Signs that Jaissle's Newcastle are not to be written off
August 23, 2026 22:38
Newcastle drew 2-2 with Liverpool at St James' Park after a late penalty was awarded in stoppage time and converted by Dominik Szoboszlai. The spot-kick followed a challenge on Liverpool substitute Victor Munoz by Newcastle full-back Lewis Hall; manager Matthias Jaissle reacted angrily on the touchline and publicly described the decision as "soft".
The match also featured a strong showing from several of Newcastle's recent recruits and returning figures: Anthony Elanga opened the scoring, Yoane Wissa set up Joe Willock's second, and newly signed Amar Dedic — completed from Benfica for £30m earlier in the week — impressed. The crowd was notably animated by the occasion, with celebrations of club legend Kevin Keegan and the return of Alexander Isak generating extra noise.
KEY CONTEXT
- Over the past year Newcastle have lost several high-profile players — Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes — and manager Eddie Howe has departed.
- The club’s window so far has targeted young recruits: every signing this summer is aged 24 or under and, according to the report, none had previously played in the Premier League.
- Jaissle himself arrived without prior experience managing in England’s top flight, and some pundits had suggested that transition might lead to early difficulties.