Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola praised the impact of players on the bench, while Newcastle coach Matthias Geisel praised the “heart” of his side after a thrilling 2-2 Premier League draw at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored a penalty in the 99th minute to salvage a point for the Reds after Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock scored from Cody Jacobo’s goal.
Elanga gave the Magpies the lead after just five minutes and maintained the lead into the second half.
Jacobo equalized shortly after the start of the second half, before the home side responded immediately through substitute Willock.
But it looked as if Newcastle would take all three points, as Szoboszlai swept home from 12 yards after Liverpool new boy Victor Munoz was beaten by Lewis Hall just seconds before the game to claim a share of the spoils.
Both coaches were taking charge of their teams in a competitive match for the first time, and while Geisel was proud of his players’ performance for most of the match, it was Iraola who walked away jubilant after the late save.
Airola talks about much needed “energy”.
After the final whistle, the Spanish coach praised those on the bench, who he said gave his team some much-needed “energy”.
“I don’t think we deserved to lose,” Iraola said. “I’m sure we would have had more chances. In the first half, we didn’t finish anything. We had too many balls on the rim.”
“The players coming off the bench gave us energy. The way we want to play, no one is going to last 90 minutes. That’s why we need that energy from the bench.”
Jaissle is “really happy” with the performance
Meanwhile, Geisel insisted he was “really happy” with his side’s performance, despite the deflation felt by the hosts at St James’ Park after the match.
The Newcastle coach said: “They (the players) put their hearts on the pitch and that’s non-negotiable. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the three points. Our heads are a bit down but we know it’s a huge transition. It’s a brave project.”
Geisel expressed his regret at the decision to award the penalty kick and described the penalty kick as “really soft”. The Magpies boss also hinted at more signings this summer before the window closes.
He added: “I hope that we will do more work before the end of the window. We have some needs and we know that internally.”
