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Newcastle United: Three things we learned from the 2-0 loss vs. Leicester City

By Durim Halimi

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Newcastle player DeAndre Yedlin is adjuged to have handled this shot by Leicester player Harry Maguire to give Leicester a penalty during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on September 29, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Newcastle player DeAndre Yedlin is adjuged to have handled this shot by Leicester player Harry Maguire to give Leicester a penalty during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on September 29, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United tasted defeat for the fifth time this season after falling 2-0 to Leicester City at home.

After facing four Premier League giants to start the 2018-19 campaign, Newcastle were hopeful to secure points against Leicester City at St. James’ Park, but that was not the case. Through composure, Leicester City managed to defeat Newcastle 2-0 on the road.

The Magpies put in a decent performance, but inconsistency is what cost them the match. The loss to Leicester City marks Newcastle’s fifth loss of the season. Here are three things we learned from Newcastle’s loss to Leicester City yesterday afternoon.

Ritchie-Atsu Duo

The winger duo of Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu were the sole bright spots for Newcastle when they lost to Leicester City yesterday. Atsu began falling down the pecking order of the rotation behind Kenedy and Jacob Murphy, but he proved that he can be a reliable starter. Atsu took the initiative to push the offense forward and he delivered some dangerous crosses in the process.

Ritchie was also stellar as he played with plenty of urgency, created passing lanes for Ayoze Perez and Joselu and he did his best to whip in quick, curling crosses from the wing. Those in attendance agree that Ritchie played great and this was reflected by the echoed boos in the stadium when he was subbed off in the 63rd minute.

Offensive Woes

Seven matches into the season and Newcastle have only scored four goals, which leads to an average of 0.57 goals per match. Salomon Rondon was ruled out for this match with a thigh injury so the pressure was on Joselu and Ayoze Perez to pitch in with goals. However, Newcastle’s inability to create an offensive rhythm limited the front-line to only create six opportunities, and only one of those shots was on target – Shelvey’s strike from midfield.

Injuries

Newcastle clearly felt the absence of Paul Dummett and Federico Fernandez yesterday. Both defenders picked up knocks in training at the end of the week and were ruled out for the clash against Leicester City. Dummett and Fernandez have been the definition of consistency as they have been playing top quality football against elite opponents. Toon fans can only hope that both players are fit to play next weekend against Manchester United.