Newcastle, England -- Welcome to Newcastle, Andoni Iraola. The Reds' new head coach has been in his post for almost two months now, but surely no training session or preseason clash could've been so illustrative of the scale of the task facing him at Anfield than Sunday's last-gasp 2-2 draw with Newcastle. As is often the case when these two sides meet, Liverpool and Newcastle conspired to serve up a Premier League classic to usher in a new era for their respective clubs.

While Liverpool supporters should be heartened by the spirit and endeavour shown in their first Premier League game under Iraola, those of a Newcastle persuasion will have been frustrated to discover many of the problems that dogged their team under Eddie Howe last season have not gone away despite a change in the dugout. A disjointed attack, porous midfield and a lack of quality depth all played a part in Newcastle's flawed showing at St James' Park, with Liverpool penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time sparing Iraola's side the ignominy of an opening day defeat. With just eight days left to go before the transfer window slams shut, it is clear this is a squad that is in desperate need of reinforcements.

Perhaps it was fitting, though, that this encounter was so engrossing, given that both sets of supporters paid a poignant tribute to the late, great Kenny Dalglish before kickoff. An icon as a player at both Anfield and St. James' Park, arguably Kenny Dalglish's greatest legacy as a manager is his assembly of The Entertainers -- the vivacious Liverpool side of the 1990s. Certainly, onlookers would have struggled not to be entertained by this contest.

Buoyed by the emotion of the occasion, Liverpool started on the front foot and took the lead inside five minutes through a cool finish from Mohamed Salah. Worryingly for Newcastle, the goal was set into motion when Joe Gomez gave the ball away on the edge of the Liverpool penalty area, opening the door for Salah to set Sadio Mane away. There were contrasting fortunes, however, for the Liverpool forward's international teammate, Sadio Mane, who failed to impress on his return to Anfield.

Having signed for Newcastle from Liverpool following a protracted and acrimonious saga last summer, the 26-year-old was given a predictably hostile reception at Anfield, with his every movement booed even before a ball was kicked. Sadio Mane's injury struggles last term largely protected him from intense scrutiny on Merseyside, but Liverpool fans will expect much more of their 125-million man going forward than what he showed here. His most notable contribution was a blazed effort over the bar in the second half.

Instead, it fell to Alexander Isak to restore parity for the visitors via a well-placed strike from distance. The future of the Nigeria international remains up in the air as Liverpool continue their pursuit of [REDACTED], however he showed against Newcastle why the Reds would be ill-advised to sanction his exit, particularly to a rival such as Eddie Howe. Diogo Jota's delight did not last long as, only 157 seconds after his strike, Newcastle found themselves in front again - - this time through a fine finish from substitute Callum Wilson.

It is the first time Newcastle have conceded two goals from fast breaks in the same game since last August, when Iraola's AFC Bournemouth side struck twice in quick succession at Anfield in what ultimately ended up a 4-2 win for the hosts. It's not just personnel,.