Toon Takeaways: Newcastle United win over Crystal Palace

Newcastle United secured a late winner over Crystal Palace at St. James’ Park.

Thanks to a late header from Mikel Merino, Newcastle United were able to take all three points today against Crystal Palace. It was a match largely devoid of quality chances and nobody would have been surprised if it finished scoreless.

Top Toons

Mikel Merino: A second half substitute, Merino was able to rise up and knock home Matt Ritchie’s corner late in the match.

Christian Atsu: He’s proven to be such a difference maker all season. His pace created the majority of excitement and action in Newcastle’s largely listless attack.

Mohamed Diame: Replacing Ayoze Perez in the second half, Diame had a decent attempt on goal and was involved in some positive plays.

Mediocre Magpies

Jonjo Shelvey: His vision and creativity was stellar as usual, but his execution was far off his normal standards.

Florian Lejeune: Since returning from injury, he hasn’t exactly matched the expectations he created for himself in the preseason. He looks a bit clumsy at times.

Joselu: Another match where the Spanish striker was a non factor. Without quality holdup play, great speed, or natural finishing instincts in the area, Joselu hasn’t brought much to the Newcastle United striker spot.

Quick Kicks

More from Newcastle Toons

-Speaking of the striker position, I’d like to see Aleksandar Mitrovic start next time out. It’s too often that Joselu disappears in the match and Mitrovic’s intensity alone could give the forward unit a boost.

-On the Crystal Palace side of things, Chelsea Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks like he may be the real deal sooner than later. Coming on as a sub, he is efficient in his movement and has a quality first touch. Still only 21 years old, I was very impressed with him.

-Rob Elliot was steady this match. That’s always a good thing for a keeper.

-Seeing how much impact Atsu’s speed makes, I wouldn’t hate Rolando Aarons getting a chance opposite him. He’s a similar style player and that can boost the counter attack tremendously.

-Yohan Cabaye should have been sent off for his challenge on Yedlin. Clearly mad about a correct no call, he crashes into the rightback with a scissor tackle.

-Quality work rate from Javier Manquillo. The defender was busy marking Andros Townsend most of the night and did a good job limiting his chances.

What’s Next?

Newcastle United will travel to play Burnley in a Monday night Premier League fixture, kicking off at 8PM local time. The Clarets are coming off a 3-0 loss to Manchester City today. They currently sit 9th on the table, only one point behind Newcastle. Chris Wood leads the club with three goals.