London invasion, a goodbye wave and January transfer latest - The Toon Review!
Deja vu, anyone? Another week and another two giant wins for Newcastle United, who don’t look like slowing down any time soon.
The confidence and cohesion is flowing through every part of this side, transforming the Magpies into one of the continent’s form sides at the moment. And seriously, how good is Alexander Isak? The super Swede added to his electrifying run of form by scoring his 50th goal for the club already, as he closes in on Newcastle’s Premier League record for goals in consecutive appearances.
It’s Thursday, 9th January, the Magpies are firing on all cylinders… let’s talk about it all on this week’s edition of the Toon Review!
North London is Black and White
We got our weekend off to a fantastic start nice and early, as Saturday lunchtime saw a professional 2-1 job done on middling Tottenham Hotspur, whose lack of defensive integrity was outdone by Newcastle’s bombardment of attacking play. It took a little bit of time to get there, though.
The home side took an early lead through physical striker Dominic Solanke, who rudely welcomed Sven Botman back to action by outduelling him in the air and heading past Martin Dubravka’s net. It did not take long for this to be cancelled out, however, as Anthony Gordon pounced on an error at the back, slotting the ball past Spurs’ debutant keeper Brandon Austin. The goal was reviewed for a potential Joelinton handball in the buildup, but was deemed to be clean. Honestly, why on earth do teams keep trying to play out from the back against our suffocating high press? This is how Howe wants his sides to play.
The Amazing Jacob Murphy was once again involved in United’s second goal, albeit via a deflection into his own net by Spurs’ Radu Dragusin on a cross aimed at Alexander Isak (Let’s face it, Isak would’ve scored anyway.) From there, Newcastle had a few chances to extend their lead but were ultimately left to rely on a solid defensive effort to get them over the line. Martin Dubravka continued what is seemingly his farewell tour by producing a number of key saves to get United over the finish line. When all was said and done at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Newcastle had added to their fine recent record against Spurs and had provoked Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou to argue that things were “not equal”. Yikes.
Howe’s side were far from finished in North London. Tuesday night would become one of the statement victories of the manager’s tenure thus far, as Newcastle withstood waves of Arsenal pressure to emerge 2-0 winners in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at the Emirates. Somehow, Dubravka’s net never bulged, despite early chances including a Gabriel Martinelli effort that struck the post.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp5A5QwsvKc&ab_channel=NewcastleUnited
United took the lead through their favourite combination at the moment: Jacob Murphy to Alexander Isak. The Swede was on hand to loft a gorgeous finish over the hapless David Raya. One nil.
Isak was again involved in Newcastle’s second goal, seeing his effort palmed away by Raya only for Gordon to be in the perfect place to finish on the follow-up. The winger channelled his inner Thierry Henry in his celebration, an act which would surely irk even the least irate of Gunners. Two nil. And that’s how it would finish.
Another incredible defensive stand followed, with a barrage of shots being turned away by Dubravka and attacks being thwarted by Newcastle’s behemoths at the back. Dan Burn has been fabulous this season, and showed it yet again at the Emirates. If this is how Dubravka, who was shown to be emotional at the full-time whistle, goes out as a Magpie, it is fitting that he produced one of his finest displays right at the very end. He has been immense in black and white, and should rightfully become seen as one of the club’s best ever shot-stoppers.
We have a toe in the final, but at the moment that’s all it is. Starting quickly in the second leg at St James’ next month will be vital, and will give Howe’s side the greatest chance of making a second final in three years.
What Eddie Howe Said
Post-Tottenham
“I think we had to dig deep today. That was a tough win, but a massive one for us.”
On controversial Joelinton handball incident in first goal: “There’s no denying the ball hit Joe’s hand or arm, but I’m not sure on the rules, so someone will tell me exactly what happened there.”
On Alexander Isak: “He’s in the right place at the right time again, and that is an art.”
“Our confidence has definitely shifted. I think it naturally does when you win games. This was something we were building to; our performances generally were pretty good. We’re a very good team with some good players. I’d like to think we can keep it going.”
Post-Arsenal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOf9ltgT5uI&ab_channel=BeanymanSports
“We’re really pleased with today. That was a really, really tough game, and really good performance from the team. We tried to be ourselves.”
“I thought the performance of our midfield three with Joe Willock in there was very strong. He gave us a dynamic running performance.”
“You need leaders in every area. I thought Alex [Isak] led the line really well.”
On the second leg: “I think it’s something to really look forward to, but we’ve got work to do in between and some big games to come. We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
The Rumour Mill
Martin Dubravka is wanted by Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab. But Newcastle are pushing to keep him for the remainder of the season (The Mail)
Man City are pushing to sign Toon target Abdukodir Khusanov, with the Lens centre-back 'unlikely' to arrive at Newcastle this month due to our PSR situation (The Athletic)
Newcastle could make a move for Borussia Dortmund's Donyell Malen if an unnamed top target doesn't sign, although would face competition from Aston Villa (BILD)
Bournemouth duo Antoine Semenyo and Illia Zabarnyi are 'liked' by Newcastle (The i)
Miguel Almiron prefers to remain in Europe over a return to South America (Agent Daniel Campos)
Forgotten man Isaac Hayden is in talks to join Portsmouth (The Telegraph)
Newcastle are set to record a profit for the first time in five years but will still have to sell before they can buy this month, in order to comply with PSR. (The i)
The Magpies have shortlisted Polish goalkeeper Kamil Grabara as a potential alternative to James Trafford. (Caught Offside)
On This Day…
In the spirit of the FA Cup Third Round returning, it makes sense that we should look back at a classic fixture or two. On this day all the way back in 1927, for instance, United inflicted a dazzling 8-1 defeat on Notts County at St James’ Park, a result that saw the Magpies advance past the third round of the cup. Hat tricks from iconic forward Hughie Gallacher and Tom McDonald were complimented by goals from Stan Seymour and Tom Urwin. We don’t often see scorelines like that anymore, although it would certainly do nicely against lower-league Bromley on Sunday afternoon!
Moving back more towards the present day, this day in 2022 also saw the debut of the talismanic Kieran Trippier, following his move from Atletico Madrid that winter. The result on the pitch, however, a grim 1-0 defeat suffered at the hands of lowly Cambridge United, serves as a reminder that anything can happen in the world’s oldest domestic cup competition.
A Look Ahead to the FA Cup and beyond
Bromley (H)
Sunday afternoon will likely provide us with a rotated squad, given the demands of this part of the season and (respectfully) the opposition we have been drawn against in the FA Cup third round. This means we may see the likes of Will Osula, who joined from Sheffield United in the summer but has been seldom seen on the pitch, as well as several youngsters get the chance to show what they can do.
So far this season, Bromley find themselves in the middle of the pack in League 2, following an impressive season in which they were promoted from the National League via the playoffs. They joined the Football League for the first time in their 133-year history.
We’ve seen what can happen when the opposition are lowly and fired up at St James’ (*cough* *cough* Cambridge), so it is important that whatever lineup Howe chooses ensures a professional and thorough job at the weekend. We can ill afford this current momentum to slip, much less at the hands of League 2 opposition.
Toon Trivia
Well done to those of you who got last week’s trivia correct! I asked you how many goals Newcastle scored over the course of their Carabao Cup run in 2022/23. The correct answer is eight (I am not counting the penalty shootout goals in the win against Crystal Palace.)
In the spirit of the FA Cup third round returning, let’s see if you are stumped by this one…
Who scored the goals for United in their 1955 FA Cup final triumph against Manchester City at Wembley?
I’ll see you next week, where I will reveal the answer. Bye for now!
HWTL.
