Matthias Jaissle felt the stoppage-time penalty decision that cost Newcastle United a victory over Liverpool on his Premier League debut was "very soft".

Newcastle were moments away from an eye-catching victory over Andoni Iraola's Reds at St James' Park, as Anthony Elanga and Joe Willock struck either side of Cody Gakpo's equaliser.

But Liverpool were gifted a lifeline when Lewis Hall made contact with Victor Munoz's knee in the area, and Dominik Szoboszlai made no mistake in the 99th minute.

Newcastle have now dropped 29 points from winning positions in the Premier League since the start of last season – Wolfsburg (33) are the only team in Europe's top five leagues to surrender more.

Sunday's match was also the fourth consecutive Premier League fixture between Newcastle and Liverpool at St James' Park to see a result-altering goal scored in the 90th minute or later. The Reds previously scored late winners on Tyneside in August 2023 and August 2025, while the Magpies got a last-gasp equaliser in December 2024.

But Jaissle felt aggrieved with the award of the spot-kick, telling BBC Match of the Day: "If you give it, it's a really, really soft one and then you have to give many, many penalties throughout the game and throughout the season. I'm not a big fan of the decision."

However, the former Al-Ahli boss – who replaced Eddie Howe less than a month ago – was delighted with the application shown by his players as they adapt to a new approach.

He said: "In the end, I am a bit disappointed. We were so close to getting the three points, for sure. But there is also some brightness, because the guys were doing an amazing job for over 90 minutes.

The lads gave it everything but it finishes level.  pic.twitter.com/whWlguJ6Zs

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) August 23, 2026

"We are a young squad, and they really left their hearts on the pitch and this is something we can build on.

"I'm proud, we are proud to see a unit on the pitch. The guys were trying to do it in the intense way that we want to play; to be front-footed and vertical in our approach. 

"After such a short amount of time, I'm really happy. That is our philosophy. It depends on the opponent, but we have a clear idea of how we want to play and today we saw quite a lot of that."

Asked to rate his first experience of the St James' Park atmosphere, the German said: "This is special, it's going to be a really cool season with big challenges as well. We're realistic, but we will get there.

"I heard many things, but I felt the goosebumps straight away. You get energy from the stands, and you just want to deliver it on the pitch. This will be something special."

Jaissle's second competitive game at the helm is against West Brom in the second round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, before a Premier League visit to Tottenham next weekend.