Newcastle climbed back up to third in the league on goal difference after ANOTHER 0-0 draw, their third in four league games.
Eddie Howe’s unchanged Magpies dominated the game from start to finish as they so often do, but in what’s becoming an all too familiar thing, they lacked that killer instinct up front. Callum Wilson was cut adrift for most of the game managing only one clear-cut chance which was a header straight down the throat of Vicente Guaita.
The first half was largely uneventful with Newcastle containing Crystal Palace to such a degree that they finished the half with no shots on target, but it was at the other end of the pitch where the problems lie. This is three in four league games without a goal now and looking at the way we play, it’s hard to see where the goals are going to come from.
There seems to be an emphasis on walking the ball in at the expense of anyone having a shot on the sight of goal. There were many times when Bruno or Longstaff could have just had a crack on the edge of the area, but instead opting to spread it out wide for a cross to be played in with nobody getting on the end of it. It comes to something when your best effort of the half came from left-back Dan Burn with an early crack at goal which was stopped by Guaita.
It was Crystal Palace who came the closest in the second half with their first shot on target as the ball fell kindly to Jean-Phillipe Mateta who fired a ferocious shot at goal which was superbly tipped over by Nick Pope.
Alexander Isak, who replaced Callum Wilson had a great chance for Newcastle, but like Wilson before him, he headed the attempt right at a grateful Guaita.
On the plus side, that now means Newcastle are unbeaten in 15 league games, a club record, and now have nine hours of football under their belt without conceding a goal which is absolutely unbelievable. However, too many of those unbeaten games were draws that should have been wins. This one tonight and the one at Leeds instantly spring to mind.
Who Was Your MOTM Against Crystal Palace?
Bruno Guimaraes
Sven Botman
Kieran Trippier
Other
All that being said, we’re still third in the league and the improvement from last season is beyond our wildest dreams, so we can’t complain too much. Just get in a new striker and a creative midfielder and we’re golden. Jacob Murphy has improved loads this season, but I still roll my eyes when I see him coming off the bench.
I’m giving my Player Of The Match to Sven Botman for another flawless display. Special mention to Bruno Guimaraes – 90 minutes under his belt when we weren’t expecting him to play at all is a feat not to be sniffed at.