Newcastle United have finished their 2nd Premier League matchday with a 1-1 draw against AFC Bournemouth. Despite finding themselves behind in the 37th minute of the game, the Magpies club didn't lose hope as they continued continuous approaches for the redeeming goal. At last came the 77th minute, when a cross from Harvey Barnes found Gordon, who put it past Neto to secure a crucial point from the away fixture. In fact, even though Howe's side had to adjust with a single point, the English manager would feel confident about the improvised performance of the lineup as compared to the game against Southampton FC.
With 4 points off the 2 matchdays, Newcastle currently finds themselves in the 6th position; however, they certainly need to improve further to finish in their dream top 4 spot. On that note, here's a look at 3 talking points from Newcastle's 1-1 draw against AFC Bournemouth:
Gordon-Barnes wing duo
While Harvey Barnes was seen frustrated after not getting enough minutes in the season opener against the Saints club, the English winger spread his magic all around in his 32 minutes of regular play against Bournemouth. Be it making crucial runs or finding key Newcastle stars in empty spaces, Barnes did an amazing job coming on for Jacob Murphy. On the other hand, Anthony Gordon, as always has been, stood outstanding for the Magpies club. Fetching in a 77th-minute equalizer, Gordon secured a point for Newcastle from an extremely competitive fixture.
Barnes' beautiful cross found the Newcastle star, who made no mistake putting it behind Neto. Overall, as well, the wing duo looked much more stable as compared to Murphy's partnership with Gordon, and thus, it shouldn't be surprising to see the duo start in this role together. Even though both wingers enjoy a left-wing role as their conventional position, Barnes' performance has shown that if needed, he could switch on the other flank easily. Hence, Eddie Howe can be seen relying on the duo more often in the long season ahead.