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Toon Takeaways from Newcastle United’s draw vs. Crystal Palace

By Durim Halimi

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Mohamed Diame of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Mohamed Diame of Newcastle United celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Newcastle United at Selhurst Park on February 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Another tough draw for Newcastle United as Crystal Palace managed to salvage a point at home.

The 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park presented yet another tale of two halves for Newcastle United. A marking mistake during a corner kick in the penalty area led to an easy tap-in for Mohamed Diame in the 22nd minute. Crystal Palace did find their equalizer in the 55th minute through Luka Milivojevic’s penalty kick, which was almost saved by Karl Darlow.

Top Toons

Jonjo Shelvey: The central midfielder was all over the field against Crystal Palace. Jonjo Shelvey was involved in most meaningful offensive attacks as he coordinated passes out to the wings and attempted to thread the ball forward to Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez. Shelvey also spent some time in the penalty box covering for the gaps that were created by Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark.

Mohamed Diame: The good run of form continued for Mohamed Diame as he was able to score Newcastle’s lone goal in the match. Aside from his goal, Diame was the most aggressive Magpie on the pitch and won most of the 50-50 balls in midfield.

Kenedy: The young Brazilian winger is already proving to be an important player for Newcastle United with his ability to take on defenders, find open players and create space for his own shot. He is not in 90-minute condition, but he was a key player until being subbed off.

Mediocre Magpies

All Four Defenders: Newcastle United are fortunate to walk away from Selhurst Park with one point because Crystal Palace easily could have scored at least three goals. The back-line left many open gaps, were out of position and struggled from constant miscommunication.

Ayoze Perez: The attacking midfielder did not have a bad game against Crystal Palace, but he was silent for most of it. Aside from one good shot attempt in the first half, Ayoze’s name was not mentioned once by the commentator in the second half.

Quick Kicks

  • The assistant referee changed the dynamics of the match with his poor judgment to call a penalty for a light shirt tug during an aerial battle. Crystal Palace gained momentum after scoring that penalty and Newcastle were not the same for the remainder of the match.
  • Like his team-mate Joselu, Dwight Gayle also failed in his audition for more playing time going forward as he was not able to create threatening chances.
  • Karl Darlow almost came up with a big penalty save, but his final punch on the ball lacked conviction. We saw the same mistake in the 1-1 draw against Burnley.
  • The relegation battle only gets more difficult from here as the Magpies dropped two points yet again.

Next: Newcastle's top ten transfers in Premier League history

What’s Next?

Newcastle United will host Manchester United at St. James’ Park next Sunday. Both clubs sit at opposite ends of the table, but the Magpies and the Red Devils will seek three points to fulfill their respective objectives for this season.