Newcastle continue hot streak against Burnley

Newcastle United extend their winning streak to three matches after defeating Burnley 2-1 on the road.

Newcastle United maintained their good run of form by defeating Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor.  Newcastle were determined to claim three points in this match, whereas Burnley looked sluggish in the first half and lacked proper execution in the final 45 minutes.

This victory gives Newcastle 12 points on the season and moves them into 13th place in the Premier League table. They are still in a relegation battle, but this victory should provide Newcastle with even more confidence.

First Half

Newcastle got off to a great start in this match as a curling effort from Federico Fernandez took a deflection and landed in the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the third minute. Burnley maintained the majority of possession after conceding early on, but they struggled to cope with the result.

Newcastle never looked dangerous offensively, but they earned four corner kicks and they utilized those set pieces to perfection. In the 23rd minute, Newcastle extended their lead after Ciaran Clark gently, but precisely headed the ball into the side netting.

The two-goal deficit silenced the home crowd until Burnley came to life in the 40th minute with an arching header from Sam Vokes. The defense should have been more compact, but Martin Dubravka is to blame for this goal as he was caught off his line in the penalty area.

Burnley certainly gained momentum after that goal with the Clarets’ supporters cheering their side on and a cracking shot from Chris Wood almost saw Burnley score the equalizer. All in all, Newcastle were the better team in the first half, but Burnley’s goal opened the match up again.

Second Half

The second half of this match was full of miscommunication and near misses for Newcastle. The Magpies almost, and should have, gone up 3-1 as Matt Ritchie missed the easiest tap-in attempt of his career. Ritchie went into the goal, but the ball skimmed the side netting.

Newcastle did much better in terms of maintaining possession in the final 45 minutes and this enabled them to attack more freely. Burnley were never in sync in the second half, but Sam Vokes and Chris Wood did cause some problems when the ball was at their feet.

Newcastle were effective with their counter-attacks, but at times players were making the wrong passes and some through-balls lacked proper conviction as they were easily intercepted. Salomon Rondon made way for Joselu in the 70th minute and the substitute almost scored seven minutes later only to see his strike hit the post.

Burnley did their best to move bodies forward in the last five minutes, but Newcastle’s defenders did their job and cleared the ball quickly. Newcastle deserved to win and they will now turn their attention to West Ham.