Newcastle United win their first game of the season

It took 11 matches, but Newcastle United finally claimed their first victory of the 2018-19 campaign.

Newcastle United managed to secure three crucial points against an unlikely opponent in Watford. The visitors came to Tyneside with an impressive performance record of six victories and three draws, but Newcastle did just enough to throw the Hornets off their game.

A great free-kick from Ki Sung-Yueng set up the lone goal in this match and that goal was enough to temporarily lift Newcastle out of the relegation zone. Here are the full details from today’s 1-0 victory.

First Half

The first half of this affair was not thrilling, but it was lively with a total of 18 shots, despite only two of those shots being on target (one for Newcastle and one for Watford). The competition in midfield was on full display as both teams continuously battled for 50/50 balls and aerial duels.

Watford were the better side as they dominated possession, created more shot attempts and simply found ways to easily dissect Newcastle’s back-line. Watford’s most dangerous players were Gerard Deulofeu, Roberto Pereyra and Abdoulaye Doucoure. The trio frustrated Newcastle’s defenders on the wings and down the flanks, but DeAndre Yedlin and Federico Fernandez did well to disrupt Watford’s final execution on shots.

On the offensive end, it was Kenedy and Yoshinori Muto who fueled every attack with their urgency and superior dribbling. Newcastle did well to get into some decent scoring positions, but they were not able to create any meaningful chances in the first 45 minutes.

Second Half

Newcastle were forced to use all three substitutions in the first 50 minutes of the match due to various injuries. Yoshinori Muto was replaced by Ayoze Perez in stoppage time of the first half, Jamaal Lascelles was replaced by Fabian Schar to start the second half and Jonjo Shelvey limped off the pitch to make way for Ki Sung-yueng.

Despite losing key players early on, Newcastle took the game to Watford as they dominated in every aspect of the game. The Magpies spread the ball around with good pace and accuracy. More importantly, Newcastle played with plenty of confidence on both ends of the pitch.

After successive shot attempts in the first 20 minutes of the second half, the moment all of Tyneside was waiting for finally happened. A curling free-kick from Ki was put in the back of the net with a quick header from Perez to give Newcastle a 1-0 lead over Watford.

Rafa Benitez then took the risk of maintaining the lead by still playing the same way and it paid off for Newcastle. Watford experienced an identity crisis in the second half as they only managed to create three shot attempts in the final 45 minutes compared to 13 in the first half. Newcastle’s ability to close passing lanes and make quick clearances is what enabled them to secure three much-needed points at St. James’ Park.