Newcastle United’s win over Crystal Palace offered some much-needed breathing room for Matthias Jaissle, ending a run of poor results and giving the Magpies their first clean sheet and away win in the league since August.
However, despite the many positives that came from this win, there were still aspects of the performance that were far from convincing. The defensive vulnerabilities on show at Selhurst Park, are issues Jaissle still needs to address, particularly after they resurfaced in the subsequent defeat to Everton.
The errors that could have proved costly
Much could be said about how impotent Jaissle’s men were in attack and defence during the first half. According to FotMob, Palace recorded an xG figure of 1.17 and had 13 touches in the opposition box, compared to Newcastle’s measly 0.15 xG and five touches in the box. Fortunately, William Osula and Harvey Barnes took full advantage of the opportunities that came about after the break, and Newcastle found themselves two-nil up at the hour mark.
But once they lost their momentum, Newcastle struggled to see the game out. Despite keeping a clean sheet, courtesy of a fantastic display by Lukas Hornicek and the returns of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, the Toon army looked shaky and vulnerable.
Palace’s attacks mainly came down the left flank, with Lewis Hall either being too late to close down a cross or not having enough support from his winger when dealing with Anan Khalaili, who posed a constant threat. In the 61st minute, Khalaili positioned himself outside Newcastle’s defensive structure. Barnes had not shuffled across to support Hall, and the latter could not close him down in time, resulting in a dangerous cross that Hornicek struggled to punch away.
Similarly, six minutes later, Khalaili was closed down immediately by Hall at the byline and laid it off to Yeremy Pino, who dragged Dan Burn out wide. A third-man run from Dario Osorio followed into the space vacated by Burn, which Barnes was too late to react to. Osorio does enter the box with time and space, but fortunately for Newcastle, he takes one too many touches and it goes out of play. It is, however, one of many instances in this game where Newcastle could have been punished.
Eventually, both goalscorers were replaced by Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, but the pair did not really do enough to help their teammates see the game out comfortably. Elanga seemed to be too high up the pitch at times, offering little support to Lewis Hall bar one instance in added time when he tracked Osorio in the full-back’s absence.
Despite Joelinton and Joe Willock both having good games in midfield, there were instances that led to Palace coming close to scoring due to their shortcomings in the middle of the park. In the 63rd minute, Willock seems to be ball-chasing as Adam Wharton has made a run forward and positioned himself in a large pocket between the defence and midfield, leading to a shot that Hornicek managed to parry away for a corner. Joelinton also struggled to clear his lines, most notably in the 71st minute, when a failed clearance led to Osorio forcing Hornicek to make a spectacular save.
One of the best chances Palace had in the second half came in the 85th minute. Osorio beat Joelinton to the ball before effortlessly running past him and then Nico Gonzalez, laying it off to Pino, who had not been tracked by Murphy. Pino played it back to Osorio on the edge of the box, but fortunately, the latter skied his shot. Joelinton was immediately replaced by Sean Steur.
These incidents may seem like minute details, but they could have easily been punished had Palace been more clinical or Newcastle been facing a side with a bigger attacking threat than the south Londoners. Palace’s lack of pace in attack worked in Newcastle’s favour, as the home side were never able to exploit the big gaps that were left at times in the Newcastle midfield.
The subsequent defeat to Everton showed that these vulnerabilities have not simply disappeared. Jaissle will need to find a way to make his side more effective, not only at starting games but also at seeing them out more comfortably. Perhaps the best way to achieve this would be to avoid carelessly giving away possession. Newcastle’s inability to maintain control after taking the lead remains a concern, and it is something the manager will need to address.
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