Andoni Iraola's first competitive afternoon in charge of Liverpool very nearly ended in defeat. It took a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time, converted by Dominik Szoboszlai, to salvage a 2-2 draw at St James' Park and spare the Spaniard an opening-day loss on the road.
Newcastle, themselves fielding a new head coach in Matthias Jaissle for the first time on home turf, led twice. Anthony Elanga put the hosts ahead inside five minutes, finishing off a slick move started by William Osula, and looked to have set up a home win when Joe Willock restored the lead with a curling effort from distance that beat Alisson just two minutes after Cody Gakpo had leveled.
Gakpo's 55th-minute equaliser had briefly suggested Liverpool would settle for parity, only for Willock to strike back almost immediately and leave the visitors chasing the game deep into the second half.
The decisive moment arrived agonisingly late. With the board showing nine added minutes, Newcastle full-back Lewis Hall brought down Liverpool debutant Víctor Muñoz inside the box, and Szoboszlai stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way and complete a dramatic share of the spoils.
It was a fitting way to open a Premier League campaign already reshaped by managerial upheaval on both sides. Iraola arrived at Anfield this summer after Liverpool moved on from Arne Slot, while Jaissle, freshly installed after Eddie Howe's departure ended one of Newcastle's most successful managerial spells in decades, was taking his first bow in front of the St James' Park crowd.
For Iraola, escaping with a point after twice trailing away from home offers early evidence of the resilience he will need to make an impression at Anfield. Losing his first game in charge would have made for an uncomfortable build-up to Liverpool's home opener.
The draw was one of several shocks on a chaotic opening weekend across England. Tottenham's big-spending summer - roughly £237 million across six signings - yielded a grim start as they were beaten 3-0 at Brentford, with Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode all scoring for the Bees.
Manchester United fared little better. Michael Carrick's side, playing their first match since he was confirmed as permanent manager, were beaten 2-0 away at newly promoted Hull City, with Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy scoring either side of half-time in a result few had predicted.
Iraola's Liverpool now get their first home fixture of the new era when Nottingham Forest visit Anfield on Saturday, with the new manager looking to follow up a dramatic away point with a first win in front of his own supporters.
