Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola praised the impact of players off the bench, while Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle hailed his side’s “heart” following a thrilling 2-2 Premier League stalemate at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Dominik Szoboszlai netted a 99th-minute penalty to rescue a point for the Reds after Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock had scored either side of a Cody Gakpo strike.
Elanga had given the Magpies the lead after just five minutes and held the lead going into the second half.
Gakpo levelled soon after the restart before the hosts hit back instantly through substitute Willock.
But just went it seemed as though Newcastle would take all three points, Szoboszlai swept home from 12 yards after Liverpool new boy Victor Munoz had been clipped by Lewis Hall with just seconds of the game remaining to take a share of the spoils.
Both managers were taking charge of their respective teams in a competitive fixture for the very first time, and while Jaissle could be bouyed by his players’ showing for much of the contest, it was Iraola who left jubilant following the late salvage job.
Iraola on much-needed ‘energy’
After the full-time whistle, the Spaniard singled out praise for those coming off the bench, who he said provided his team with some much-needed “energy”.
Iraola said: “I don’t think we deserved to lose. I’m sure we had more chances. In the first half, we didn’t finish anything. We had a lot of ball on the edge.
“The players coming from the bench gave us energy. The way we want to play, nobody is going to last 90 minutes. That’s why we need that energy from the bench.”
Jaissle ‘really happy’ with performance
Meanwhile, Jaissle insisted he was “really happy” with his team’s performance, despite the sense of deflation felt by the home section of St James’ Park after the game.
The Newcastle boss said: “They [the players] put their heart on the pitch, that’s not negotiable. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the three points. Our heads are a bit down but we know it’s a huge transition phase. It’s a brave project.”
Jaissle lamented the decision to award the spot-kick, calling the penalty “really soft”. The Magpies head coach also hinted at further signings this summer before the window shuts.
He added: “I hope we will do more business before the end of the window. We have some needs and we know that internally.”
