Jaissle brands stoppage-time penalty 'really soft' as Newcastle are denied by Liverpool equaliser

Matthias Jaissle made a combative Premier League debut as Newcastle manager, but his side were held to a 2-2 draw by Liverpool at St. James’ Park after Lewis Hall conceded a controversial penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time on Saturday.

Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock had put Newcastle in a commanding position, with only a Cody Gakpo goal keeping Liverpool in the contest, before Hall brought down Victor Munoz in the box to hand the visitors a lifeline. Dominik Szoboszlai converted the spot kick to earn Liverpool a share of the points.

Speaking after the final whistle, Jaissle was unambiguous in his dissatisfaction. “I think you call it here a really soft one,” he said. “It was a really soft one and if you give that there will be so many penalties in the future. I’m not a fan of that, I have to say. I disagree but more I cannot say.”

The pundits on duty were not sympathetic to that reading. Gary Neville suggested Hall himself would know the truth of the matter. “On reflection Lewis Hall will know deep inside that he knows it’s a penalty,” Neville said, adding that a point against Liverpool still represented a creditable result for Jaissle’s side on his opening night in charge.

Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge were equally firm. “A penalty’s a penalty. Lewis Hall is very unlucky, but when the ball goes in there, he does catch him,” Richards said. “He tries to anticipate where Munoz is going to go and he just leaves his leg in there. He’s too late, yes it’s harsh — but it’s knee-on-knee, it’s a foul.”

Sturridge agreed: “He’s shifted his body to the side and Hall’s got a little knock on him. As the attacker, any little touch when you’re going at pace is going to put you off balance. A full deserved penalty if you ask me.”

Szoboszlai, who struck the penalty in front of more than 50,000 hostile supporters, reflected on the atmosphere rather than the controversy. “More than 50,000 fans in the stadium against you — you can’t hear your own voice. That’s why I love football,” he said. “To come here is always tough. Everybody knows the Newcastle fans are unbelievable. We needed to take the positivity of the first game and move on.”

The result leaves both clubs with a point from their opening Premier League fixture, though the debate over the penalty decision is unlikely to fade quickly — particularly from Jaissle’s perspective.