Newcastle drop crucial points in 0-0 draw with Fulham

Newcastle United failed to claim all three points against last-placed Fulham this evening as the visitors took one point with them back to London.

Newcastle United struggled to create any meaningful attacks in a match where they were expected to dominate a team that has conceded 42 goals in 17 matches. The Magpies created nine scoring chances, but not a single shot was on target. As a result, Rafa Benitez’s men dropped two crucial points at home ahead of a tough string of matches beginning with Liverpool on Wednesday.

First Half

Newcastle supporters were expecting to see their side expose Fulham’s vulnerable defense, but the home side failed to create any clear shot attempts. The first few minutes of this affair saw Aleksandar Mitrovic cut in behind the defense to threaten Martin Dubravka, but he was flagged offside on both occasions.

Fulham did not place any pressure on Newcastle’s defenders, but Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Paul Dummett looked extremely uncertain on the ball at times as they made too many ill-advised passes that were easily intercepted. Both teams struggled to maintain possession and this was reflected in the weak attacks from Newcastle and Fulham.

Fulham’s best chance in the half came from Jean Michael Seri’s free-kick that rose above the wall and was heading towards goal, but Dubravka caught it with ease. For Newcastle, they started creating chances right before the whistle was blown, but every shot lacked conviction or precision. Newcastle could have earned a penalty late in the first half as Matt Ritchie’s strike from the corner of the box was clearly stopped by a defender’s arm, but Martin Atkinson claimed he saw nothing wrong with the block. As a result, the first half ended 0-0.

Second Half

Newcastle’s offense was more lively in the second half of this affair and the Magpies did much better in spreading the ball out wide to the wingers. Like the first half, both teams struggled when it came to creating dangerous chances and from the 60-minute mark it was quite obvious that this match was heading for a 0-0 draw.

Newcastle did well in earning more corner kicks and they did come close to taking the lead through Schar, but his header landed on the roof of the net for a goal kick. The 76th minute saw the referee make a significant mistake as he failed to reward Newcastle with what was an obvious foul in the box as Kenedy (subbed on for Atsu) was pulled down with two arms while going up for a header.

A few minutes later it was Fulham who came close to scoring as Dubravka narrowly escaped from Mitrovic when the Serbian striker was chasing the ball to apply pressure. Then it was Fulham who missed out on a penalty when Lascelles blocked Mitrovic’s shot in front of goal with his elbow. The 93rd minute gave Newcastle a scare similar to the last second goal they conceded against Wolverhampton as Aboubakar Kamara flew by Newcastle’s defense only to get stopped by Lascelles in the penalty area.

Overall, what was supposed to be a lenient match for Newcastle ended up being quite frustrating. The Magpies needed three points in this match, but now they will have to settle for one right before a difficult trip to Anfield on Wednesday.