Newcastle United deserved more on opening day, but it was Tottenham that secured all three points.
Premier League football is back on Tyneside as Newcastle United hosted Tottenham at St. James’ Park earlier today. The match between the Magpies and Spurs was full of action for 90 minutes, but in the end it was Tottenham that secured three points with a 2-1 victory.
Rafa Benitez deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation against Tottenham and kept every new signing except for Martin Dubravka and Kenedy on the bench. Newcastle were mediocre in the first half, but looked like a dangerous side in the final 45 minutes. Tottenham had some good looks in this match and could have extended their lead, but Newcastle hit the post twice and deserved a point instead of a loss.
First Half
It was an eventful first half at St. James’ Park with three goals scored in under 20 minutes. Tottenham looked like the more dominant side for most of the first half as they maintained more possession, created more scoring chances and found the back of the net on two occasions.
Newcastle showed flashes of quality football, especially with Joselu’s equalizing header in the 11th minute. In terms of creating chances, the Magpies did well in this regard by taking seven shots in the first 45 minutes of play.
The problem for Newcastle was in defense. The back-line did a great job of intercepting ground passes and obstructing several crosses on the wings, but Newcastle’s marking in the penalty area was extremely poor. A consolidation of miscommunication and rust enabled Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli to connect with two simple headers that gave Tottenham the lead at the half.
Second Half
Benitez must have delivered an award-winning speech in the locker room as his men looked like a completely different side. Newcastle were fully dedicated to putting pressure on Tottenham’s back-line and they did just that. A powerful strike from Mohamed Diame early in the second half rocked the post and went out of play.
Kenedy and Ayoze Perez also had good opportunities to score, but Hugo Lloris remained composed and made two brilliant saves. After coming on for Joselu in the 59th minute, Salomon Rondon was full of energy and attracted the attention of Tottenham’s defenders. In the 84th minute, it was Rondon who turned well and shot the ball with precision only to see it bounce off the bar.
85' - The Magpies hit the woodwork again. Shelvey picks out Rondón just inside the area, and the frontman takes a touch to set himself before seeing a right-footed strike deflect onto the crossbar. 1-2. #NUFC
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 11, 2018
Newcastle made two other substitutions in the second half with Matt Ritchie making way for Christian Atsu in the 69th minute, and Yoshinori Muto replaced Ayoze Perez with ten minutes left to play.
Atsu did not have the same impact that Ritchie had for Newcastle on the wing, but Muto was playing with the urgency that Perez lacked. Although it was only for a few minutes, Newcastle looked much stronger with Muto and Rondon on the pitch together.
DeAndre Yedlin Injured
It is worth mentioning that the injury to DeAndre Yedlin in stoppage time did not look good. The American international defender needed assistance as he left the pitch and his absence could serve as a major blow for the Magpies with Florian Lejeune also out with a long-term injury. If Yedlin is out for a long period of time, Benitez will face a new lineup dilemma. At present, the two potential replacements for Yedlin are Javier Manquillo and Fabian Schar.
Final Note
Newcastle start the 2018-19 campaign with a loss, but there were plenty of positive moments in this match. The key area of improvement for Newcastle will be in defense as the back-line did seem unorganized at times, especially in the first half.
Next weekend will see Newcastle travel to Wales to face newly-promoted side, Cardiff City. The Magpies will look to rebound from this loss against a club that is considered a relegation favorite.