete, win games and still be a good team. We definitely need to improve. We will improve. We will try to do it as quickly as possible, but there are always processes."

• Following the departures of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson at the end of last season, Iraola said Liverpool have young players "willing" to take on the minutes and "leadership roles" going into a new era at Anfield.

• On the importance of keeping Alexander Isak fit, Iraola said: "I think he had a very good World Cup in terms of availability and fitness levels, and I want to keep him there for as long as we can. We know his level and, if we can keep him there, he will score goals and give us a lot."

• It was also confirmed that Alisson Becker, Joe Gomez and Dominik Szoboszlai will act as vice-captains to Virgil van Dijk this season, though the former is unlikely to wear the armband due to the complexity of Premier League rules allowing only only captains to speak to referees.

• Iraola offered some insight on an unseen aspect of settling in which relates to working with a new team of performance analysts: "The analyst group is very important at clubs. I have come with one analyst who has helped me integrate into the group. I think we are in a good place, but I want us, just like the team, to improve our working relationships, connections and half-time processes because that is the best way to help the players."

Hit play above to hear more from Iraola or listen on BBC Sounds here

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