Saturday saw Newcastle demolish a depleted Fulham side 4-1 after the hosts suffered a very early red card and later succumbed to several injuries. It was the kind of bad luck that Newcastle usually find themselves cursing, but a twist of fate the Mags were more than happy to use to their advantage.
Goals from Sean Longstaff and Callum Wilson along with a brace from a superb Miguel Almiron gave Eddie Howe’s men three points, the only downer being the late consolation goal Fulham were able to grab, taking advantage of a back-line that had recently been changed by the Newcastle manager.
However, the lack of a clean sheet doesn’t take anything away from the fact that Newcastle were absolutely sublime all across the pitch for the majority of the game. Whether it would have been such a breeze without the early red card is something we will never know, but Newcastle were in the ascendancy from the outset, so it did look like Howe got it right.
Speaking to NUFC TV after the game, Eddie Howe admitted that his hand was forced with a couple of the changes following injuries and illnesses: “Off the top of my head I think three were enforced and one was tactical. There’s been a lot of different things these past two weeks, it’s been difficult. A lot of injuries, a lot of illness which forced my hand a bit today.”
Come on boys 🖤🖤 https://t.co/EqUkDDpx9T
— Elliot Anderson (@elljanderson) October 1, 2022
That certainly answers the questions that were raised at 2pm when the team was announced. I know I had many when I saw the line-up and fans on twitter, likewise, seemed a bit confused.
Goalscorer, Sean Longstaff caught up with NUFC TV at full time and reflected on the game saying “It was a really enjoyable afternoon and everybody’s buzzing in the changing room.”
“It’s been a long time coming, that win considering some of the performances we’ve put in, I think we’ve deserved a little bit more, but it’s one to enjoy and hopefully something to build on.”
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