Ryan Gravenberch has taken just 34 minutes to do something he didn’t manage in all of last season | OneFootball

It’s fair to say that Ryan Gravenberch has had an eventful return to action on his first competitive appearance of the season tonight!

The 23-year-old was booked inside a fiery opening 10 minutes at St James’ Park, but after Liverpool withstood a period of sustained pressure from Newcastle, the Dutch midfielder broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 35th minute.

The Reds’ number 38 took possession around 30 yards out and had time to set himself before blazing a powerful shot through the legs of Bruno Guimaraes and past Nick Pope, with the ball nestling in the home side’s net.

Gravenberch ends 16-month goal drought

Remarkably, that was Gravenberch’s first goal for his club since netting in a 3-1 win at Fulham in April 2024, with the midfielder not scoring in the entire 2024/25 season despite enjoying a terrific campaign as he forged a powerful partnership with Alexis Mac Allister.

The Dutchman scored four goals in 1,839 minutes on the pitch during his first campaign with Liverpool, but surprisingly didn’t find the net last term despite enjoying far more game-time (4,207 minutes).

(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Relief for Gravenberch – and for Liverpool

You wouldn’t have known that the 23-year-old had gone so long without scoring if you’d seen his sweet strike against Newcastle in isolation, but he took his goal brilliantly and left St James’ Park stunned after the home side had been dominant.

Gravenberch will no doubt be relieved to end his 16-month goal drought, with a lack of end product in the final third perhaps the only criticism which could be directed at the midfielder during an excellent 2024/25 campaign.

If it proves to be the winner for Liverpool in a tempestuous game which saw Anthony Gordon red-carded on the stroke of half-time, it’ll be worth its weight in gold to the Premier League champions.

Hopefully it’s the first of plenty for the classy midfield operator in his third season as a Reds player.

You can view Gravenberch’s goal below, via @SkySportsPL on X: