Newcastle Utd produced a virtually flawless performance as they put a toothless Crystal Palace to the sword on Saturday afternoon.
And so emphatic was the victory that Palace manager Roy Hodgson could not find a single word of positivity to say about his team, such was United’s dominance.
The seeds of that dominance were sown in the fourth minute when Jacob Murphy, making his first start of the season met a cushioned pass from Kieran Trippier and chipped the stranded Palace keeper with the ball nestling into an empty net.
However, Murphy was forced to hold back on his goal celebration while the obligatory VAR check was completed in United’s favour.
And other than the odd flurry into the Newcastle half, Palace were forced to rely on a combination of lady luck and the woodwork as wave after wave of attack made the next forty minutes fly by before Anthony Gordon finally made one of a number of chances that came his way finally count as he met Murphy’s cross at the back post and placed his shot past Johnstone in the Palace goal.
Then in the second minute of time added on Sean Longstaff made it three; pouncing on a slip by Marc Guehi to side-step the defender and fire the ball past the helpless Johnstone.
Palace did rally at the start of the second half but that was obviously more a reaction to a half time rollocking from their manager than a sign of something more positive and the game was over as far as Hodgson’s beleaguered team was concerned long before Callum Wilson got his name on the scoresheet in the 66thminute.
There were some standout performances in black and white shirts. Murphy and Trippier were a constant thorn in the side of Palace left back Tyrick Mitchell. Anthony Gordon was again impressive. Bruno Guimarães and Sean Longstaff controlled the midfield while Fabien Schar played as fine a quarterback role as you could see, setting up wave after wave of attacks with a range of passing that at times defied belief.
But the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for Sandro Tonali when he entered the fray in the 69th minute as Guimarães was withdrawn, his job done.
Tonali has gone through a difficult time since the allegations of gambling issues first broke and as the Italian goes through his own trauma, he will do so knowing that he has the backing of the toon army.
And so emphatic was the victory that Palace manager Roy Hodgson could not find a single word of positivity to say about his team, such was United’s dominance.
The seeds of that dominance were sown in the fourth minute when Jacob Murphy, making his first start of the season met a cushioned pass from Kieran Trippier and chipped the stranded Palace keeper with the ball nestling into an empty net.
However, Murphy was forced to hold back on his goal celebration while the obligatory VAR check was completed in United’s favour.
And other than the odd flurry into the Newcastle half, Palace were forced to rely on a combination of lady luck and the woodwork as wave after wave of attack made the next forty minutes fly by before Anthony Gordon finally made one of a number of chances that came his way finally count as he met Murphy’s cross at the back post and placed his shot past Johnstone in the Palace goal.
Then in the second minute of time added on Sean Longstaff made it three; pouncing on a slip by Marc Guehi to side-step the defender and fire the ball past the helpless Johnstone.
Palace did rally at the start of the second half but that was obviously more a reaction to a half time rollocking from their manager than a sign of something more positive and the game was over as far as Hodgson’s beleaguered team was concerned long before Callum Wilson got his name on the scoresheet in the 66thminute.
There were some standout performances in black and white shirts. Murphy and Trippier were a constant thorn in the side of Palace left back Tyrick Mitchell. Anthony Gordon was again impressive. Bruno Guimarães and Sean Longstaff controlled the midfield while Fabien Schar played as fine a quarterback role as you could see, setting up wave after wave of attacks with a range of passing that at times defied belief.
But the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for Sandro Tonali when he entered the fray in the 69th minute as Guimarães was withdrawn, his job done.
Tonali has gone through a difficult time since the allegations of gambling issues first broke and as the Italian goes through his own trauma, he will do so knowing that he has the backing of the toon army.
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