Alexander Isak was booed by Newcastle United fans as he returned to St James' Park with Liverpool for their Premier League opener.
Isak forced a move out of Newcastle last summer, going on strike before eventually joining Liverpool for a record fee of £125 million. That exit burned bridges with the Magpies fanbase, who had previously adored him for his goalscoring over three seasons. He also played a key role in Newcastle's first domestic trophy in 70 years, scoring against Liverpool in the 2-0 Carabao Cup final win in March 2025.
Isak was unable to play in last year's Tyneside meeting between the two teams due to injury, meaning Sunday's season curtain-raiser was his first St James' Park comeback as a Liverpool player.
The abuse was immediate. As Isak stepped off the Liverpool team bus, chants of "rat, rat, rat" were directed at him. When his name was announced, he was met with whistles, and he kicked off the game to a chorus of boos from the centre spot. He was jeered every time he received the ball, and a crunching challenge that left him hurt provoked one of the largest cheers of the day from the home faithful, at that point second only to Anthony Elanga's fifth-minute opener.
Magpies fans also aimed X-rated chants at Isak, singing: "There's only one greedy b******".
Isak, who scored 54 goals in 84 Premier League matches across his Newcastle career, will hope to replicate those numbers for Liverpool after injury and poor form led to a disappointing debut season at Anfield last term.
Source: www.independent.co.uk — Read the original article
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