Saturday’s match ended Newcastle 2 Everton 3.
Before each game, we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives after the game.
Plenty to talk about after this Everton event…
A match in which Newcastle United worked so hard to get back into the game twice, only to immediately concede again both times.
On this occasion it is ‘Matt Busby said to Joe Harvey…’:
POSITIVE
The Tinkerman
Eddie Howe is often criticized for not changing things when they aren’t happening. Yesterday showed the manager’s willingness to move players and make substitutions.
When Nick Woltemade looked lost in that deeper role he was deployed up top, while Anthony Gordon moved to the left where Joelinton looked out of sorts.
After the substitution we were the better side.
Lewis Hall, my MOTM, Tonali covering every blade of grass and big Joe with a clever assist for Murphy.
Jacob Ramsey
A great goal from Ramsey to bring us level.
I thought the former Villa player was doing well yesterday until a case of vomiting before the start of the second half led to his departure.
That’s two goals in his last four starts and he also set up Lewis Hall for his goal at Man City.
It was a real shame that the boy left feeling unwell, something that may have been brewing from the start, which if true makes that first half performance stand out even more.
Without those mistakes….
I’ll get into the negative aspects of this later, but without those two mistakes I think we would have won.
Everton had a game plan and executed it to great effect, but Newcastle United showed patience and guile to get back into the game, not once, but twice.
We also dominated possession and in my opinion we were unlucky not to get anything: Tonali’s thunderbolt spun through the Everton keeper onto the crossbar into the dying embers.
NEGATIVES
Critical errors
We all know what happened. Errors when changing the game.
Nick Pope spilled Dwight McNeil’s shot, allowing Beto to put the Toffees ahead again after Jacob Ramsey equalized for United. A real howler monkey from our Number 1.
Immediately after Jacob Murphy had leveled us again, this time at 2-2, Anthony Gordon dipped and lost the ball, allowing the impressive Ndiaye to slide the ball to Dewsbury-Hall, whose cross was somehow bundled over the line by Thierno Barry; Lewis Hall does his best to prevent the impending disaster, but to no avail.
Fickle fans
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I’m getting a little tired of it.
I’m on level 7. Gordon is being called Scouse [choose expletive of your choice] by some and booed as he left the park.
Right before Tonali’s lightning bolt, some idiot loudly and obnoxiously leaves the stadium and calls for Howe’s head, telling him to do one, but using more colorful language than I’m describing.
Then there were boos from some in St James’ Park as the final whistle blew.
Like I said, opinions are what we all have and are fully entitled to, but some of the bile being spewed right now is just not happening.
This Saturday the fifth round of the FA Cup, shortly afterwards a trip to Las Ramblas (or Passeig de Gracia for the more culturally sophisticated). Some people need to shake their heads.
And how about this for an original thought. If you’re lucky enough to be in the stadium, why not give the boys a helping hand by cheering them on?
Bruno Guimaraes
Boy, did we miss our Talisman Captain yesterday? And boy, do we miss him in general?
I think I’m right in suggesting that the last time Newcastle United won a Premier League game without Bruno in the starting XI was against Brighton in May 2022, when we beat the Seagulls 2-1, the erratic Brazilian on the bench that day.
We know he will miss several more games, all in quick succession, so we have to find a way without him, otherwise what promises to be an exciting climax to an already chaotic season could turn out to be a damp excuse.
#positive #negative #points #Newcastle #Everton