Liverpool counter attack problem exposed again at Newcastle

Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty rescued a point for Liverpool at Newcastle, but the bigger issue was what happened before the spot-kick. Newcastle twice found Liverpool on the break, and the visiting side's transition defending still looked vulnerable in a game that should have been uncomfortable from the moment the home side started running into space.

Newcastle's breaks kept opening Liverpool up

Newcastle scored twice through counter-attacks that Liverpool failed to stop at source. That is not just a bad afternoon at Newcastle vs Liverpool; it fits a longer pattern. Liverpool have conceded nine more goals via fast breaks in all competitions than any other Premier League team since the start of last season.

Pat Nevin's criticism on BBC was pointed. "There's a definite lack of creativity and somehow they must get the best out of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak because you certainly didn't get the best out of them today," he said. Florian Wirtz still has three goal contributions in four appearances this season, so the problem in this game was less about his overall output and more about how easily Newcastle could turn Liverpool around.

Szoboszlai's rescue does not fix the deadline issue

The late penalty will buy Liverpool some breathing room, and it was the sort of moment that keeps a point from feeling like a defeat. But Andoni Iraola, speaking to BBC, still accepted that the goals against need work and that the bench energy helped rather than transformed the performance: "I've liked a lot of the things I've seen from the team. There's definitely things to improve like the goals but I've seen a lot of things I've liked from the team. I've liked the energy, especially the players coming from the bench. I think we finished the game quite strong physically."

Liverpool face Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday before the transfer deadline on 1 September at 11pm. If the club want the transition issue dealt with properly, the next few days are the point where the squad has to get stronger, not just the late results.