Isak jeered relentlessly on St James' Park return as Newcastle fans greet £125m Liverpool signing

Alexander Isak was subjected to sustained hostility from Newcastle supporters as he returned to St James’ Park for Liverpool in their Premier League season opener on Sunday, making his first appearance at the ground since engineering a £125m move away from the club last summer.

The abuse began before a ball was kicked. Chants of “rat, rat, rat” rang out as Isak stepped off the Liverpool team bus, and the announcement of his name over the public address system was met with a wall of whistles. When the 26-year-old kicked off from the centre-spot, he did so to a chorus of boos that set the tone for the afternoon.

Every touch Isak received drew jeers from the home end, and a crunching challenge that left the striker visibly hurt prompted one of the loudest cheers of the match — at that stage second only to Anthony Elanga’s fifth-minute opener for the hosts. Magpies fans also directed an X-rated chant at their former striker, singing: “There’s only one greedy b**.”

The venom stems from the manner of Isak’s departure. The Swedish forward went on strike to force the move, burning bridges with a fanbase that had previously idolised him for scoring 54 goals in 84 Premier League appearances across three seasons at the club. He also played a significant role in Newcastle’s first piece of domestic silverware in 70 years, netting against Liverpool in a 2-0 Carabao Cup final victory in March 2025.

Isak had been absent from last season’s corresponding fixture at St James’ Park through injury, meaning Sunday’s match served as his first return to Tyneside as a Liverpool player.

After a difficult debut campaign at Anfield — hampered by injury and inconsistent form — Isak will be hoping to rediscover the prolific touch that made him one of the Premier League’s most coveted strikers during his time in the north-east.