Newcastle United may have been second-best on the day, but Miguel Almiron’s first goal for the club gave the Magpies a win.
For most of the match, Newcastle United got outplayed by Crystal Palace. But, Miguel Almiron’s second-half strike gave the Magpies all three points at St. James’ Park as they climb into the top ten on the EPL table.
Miggy’s Makes His Mark
After what’s seemed like an eternity, Miguel Almiron broke through for the Magpies. Not long after he registered his first assist for the club, Miggy scored his first goal for Newcastle and the crowd went insane at St. James’ Park. What a special moment for the Paraguayan international after working so hard and finally seeing that ball in the back of the net.
Totally Crossed Out
Without Jetro Willems and Allan Saint-Maximin on the left side, Paul Dummett was tasked with sending the balls in from the wing. Unfortunately, most of his crosses were very poorly hit and rarely resulted in anything but the ball going out of play. Javier Manquillo also didn’t have his best day crossing the ball and that took the danger out of Newcastle’s aggressive start to the match.
The Returning Trio’s Impact
Miguel Almiron, Jonjo Shelvey, and Florian Lejeune all stepped into the lineup after recovering from an injury. We talked about Miggy’s impact already, but you could argue that Shelvey was the best player on the day for the Magpies as he tried to set up chances and played with some tempo in the midfield. Lejeune, seeing his first action in seven months, was composed at the back and showcased his quality passing ability from the back. All three players will continue to play key roles going forward.
Quick Kicks
- Javier Manquillo, also Fabian Schar, did excellent in limiting the chances for Wilfried Zaha. The explosive forward was frustrated all match and that was key in shutting out Crystal Palace.
- Andy Carroll continues to impress this season. I expected him to play a limited role in limited matches, but he’s worked hard, impacted the match, and deserves the starting spot up top. He assisted well on Almiron’s goal and never stopped pressuring the Palace backline.
- It was very unfortunate that Isaac Hayden lost his footing early in the match when he got behind the backline. It would’ve been a tough shot, but an early goal would have been huge for the Magpies.
- It will not get the credit it deserves after Almiron stole the spotlight, but Martin Dubravka played well today and made some big stops.
- I noticed today that in any match, you’re almost guaranteed to see Jonjo Shelvey try to beat the keeper from near mid-pitch and Joelinton softly tap the ball directly to the keeper.
Okay, What’s Next?
Newcastle United will travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Boxing Day. The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last six EPL matches and they face Watford tomorrow.