Oh, it was so close wasn’t it? I really wanted us to go into our FA Cup Third Round clash at Pride Park against Derby County with our unbeaten run intact but, I’m certainly not getting too down about it.
Our performance against Newcastle United – looking at the positives was brilliant. At least going forward. It was a game that I had reservations about though. St James’ Park is a tough place to go to; especially when you have just played Liverpool at Anfield and hosted Manchester United in the space of four days.
To pick up two points (which could and, perhaps should have been four), against both those sides, before only a three day’s rest prior to playing another top team like the Magpies was a tough ask. I think we did ourselves proud though.
I had a feeling after his goal against ‘that lot’, Brenden Aaronson would be high on confidence; in fact, this seemed to be a factor throughout the squad. His goals were sublime and he has, as I predicted he would, really come into his own.
The confidence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin to take the penalty in the manner he did is a massive indication of how he has been playing of late and it really feels like three points dropped.
Any team scoring three goals away from home in the Premier League would expect to win. Though against a club that finished in the top four last season and have strengthened very well, this was a performance we can be proud of. There are a lot of positives.
It Wasn’t A Penalty But There Are Plenty Of Positives
I’ve watched the Newcastle penalty appeal a number of times and it was really harsh I feel. At this point, we were really in the ascendancy and looking like we were going to win. Had the penalty not been given, I genuinely think we would have.
It gave them a shot in the arm and after they converted, there was only going to be one winner (if any), with that crowd behind them. You could see, in the manner of their celebrations that it meant a lot; almost like beating Arsenal. Testament to the way in which top clubs now regard us after our fantastic, recent turnaround.
What is frustrating is that, despite our great run and now having a bit of a cushion is that I don’t think our league position reflects our form. In past seasons, this run of games (and points), would probably have taken us up to at least 14th. It’s just annoying that other clubs down there are picking up points. I didn’t expect Bournemouth to win, so that was a bit disheartening – especially given our loss on Tyneside.
However, we definitely should be looking up. Fulham visit next and we are a completely different team now to the one that narrowly lost at the start of the season. Yes, it will be tough – there are no easy games and, we have almost a psychological tendency to let our guard down against clubs around us, but we have turned Elland Road back into a fortress and given the way we are playing, it could well be another rout.
We Now Reset And Go Again
What we shouldn’t do is dwell too much on our defensive errors. Yes, Lucas Perri probably should have kept Newcastle’s winning goal out while both the Harvey Barnes and Joelinton goals could have been defended better, though, these are top players who have proven it consistently. I don’t think there’s anything to panic too much about.
I hope Daniel Farke wasn’t too harsh on the lads after the game. We were unlucky, our performance resembled what we are capable of and we showed we can rip top teams apart. Fulham will fear us, Everton (even away) will struggle to contain us. Six points against those and we’ll go into the home game against Arsenal high on confidence.
It won’t be a rout like it was at the Emirates Stadium in our second game of the season. If we can contain them and pick up a point (which is a tough ask), that could be even better for confidence levels.
The cup game against Derby should still be treated professionally, though it gives Farke a chance to rest two or three players – maybe give Harry Gray a run-out to see what he can do, while Joel Piroe showed against ‘that lot’ that he can still do it. Against Derby, I’d start him and back the Dutchman to get on the scoresheet. A 2-0 win would do for me, with a few players rested. For now though, MOT – ALAW!
