Newcastle United played brilliant collective football to earn a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town at St. James’ Park yesterday.
Newcastle United needed a victory against Huddersfield and they got the job done by winning 2-0 yesterday afternoon. Quick goals from Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez early in the second half sealed the deal for Newcastle as they climbed the table to move further away from the relegation zone. Newcastle’s collective performance sparked many talking points, but here are three key observations from yesterday’s 2-0 victory at St. James’ Park.
Miguel Almiron is a Top Player
Miguel Almiron made his home debut for Newcastle as a starter yesterday and he looked fantastic. The former MLS star caused innumerable problems for Huddersfield over the course of the 80 minutes he was on the pitch. Almiron’s first cross was almost an assist, his first shot was almost legendary as his chip attempt bounced off the post and the way he tried setting teammates up was impressive. The standing ovation he received in the 80th minute is a true reflection of how well he played.
29 Shots and 500+ Passes…
Newcastle dominated Huddersfield Town in every sense of the word. The Magpies are ranked among the bottom of the league when it comes to creating shots and spreading the ball around, but they did the opposite yesterday. Rafa Benitez’s men were able to create 29 shots, with ten of them being on target and four hitting the post, and they completed an impressive 547 passes. This consolidation of urgency and confidence made Newcastle dangerous. One can only hope this trend continues against Burnely on Tuesday.
The Longstaff-Hayden Duo
The duo of Sean Longstaff and Isaac Hayden in central midfield continues to exceed expectations every week. The young duo played extremely well against the Terriers by intercepting passes in midfield, finding open players out wide and they both got involved with some good shots on target. The way these two are playing is a major problem for Jonjo Shelvey, Mohamed Diame and Ki Sung-yueng. The three veterans will continue to ride the bench if Longstaff and Hayden keep this form going.