Newcastle United: 5 things we learned from the 1-0 victory vs. Huddersfield

Newcastle United got their revenge on Huddersfield Town with a 1-0 victory at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

After a three-week break from Premier League action on Tyneside, Newcastle maintained their strong form with a victory over Huddersfield Town. It was an eventful match as the Magpies and Terriers were full of energy and did not lack aggression from the opening whistle.

After 79 minutes of play, it seemed as though the match would end in a 0-0 draw. However, the Magpies found a way to capitalize in the final ten minutes through a close tap-in by Ayoze Perez. Here are five things we learned from the victory over Huddersfield Town.

Dominant Side

With close to 70 percent of the possession, Rafa Benitez’s men looked like an elite Premier League club against a defensive Huddersfield Town. From the start of the match, the Magpies looked to break the deadlock and advanced the ball forward to create several opportunities.

This was a rare occasion of Newcastle displaying pure domination for 90 minutes, but that is exactly what the Magpies needed to do on Saturday. Matches against relegation rivals should not be taken lightly and with this performance Newcastle showed that they belong in the Premier League.

Jonjo Shelvey in Top Form

Jamaal Lascelles may be the formal captain of the club, but the final outcome in every match is dependent on Jonjo Shelvey’s performance. Over the last two months, Shelvey has played very well and he took control of the match against Huddersfield.

Shelvey was involved in almost every play and his dedication to earn a positive result is what gave the Magpies three points. With a string of difficult matches coming up, Shelvey must maintain this form to give Newcastle a chance at stealing points to secure survival.

Another Clean Sheet

Martin Dubravka and the Newcastle defense came up big once again. The Magpies defensive stability played a major role in Newcastle’s victory on Saturday. Over the course of 90 minutes, the Terriers did not have a single shot on target from four total attempts.

Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune did well in preventing through-balls down the middle. DeAndre Yedlin and Paul Dummett were not in their best form, but they did enough to disrupt crosses on the wing. As long as Newcastle can continue to protect their goal as they did on Saturday, remaining opponents will struggle to score.

Wasted Opportunities

Newcastle’s offensive primacy was on full display against Huddersfield Town, but the Magpies only scored once from 18 shot attempts. Dwight Gayle had the opportunity to score two goals from close range, but one attempt went wide while the other went over the bar.

The Magpies were fortunate to score against Huddersfield Town, but this trend of wasted opportunities cannot continue. Based on the quality of the opposition in April, Newcastle will be handed the underdog label. With the next three matches being against Leicester City, Arsenal and Everton, Benitez must make precision a focal point in training.

Newcastle Debut for Slimani

The day has finally arrived. Saturday marked Islam Slimani’s debut for Newcastle United. The Algerian international replaced Dwight Gayle late in the second half. With less than 20 minutes to play, Slimani was not able to create a scoring opportunity for himself, but he was active.

Slimani showcased his football intelligence by making some good runs and tried to improve the positioning of his team-mates to spread the field. Gayle may be in better condition to play, but his missed chances on Saturday have opened the door for Slimani. In order for Newcastle to take points from quality opponents, Benitez should start Slimani up top.