Alexander Isak was loudly booed by Newcastle fans on his first return to St James' Park since his British record £125million transfer to Liverpool, and a body language expert has identified "nine red flags" suggesting the Swedish striker was "clearly unhappy" about the reception.
The 26-year-old made his first appearance at his former home ground during the Premier League's opening weekend, having completed the contentious move to the Reds last September. After being jeered off the bus, every touch of the ball was met with a chorus of boos from the Newcastle supporters.
Expert highlights 'lip suppression' and guarded behaviour
Speaking to OLBG, body language expert Darren Stanton analysed Isak's behaviour during the match and said the player tried to pretend he was not bothered by the Newcastle fans, but there were signs that told a different story.
Stanton said: "Alexander Isak does something called lip suppression when he first arrives at St. James' Park. His lips are closed, pierced and slightly compressed.
"There's no arrival smile or anything like that from someone who is returning to his former home ground. He's very aware of the reception he's receiving and what is being chanted."
'He's clearly unhappy' - nine consistent red flags
The expert also noted that Isak's eyebrows were slightly lowered and he was looking downwards before entering the ground, which Stanton said showed he wanted to get away from the Newcastle fans as quickly as possible.
"He's trying to act like he's not bothered by it, but he clearly is. When people don't look around, they try to imply that they are not bothered and that they don't care. It wouldn't surprise me if he wasn't actually listening to any music at all!" Stanton added.
"With Isak, he comes across as very guarded and doesn't want any of us to read his emotions. He's like a stone and doesn't want to project anything. No anger, no excitement, and no disgust."
Describing Isak's walk as "quite purposeful," Stanton said the striker just wanted to get away from the situation as quickly as possible. "Overall, I would say that Isak is very aware of how he is thought of by Newcastle fans. He's clearly unhappy about it. Otherwise, he'd be displaying different emotions. I'd go as far as saying there are eight or nine consistent red flags of behaviour that tell us Alexander Isak is not happy on his return to Newcastle United."
Despite the hostile reception, Isak had the last laugh as Liverpool rescued a point in the 99th minute when Dominik Szoboszlai lashed the ball into the top corner from the penalty spot.
