Alexander Isak was met with a chorus of boos from Newcastle fans as he made his first return to St James' Park playing for Liverpool in their Premier League opener. The striker, who forced a £125m move to Liverpool last summer, was subjected to chants and jeers throughout the match.
The abuse began as soon as Isak stepped off the Liverpool team bus, with chants of "rat, rat, rat" directed at him. His name announcement was met with whistles, and he kicked off the game to a wave of boos.
Fans continued to jeer Isak every time he touched the ball. A crunching challenge on the 26-year-old, which left him hurt, provoked one of the loudest cheers of the day from the home crowd, second only to Anthony Elanga's fifth-minute goal. Magpies fans also aimed X-rated chants at Isak, singing: "There's only one greedy b******."
Isak previously scored 54 goals in 84 Premier League matches for Newcastle and played a key role in their Carabao Cup final win in March 2025. He was unable to play in last year's Tyneside meeting due to injury, making Sunday's match his first comeback as a Liverpool player.