Newcastle United chief called into dressing room after Eddie Howe questioned & £115m decision.
In the last fifteen minutes of normal time, Fabian Schar and Harvey Barnes both scored goals from beyond the box to cancel off Mario Lemina’s first goal and maintain Newcastle’s excellent start to the season. With 10 points from their first four games, The Magpies now sit third in the standings after the win.
These are five topics of discussion from the match.
Three changes as Eddie Howe decisions questioned
Howe made three changes from the team that defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at St. James’ Park prior to the international break, replacing Emil Krafth with Fabian Schar, who was back from suspension. In addition, Lewis Hall began ahead of Lloyd Kelly, while Jacob Murphy was preferred over Harvey Barnes, who had opened the scoring against Spurs.
After making two starts for Italy during the international break, Sandro Tonali was also benched, and Newcastle instead used the well-known combination of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Sean Longstaff. When the team news was released at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, fans on social media questioned the choice to bench Barnes and forego starting Tonali in particular.
“We had a few players today who will have been disappointed not to start,” Howe stated in defence of his team selection. Every game is different, but against Tottenham, we made tactical alterations to the lineup, which allowed Lloyd, Emil, and Harvey to come out and play effectively.
“I need to try to figure out how to try to win the next game.” The most crucial thing is that the players react appropriately; it wasn’t a reflection on those players.
£115m Newcastle United triple change made early
Even though Newcastle had dominated the first 20 minutes of the game, they fell behind after a swift attacking move by Wolves, which Mario Lemina completed, as the home team finished the first half on a stronger note.
However, Howe’s ability to make significant substitutions from the bench has been a luxury this season, and he did exactly that with the triple substitution of Barnes, Tonali, and Joe Willock in place of Alexander Isak, Joelinton, and Sean Longstaff.. Howe took the tactical decision to substitute two of his midfield trio, but the Magpies manager later stated that Isak’s absence was because of an eye problem following a blow to his face in the first half.
All three players made an effect from the start; Willock created five chances in the second half, including the game-winning effort from Barnes, while Tonali also played a smart shift in midfield as Newcastle got back into the game and eventually won.
The entrance of Kieran Trippier later in the half also had a favourable effect on the game, as Newcastle quickly reversed the deficit after his introduction.
Newcastle’s moments of quality turn the game around
On Sunday, Newcastle accomplished something they hadn’t done since April 2023 and April 2018, respectively. The first was overturning a deficit to win a match away from home (the previous one was at Brentford), and the second was scoring two goals in a Premier League game without using the penalty box for the first time since a 2-1 victory over Leicester City in April 2018 thanks to long-range goals from Ayoze Perez and Jonjo Shelvey.
Even if Schar’s goal to tie the game against Newcastle may have been fortunate to deflect off Craig Dawson’s head, it gave the visitors the momentum they needed going into the last 15 minutes; without it, they very well would not have continued.
Schar made a spectacular comeback to the side. It was a classic effort from him. If Schar’s goal was a signature finish, Barnes’ was even more so as he scored for Newcastle after receiving a feed from Willock, cutting inside from the left, and curving the ball forcefully with his right foot into the top right corner of the goal.
With the help of two very outstanding moments and some fortunate breaks, Newcastle managed to turn the tide and win their first Premier League match at Molineux since 2011.
Eddie Howe’s uncharacteristic reaction as James Bunce gets dressing room invitation
Sunday’s victory over Spurs served as just another reminder that Newcastle values outcomes above all else. While The Magpies are dominating the Premier League table and are riding high, the story of the “civil war” behind the scenes loses significance and becomes more subdued.
The Sky Sports cameras cut to the chief executive Darren Eales and sports director Paul Mitchell, who were seated next to one other in the Molineux seats. The pair appeared a little uncomfortable when Newcastle fell behind 1-0 before rallying. James Bunce, the director of performances, was seated beside them in the grandstand.
Newcastle enjoy a 29-year throwback
Four games into the Premier League season, Newcastle achieved their best start since the same campaign 29 years earlier, after sporting a contemporary Adidas update on the classic 1995–96 away uniform for the first time.
Before dropping their fifth game at Southampton in 1995, Newcastle had won their first four games of the season. Howe’s team is currently third in the rankings, having amassed 10 points from a possible 12.
With Manchester City and Arsenal facing off on Sunday, if they can defeat Fulham on Saturday, they would not only surpass their 1995–96 season-opening record, but they will also hold the top spot in the Premier League for at least a day.
It still hasn’t been convincing in terms of the performances from Newcastle, but it’s hard to argue with the results the side are getting right now.
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