Newcastle United secured a Diriyah Cup victory over Al-Hilal on Thursday night, beating the Saudi Pro League champions 5-0!
In the 5pm clash at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Joelinton got on the scoresheet twice in a competitive affair in Riyadh – although Loris Karius was the star of the show in a first half that featured two brilliant stops on his debut.
The second half was full of changes, seeing a host of U21 talents feature, but it was Miguel Almiron who continued his stunning form in front of goal with two emphatic finishes in a final 45 totally dominated by the Toon.
A fifth then came from Dylan Stephenson, as the 19-year-old Geordie rounded off the scoring to seal an emphatic win – and the Diriyah Cup – for Newcastle United.
Howe named a strong side, handing starts to Sven Botman, Jonjo Shelvey, Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin. Loris Karius also made his debut for the club, while Jamal Lewis was handed a rare opportunity to impress from left-back.
Matt Targett and Karl Darlow were absent through illness, while Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson, Nick Pope, Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar and Garang Kuol won’t be involved in our warm-weather training camp due to their involvement in the World Cup.
NUFC XI: Karius – Manquillo, Lascelles, Botman, Lewis – Shelvey, Willock, Joelinton – Murphy, Wood, Saint-Maximin.
Subs: Gillespie, Fraser, Almiron, Anderson, Burn, Longstaff, White, Stephenson, Turner-Cooke, A.Murphy, Miley.
Our first chance of the game came on six minutes, where Chris Wood’s cut-back was almost tapped in by Jacob Murphy; who saw his effort blocked on the line.
However, less than 60 seconds later it was 1-0 Newcastle as Jacob Murphy beat his man with ease down the right and hung up a back-post cross that was headed home emphatically by Joelinton.
It was a high-intensity start from both sides and Loris Karius was called into action on a couple of occasions, safely gathering two shots on target from the hosts, who’d started brightly despite going a goal down.
Jamal Lewis struggled defensively in the early stages, with the majority of their play coming down our left. Make no mistake, Al-Hilal were playing at a good intensity and moving the ball quickly, however the former Norwich man did himself no favours before a trademark burst from Allan Saint-Maximin almost put Chris Wood in behind on the 20-minute mark.
Sven Botman came close to picking some nice passes from the back, although it was clear Jonjo Shelvey wasn’t quite up to speed after missing the majority of the season with a hamstring injury.
After a clever ball across the box from Saint-Maximin, Murphy cut in and had an effort of his own well blocked, but it was Karius who was called into action moment later, getting down brilliantly to deny former Man Utd striker Odion Ighalo from six yards out. We were looking shaky at the back, but the German had made a very solid start, showing good handling, solid positioning and often looking to release the ball quickly.
On the 35-minute mark, a clumsy push from Botman was checked by VAR; which was in operation at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. No penalty, however it certainly fell into the category of ‘seen them given.’
Chris Wood was then forced off with an injury – a worry given Isak is not yet fit and Wilson is away – and replaced by Sean Longstaff, seeing Saint-Maximin move up front and Joelinton push up to the left side of a front three.
Then, two minutes before the break, Joelinton bagged his second of the night, sliding a low effort over the line after latching onto a lovely through ball from Willock. 2-0 Newcastle, although it required another superb stop from Karius to keep it that way before half-time, with the former Liverpool stopper tipping Carrillo’s curling effort wide of the post.
A solid half and decent test at this point, with Murphy and Willock both putting in lively first-half displays after brilliant work at either end from Karius and big Joe.
The Blaydon Races blasted around the stadium during the break and two changes followed as the players came out for the second 45, seeing Mark Gillespie and Miguel Almiron replace the impressive Loris Karius and Jacob Murphy.
After a stray backpass from Manquillo almost caught Gillespie out, it was Newcastle who almost made it three 50 minutes in, as man of the moment Miggy Almiron crashed a thumping effort off the bar from the edge of the box.
Ighalo then avoided red after an awful challenge down Almiron’s achilles, with Botman almost making it 3-0 moments later after a towering header from a Jonjo Shelvey corner was parried clear by the Al-Hilal goalie.
Our fourth change of the night then followed as Elliot Anderson replaced Joelinton. The Geordie talent almost bagged himself an assist moments later after latching onto Almiron’s through ball, however the local lad was marginally offside before he squared for Willock’s tap-in.
Botman, Willock and Shelvey then made way, with Dan Burn, Ryan Fraser and U21 star Joe White coming on for the final 30 minutes of a game Newcastle were well and truly dominating at this point.
Ex-Porto star Moussa Marega came on for the hosts, who were still being spurred on by a lively crowd, however Jamaal Lascelles did superbly to header a dangerous cross clear to preserve our clean sheet with 25 minutes remaining.
At the other end, Anderson was unlucky – once again – not to get on the scoresheet, as his low shot cannoned off the post after some good work from Saint-Maximin, however it was Almiron who made it three moments later, firing in off the post Anderson had just hit after a brilliant solo run saw him leave two Al-Hilal players for dead.
3-0 Newcastle and two more changes followed, with summer signing Alex Murphy and U21 striker Dylan Stephenson replacing Jamal Lewis and Allan Saint-Maximin.
There was more goals in this for Howe’s high-flying Mags, but Irish defender Murphy made an immediate impression at the back, doing well to stick with the powerful Marega before blocking his cross.
Two goals in quick succession then followed for Newcastle. First it was Miguel Almiron again, who fired home expertly from the back post after a nice pick out from Longstaff, then Stephenson bagged his first senior goal from a perfectly weighted cross from Fraser.
Our final two changes then followed, as 16-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley and former Sunderland prospect Jay Turner-Cooke came on for Jamaal Lascelles and Javier Manquillo – two players who put in solid shifts at the back.
A great run out for Howe’s Mags and impressive win against a decent Al-Hilal side who simply couldn’t handle our pace, energy and precision in attack.
Next up, a friendly with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday 17th December ahead of competitive games against Bournemouth, Leicester and Leeds later this month!
This ref is awful
kimtoon(Quote)
Blimey how many chances do we need
kimtoon(Quote)
ffs
kimtoon(Quote)
That’s what happens if you don’t bury your chances
And that’s a pen now
kimtoon(Quote)
c’mon ref that is a pen
kimtoon(Quote)
yes
kimtoon(Quote)
Def pen but no way that’s a card at all. Ref has been bullied there
GoWest!Mag(Quote)
i knew he was gonna miss should of had someone else take it
kimtoon(Quote)
Oh Harry 😳🫣🙁
GoWest!Mag(Quote)
no way this French team beat Morocco if they go through
kimtoon(Quote)
Kane 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Going home I think
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Free kick… can we do what holland did?
Gilly Toon(Quote)
And that’s that.
kimtoon(Quote)
This was my prediction all along – out in the QFs. Played OK though, so Southgate should not be sacked.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Feel less disappointed with that outcome than the euro final or the last wc semi as it was a game that was evenly balanced with two well matched teams. The games against Croatia and Italy felt more like we gave them up
so much talk about turning up for the big moments. giroud did and kane didn’t
GoWest!Mag(Quote)
Peas and carrots!
In would have loved us to win the thing, but now our lads will be back fully fit.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
This went ALMOST as I expected. I thought we would breeze the group and then go out in the QFs to the first good team we faced. What was different was we handled a good Senegal team well and we played good football. Southgate let the lads off the leash and it was fun to watch. I would much rather go out like that than with 5 at the back and 2 holding midfielders.
I actually hope Southgate doesn’t resign because frankly who else is there? Keep your hands off Eddie!!!
A few years ago Steve Bruce was talked about as an England Manager 🙂 🙂 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
It is probably Argentina and France and that is a match made in heaven. Messi against MBappe. The changing of the guard or a last hurrah for a legend. The best player I have ever seen!
After all of the fraud, migrant worker deaths, FIFA lies it may end up that we have a final for the ages. I think they even planned to have it in the summer originally when it is like 44 degrees or whatever. Now they just decided to disrupt every league for 5 weeks 🙂
And… will any of these pundits and journos get their souls back after the criticism of Qatar they have dished out prior to the tournament? It is like having 50 new Richard Keys’ talking about NUFC and Saudi.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
its a shame we went out as i thought we could it if we got past France oh well
one thing i dont understand why have refs stopped booking players for diveing?? it will imo only get worse now and spoil the game
icedog(Quote)
WIN
icedog(Quote)
This should be good for us as Isak and Jonjo should be fit.
I never understood how our managers treat Shelvey. It was always obvious to me that he was not a defensive midfielder and couldnt take direct free kicks. He has an amazingly quick footballing brain and can pick a pass like Steven Gerrard so you play to his strengths.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Disappointing… we marked Mbappe well but forgot about the other 9 outfield players like Giroud. The ref was awful, but he did give us 2 penalties. Harry’s second is currently in orbit around the moon. Shocking. You cannot expect to win WC games if you cannot hit the target with a penalty… so now looking forward to getting our season back on track.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Gilly – the ref was awful!! – and DIDNT give 2 penalties, VAR gave the second mate – the ref thought that rugby tackle on Mount was fair play 🙄😡.
But as for the second penalty, it’s was absolutely atrocious imo. To not hit the target at all shows a total lack of composure. If the keeper saves it then credit to them.
But to miss an 8ft x 24ft target for 12 yards is just poor man.
I think Kane’s had a very poor tournament really. For him not to get on the score sheet at all from those group games is disappointing.
I don’t blame Southgate for our defeat last night.
But I’m not sure he’s the man to get the best out of this talented group of young players.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Richard (no lips) Keys has actually said something sensible and said the England job is not a step up for Eddie Howe. He didn’t say it, but I will. Wor Eddie has the potential to create a dynasty at NUFC and win the PL and CL. Within a short time we will be able to buy any player we want. Why would he give that up for a part time job where the press jump all over you if you carry an umbrella?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Or superimpose your face onto a turnip! The England job aged Bobby Robson by about 10 years and it was only when he left that he got back to his old self.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I have been banging on about this for months, but buying Christian Pulisic is the biggest no-brainer in the history of NUFC. One, he is a very good footballer and the USA’s best player. If the Saudis want to raise their profile this is how you do it. The Yanks are really good at hype and the hype machine will click into 5th gear as soon as the next Euros end. Amanda, Mehrdad and the Chairman can be at every USA match at the 2026 WC watching their player and “being seen”. 40 million is a steal, for the public profile it will bring the Saudis alone.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
As joint hosts of the 2026 WC the US dont even need to qualify so you are guaranteed to see Pulisic at every USA match. Trust me, Pulisic is the US’s best player by a mile and will only be 28 in 2026.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Pulisic is reasonably photogenic as well so he will be the face of the USA team. Their David Beckham. You really want to hitch your wagon to this lad if you are a Saudi trying to expand your brand and influence.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Problem Eric is he’s not been that good in England. When I first saw him I thought like you, the guys brilliant, but over time . . . not sure. And then who are we leaving out of a winning squad?
georgio(Quote)
georgio: I think Pulisic is a step up in quality from Fraser and Murphy. It is also the perfect PR move.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
There is yet another article in The Chronic today saying winning a cup would surpass CL qualification. These are just ill-thought-out pieces of garbage. CL qualification gets us nearer to where we want to be which is one of the top 5 teams in the world. A cup is a temporary salve for 15 years of Mike Ashley and a few failures before that.
We have moved on. We are in a new era. A cup will come soon. And as I have said before, it is not binary. We CAN win a cup AND qualify for the CL.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Pulisic for USA and Ziyech for Morocco both look excellent – yet neither have been given much of a chance at Chelsea.
But I would happily see either at Newcastle.
Pulisic in particular reminds me of an American Miggy. They have a very similar style of play & look what Howe has done for Miggy.
Sharpy17(Quote)
thing is mate hes a bit of a sick note,we have enough of lame ducks,Howes training is very hard
icedog(Quote)
At the moment I would say the top 5 teams in the world are:
Real Madrid
Man City
PSG
FC Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Can we break into this group?
Then you have others that are not going away:
Athletico
Chelsea
Man U
Barca
Sunderland
That is 10 teams we have to usurp to win the CL.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Pulasic makes sense from a PR point of View, but for that to work he needs to be the poster boy for NUFC which at the moment he would be third or fourth place winger. Would need Howe to up his game
PremAndUp(Quote)
Ice – it’s always puzzled me that Chelsea have Pulisic, Ziyech and Hudson-Odi and none of them can hold down a first team place – are they good players being mismanaged or are they over hyped?!.
Probably somewhere in between I’d image.
But you’re right about Howes training regime – whoever comes in will need to fit coz Howe will work them hard.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I think Howe could improve Pulisic, but is he a key player – or could we buy an alternative who could do just as well or better?!.
My issue with buying Pulisic is we would be buying a fringe player of Chelsea’s for maybe £30-40m and they would use that to buy a better CF.
We would effectively be strengthening a rival team by buying up one of their fringe players.
Similar could be said about buying Maddison from Leicester – but I don’t see them as a rival.
Sharpy17(Quote)
We were bought as a cog in the Saudi PR machine. We need visibility in North America ahead of the 2026 WC. We also need to sign someone who the Asians can put on their shirts. I dont know who that would be at this point as MBappe has priced himself out of the market and Ronaldo and Messi are old.
My brother lives in Thailand and I was there 5 years ago to see him. It was all Chelsea shirts! They follow whoever wins and who has star players.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
West Brom beat the Mackems yesterday. That is 4 wins in their last 5 games. Is there a pattern here along with the meteoric rise of NUFC? I wonder if Brucie’s pundit pals can spot it? They certainly dont talk about it after doing so much yapping in Bruce’s 1st 2 years at NUFC.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
The players are not robots. If you play with fear and play them in the wrong positions they will get that. Then the results slide and it adds to the problem. West Brom are probably a playoff squad and Bruce had them in relegation form.
It reminds me of Bobby Robson. He came in and transformed an existing squad with only 1 loan signing. And Keegan wasnt given much money to start with. It is about coaching, but also attitude. We all saw first hand what a downer Bruce was and how he blamed everybody but himself. It was pretty eye opening for me as I had never paid much attention to him, not even when he was at the Mackems. And yet, with the worst win percentage of any long-term Manager in the PL his pundit pals bigged him up and said WE were delusional.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Yeah I know, move on 🙂 But the evidence is building that we were right and the pundits were wrong. And yet, the pundits scream that us fans know nothing because we never played the game at the highest level. BTW, Eddie Howe never played the game at the highest level, if you take that as the PL or even The Championship. Southgate was a journeyman centre half. Rafa never had a stellar playing career.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Klopp, by his own admission didn’t have a good playing career. There are so many examples where smarts overcome a not so good playing career. Bob Paisley. Some do both but some fail miserably in management – I am looking at you Roy Keane!!!
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Some of these mailboxers on sites such as Football 365 are totally nuts. They are saying Harry Kane should be dropped!!! He is our best player and is in his prime. He misses a penalty and some people believe he should go to the gallows for that. They are insane.
Kane will still be our best player in 2 years when the Euros are played. Foden and Saka do not score like Kane does.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I am not the biggest fan of Southgate, but what has Joey Barton ever done? He went to prison for 6 months when he was under contract with us!!! Did he win a title or a cup? Total gobshyte.
And, I dont even like Gareth that much but dont know who would replace him at the moment.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
What are the odds of recent NUFC managers to replace Southgate?
Ugly John Carver?
McClaren
Big Fat Sam
Pards
Rafa
Shearer
Roy Kinnear
Brucie?
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I think we should look to the US market for the next manager. I have heard that the following are available:
Cleatus J. Hemorrhoid
Billy-Bob Simpleton Junior, the third.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Is this you giving us a demonstration of how Americans like to dumb everything down
PremAndUp(Quote)
Prem: you know what I am doing 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I dont think Felix would be a bad move. We need a superstar and he needs to be a forward. We can recognize Bruno’s importance but a midfielder who scores 10 goals is not going to stir the blood of Saudis and Asians. ASM is out injured too much, and anyway doesnt have a French cap yet.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I think it is going under the radar a bit the form we are in. We have won our last 5 PL games and that includes CL sides Spurs and Chelsea. I am excited to see what Eddie can do when he gets ASM, Isak and Shelvey back. That will be like the proverbial 3 new players.
I also think we will sign someone in Jan. I doubt it will be Felix, more likely Maddison.
We have lost only 1 game all season and that was due to a dodgy Ref/VAR. If Liverpool was in the form we are it would be all over the back pages. We are usually about the 20th story. Ronaldo taking a dump usually gets top billing. And the yappers on Talksport etc only like to talk about us when we are doing badly.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I know there are lots of noise out there especially amongst strikers but two names stand out for me, both available for £10m Thuram adds versatility and proven talent. Dion Drena Beljo would be a great replacement for wood if we swopped him for Leeds Cody Drameh.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Soon back to NUFC stuff … is the carabao cup match televised? I suspect not. Oh well. Seems that Mudryck fella is going to the ****? 🤷🏻♂️ I’m sure we will get someone good in. Gakpo? Ramos? Maddison? Let’s see
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Oh, A rse is not allowed on here… 😬😂😂😂
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Gilly: I think they blocked D amn on me the other day 🙂 They wont let you say that word on American TV. They have to say DARN.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I think it also blocked me saying something about Spurs and their nickname the C@ckerels.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Broja out for the season for Chelsea.
Ronaldo 9/1 to Chelsea
Not a bad bet that for a short term contract, with an option to leave at the end of the season.
He and his family are based in England now so it would make sense & be easier for them to stay out until the summer before making a mega money move to somewhere like Saudi.
He’d walk into that Chelsea team & it would be his chance to give a 2 fingered wave to Man Utd.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Prem – I think Thuram would be a great signing & is an absolute steal at that price.
He could replace Matt Ritchie & straight away that a big strengthening of the squad.
You’d still look to upgrade the likes of Fraser & Murphy – but I still think those lads can do a job for us just now – especially Murphy.
But immediately Thuram jumps above them imo so Ritchie’s spot is used well.
I think smart bits of business like that in Jan makes sense until the big commercial deals kick in next summer.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy: the Saudis did not buy us to finish 7th and qualify for the EUFA conference league, They want the PL and CL. I get sick of NUFC fans saying it is a process and we should be patient. I want it ALL and I want it now!!! I turned 60 on Wednesday and I deserve it after all of the pain.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Belated happy birthday Eric! 🍺🍺
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Happy birthday ERIC ,you kept that close to your chest
Icedog(Quote)
Eric – 😂 happy birthday buddy 🥳.
I’m not saying they want to finish 7th mate, I’m simply saying that we are starting from behind thanks to Ashley. A prime example of that is we were bought for £300m while Chelsea was about £2b and Man Utd probably double that.
That’s because those clubs are already the commercial giants.
I don’t actually believe the Saudis give a **** whether we win the league or not at the moment – they want to grow the club into a global brand & yes success will help with that – but we have that much ground that can be made up in the mean time that winning leagues and Champions leagues aren’t essential.
The other reason I think they are treating this as a building process was the appointment of Eddie Howe – an out of work manager with little prior credentials.
He’s gone on to do brilliant things & nobody could have predicted it – not the Saudis and not even Howe himself!!.
If their approach mirrored your ‘NOW’ demands, then they would have thrown money at someone seen as a much better coach at that time.
I’m happy with our approach. Slow and steady tends to result in fewer mistakes.
Improve the stadium, training facilities, youth set up and that in turn should ensure that any success we have isn’t just a flash in the pan.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Whoa, whoa, whoa Sharpy mate. Eddie Howe had massive prior credentials. He took over a team who were 91st in the league (of 92) and who were basically bankrupt and saved them from going out of the league completely. He then took them to the Premier League and had a cr@ppy little team from the South Coast who had never done anything in their history before Eddie stay in the PL for 4 years.
You are doing Eddie Howe a great disservice.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Clough at Forest, Keegan at NUFC and Shankley at Liverpool are probably the only equals to what Eddie Howe did at Bournemouth.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
You take at team from 91st in the football league to the PL and that is not CREDENTIALS!!!
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – I’m not mate. I fully respect Howe and was buzzing we signed him up.
But do you honestly think the Saudis give a **** about that?
Do you think they saw that as success against a manager who has won trophies?.
If you think the Saudis want everything yesterday, they would only be interested in a manager with a proved track recorded in winning trophies.
For the record I’m pleased we didn’t go down that route – we nearly did – we would have ended up with Uni Emery.
I’m far happier with how things have turned out.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Dion Drena Beljo plays for NK Osijek in Croatia
with 8 goals and 2 assists from 16 this season
6′ 5″ 20yr old
Grew up supporting NUFC
PremAndUp(Quote)
Here are my opinions on recent NUFC managers:
Kinnear – I didnt have a clue about why he even got the job.
Keegan – second time around is usually not good
Ugly John Carver – wasnt qualified
McClaren – urmm… he looked like a deer in the headlights whenever he was interviewed
Rafa – had lost it by the time we got him. Should have kept us up.
Bruce – a total gobsyhte and fraud
Howe – a breath of fresh air. A gentleman. Even if we do not qualify for the CL I would throw tons of money his way and see what he can do with it.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – I want you to be clear on this mate. I have nothing but the upmost respect for Howe & his career.
But from a Saudi perspective – do you think they even know where Bmth is on the map?.
Also, I don’t think the rest of the footballing world had that level of recognition with Howe – otherwise he wouldn’t have been out of work.
An Everton, Arsenal, Spurs, Man Utd all changed managers while he was available – and none jumped on him. I bet they regret it now!!.
But let’s be honest, he wasn’t our first choice at the time either – there was a brief moment we nearly ended up with Emery.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Prem – I’ve never heard of the lad to be honest. Put if he’s only 20 and managed to find a way to support NUFC during the Ashley era then clearly the lad has a mental toughness!! 😂
Get him in as well I say!!. He can replace Wood and Thuram can replace Ritchie.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Olly posted an article on him earlier in the month or I would never have found him.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Joe Kinnear was successful at Wimbledon won 4 Manager of the month awards and was brought in to keep us up, which but for a heart attack he probably would have.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Phase 1
IN
Thuram; Dion Drena Beljo; Cody Drameh
OUT
Ritchie; Wood; Manquiilo
Star Buys
one of
Maddison
Sofyan Amrabat
OUT
Jamal Lascelles,
Ryan Fraser,
Jamal Lewis
PremAndUp(Quote)
What does Steve Bruce have on his pundit pals and journo friends? Does he have pictures of them naked patting his buddha belly? That is the only explanation I can think of for why he gets such a free ride and has done for at least 10 years.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I know, I am dwelling on Bruce again. But drove me mad that pundits and journos could not see what every NUFC fan could see.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
So that’s it then – France/Argentina. It could be one for the ages or they could cancel each other out. At least Man U’s Howard Webb is retired so there wont be any getting away with kung fu kicks!
Eric Sykes(Quote)