Newcastle United failed to handle business against a weak Fulham side as they shared a point with the visitors from London.
Everyone on Tyneside expected a victory in the bag for Newcastle United, but zero shots on target for the Magpies saw them settle for a point in a 0-0 draw against Fulham. There were some positives in this match, but the lack of urgency and poor precision in front of goal summed up Newcastle’s performance.
Top Toons
Mohamed Diame: The midfielder was playing his tail off today. Any time a player had possession for Fulham near Diame, he charged at them and applied great pressure.
Jamaal Lascelles: He struggled in the first half of this match, but he made up for it with some solid stops late in the game to secure a point at home.
Mediocre Magpies
Martin Dubravka: He earned a clean sheet, which is great, but he also came close to throwing the match away when he barely escaped from Mitrovic as the former Magpie chased the ball down.
Quick Kicks
- Watching the match today, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much Newcastle United will really miss Ki when he’s away with the South Korean national team. He helps control the tempo of the match and his controlled play and quality passing will leave a void.
- Newcastle is at their best when Mo Diame plays with urgency off the ball. As I mentioned in the Top Toons section, he did well to press the Fulham players constantly and it created opportunities to turn the ball over.
- Newcastle should have utilized their wingers more in the first half. There was no offensive rhythm through the middle of the park in the first 45 minutes of action.
- The back-line must have a plan when the ball is at their feet. Schar, Lascelles and Dummett were a bit shaky when it came to clearing the ball under pressure.
What’s Next?
From the bottom of the table to the top of the table, Newcastle United will travel to Anfield to face league-leaders Liverpool on Boxing Day. The Reds topped Wolves yesterday with goals from Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.