Newcastle Toons
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Toon Takeaways from Newcastle United’s deflating defeat to Wolves

By Carson A Merk

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 09: Wolves player Matt Doherty celebrates the winning goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at St. James Park on December 9, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 09: Wolves player Matt Doherty celebrates the winning goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at St. James Park on December 9, 2018 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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A valiant effort down a man was not enough for Newcastle United as they lose 2-1 to Wolves.

Newcastle United went down a goal early, went down a man in the second half, and lost this one in stoppage time. We take a deeper look at a deflating defeat for the Toon.

Top Toons

Salomon Rondon: The striker worked his tail off today, winning the ball, holding up play, and creating chances. He assisted on Ayoze’s goal, after nearly scoring on a free kick himself.

Ayoze Perez: For the second time this season, Ayoze glanced a header home for a crucial goal. He was also heavily involved in the attack all day and should have earned a penalty after wearing an elbow to the face.

Christian Atsu: It will be tough for Rafa Benitez to bench the winger. After a positive performance against Everton, he was a sparkplug for the Magpies again today.

Mediocre Magpies

DeAndre Yedlin: He added a poor touch and a poor decision to end up with a red card. The original mistake was bad enough, but he compounded it by pulling down Jota and getting sent off.

Kenedy: His appearance was brief, but his lack of hustle back on the match-winning counter attack for Wolves was unfortunate.

Matt Ritchie: Playing in a wing-back type role, Ritchie was okay in defense but poor in delivery. He’s relied on to provide quality crosses and he was not able to do that today.

Quick Kicks

  • While I don’t think Matt Ritchie will ever be a full-time defender, it’s nice to know he can perform well in vital defensive moments. He had some shining plays at the back for the Magpies.
  • Despite Rafa’s opinion, I think the red card on Yedlin was just. He denied a scoring chance with an obvious foul. I agree with Rafa on the thought that Willy Boly should have been sent off for his elbow of Ayoze.
  • Speaking of Rafa, I did not like the decisions to sub off Rondon and Atsu. Both players were playing well and both substitutes disappointed in limited action.
  • The other substitute, Javier Manquillo for Federico Fernandez, was a big one. The star summer signing left with a calf injury. His departure moved Yedlin into central defense and he’s been a major piece of Newcastle United’s success. Hopefully, the injury doesn’t force him to miss much time.
  • Rondon is a handful for Premier League defenses. He has a great work rate and uses his physicality to impose his will. A true number nine that will often determine if Newcastle succeeds.

Next. NT's NUFC Player of the Month for Nov. 2018. dark

What’s Next?

Newcastle United will travel to face Huddersfield Town on Saturday. The Terriers lost 1-0 to Arsenal this weekend, their third consecutive loss.