Newcastle United 1-0 Millwall: What we learnt from a difficult Carabao Cup tie at The Den

It wasn't the easiest of cup ties for Newcastle United, making the game hard work for themselves with poor quality in the final third and a lack of creativity forcing the tie dangerously close to a penalty shootout, with Joe Willock saving the extra trouble courtesy of an 81st minute winner.

Here are the takeaways from Newcastle's survival at The Den.

Lack of Cutting Edge is a problem.

For the last 30 minutes of the first half, Newcastle dominated possession and created chances, but were timid in the final third. The best chance they had was Sven Botman's header, which should have broken the deadlock.

The Magpies created chances, but no one finished them inside the box. It is a real concern for Newcastle, given they only have one striker available to them at the moment, with Matias Fernandez-Pardo still being bedded in and William Osula recovering from Injury.

Only one shot on target was mustered as a whole within that first half, and it was Willock's venomous effort, which Filip Marschall saved. Yoane Wissa tried to create a chances, seeing a shot cleared, and at other times he struggled to be found due to poor balls into the box or a simply a lack of creativity.

That final ball was missing; they did all the hard work, found spaces, but sometimes the final pass was flat or had too much on it. Their second-best chance was the winner: Barnes' hold-up play when he picked out Fernandez-Pardo, who played it on for Lewis Hall, who crossed it in for Willock, who drilled it into the net.

But it doesn't excuse how long it took them to create an opportunity, often misjudging or misfiring the final pass into the box. Super sub Pardo to the rescue in the end.

Set pieces remain a desirable taste

There wasn't a single set piece in that match which impressed me. The short ball didn't work, and half the time it was easily blocked or just dropped flat.

This set-piece problem dates back to last season, when few set pieces troubled defenders in the box; the delivery into Botman was the best they had of the first half, but it was unfortunate he couldn't convert his header into the net.

You want set pieces to be threatening and troubling for goalkeepers and defenders alike, not easily read or to have no threat at all, which is what Newcastle had for a majority of the game. Even some of the free kicks Newcastle hit straight at the wall or didn't work with their plan either; I'm not sure how they haven't figured this problem out yet.

Time to call it a day on Jacob Murphy

Jacob Murphy's best season in black and white colours was the Carabao Cup-winning season. Unfortunately, he hasn't hit those same levels; in fact, he's dropped off massively.

I won't deny the moments he has provided for the club and how loyal a servant he has been, but even for a back-up winger, he can't provide anywhere near enough impact.

He delivered one good cross against Milwall, but otherwise it was a forgettable performance by his standards, as he failed to make a positive impact. None of his deliveries were troubling, the free kick he had was straight at the wall, and lastly, he isn't someone who breaks down defensive lines, cuts inside the box and gets a shot away. He isn't even in sync with the rest of the attack most of the time.

Murphy at this point in his career is a player you bring on with three minutes left, and you have defensive cover at the back, plus Murphy's physicality can still be handy, but not for a good portion of a match.

A welcome control of possession

Newcastle in possession were much better against Millwall, controlling the ball and dominating midfield without conceding it, as we have seen them do so far in the Premier League this season.

Simple passes, players being picked out, and swift player-to-player movement as they gradually built up their attack; obviously, the creativity and final-third movement were debatable.

But it was a welcome sight to see the team move the ball without errors or giving it away cheaply. Jaissle can take pride in that and hope to maintain it in the standard League games, with a tricky away test coming up against Leeds United.

Naturally, their ball progression and build-up improved, and they played with confidence, now they must consistency deliver that tempo in difficult games.

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