3 Positives and 3 Negatives to take from Newcastle 2 Brentford 1 | OneFootball

Wednesday night’s match ended Newcastle 2 Brentford 1.

Ahead of each match we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives following the game.

Plenty to talk about after this one.

On this occasion it is Mark Jankowski:

POSITIVES

One step closer to Champions League

A huge three points in the pursuit of a Champions League place.

We need to match the performance of Man City and Chelsea over the final weeks of the season to seal the top five spot we will require and last night was a massive result.

Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham all dropped points, so the chasing pack is beginning to thin out. Our game against Villa at Easter will be the next massive test of our Champions League credentials.

Last night wasn’t a classic performance, there was a tinge of lethargy about our play in the wake of the weekend’s celebrations.

That being said, the senior players in our squad; Trippier, Burn, Schar all turned in calm assured performances.

Bruno and Isak also delivered in key ways last night.

Our captain didn’t have his best night on the ball but his work our of possession was vital in securing the three points.

Additionally, Isak probably turned in one of his weaker performances of the season but still managed to bag a goal, to make him the first Newcastle player to score 20+ in consecutive Premier League seasons.

Sandro Tonali

Before the season started, I thought Sandro would be one of our key players this season, and he is well and truly living up to my expectations at the minute.

The away defeat at Brentford in December was the game which made Howe shift Tonali’s role into the deep lying midfielder, since then he hasn’t looked back.

He’s such a powerful presence in the middle of the pitch and he capped off a man of the match performance with an exquisite strike to win the game.

Strapping and squad size

As the game kicked off, I was a little alarmed to see copious amounts of tape applied to the inside of Isak’s right thigh and the knee of Joelinton.

Post-match comments seem to suggest Isak has some tightness in his groin and Joelinton’s knee injury continues to cause him discomfort.

We can ill afford an injury crisis to key players at this stage of the season, lets hope they bounce back well in the days ahead.

Wilson looks sluggish

The withdrawal of Isak gave our number 9 some further minutes in the League, but Callum Wilson continues to look off the pace when he gets on the pitch.

Wilson has never been particularly quick, but it looks like he’s lost a further yard of pace, following his injury woes over the last year.

He needs to find a way to contribute more with his time on the pitc.

I’ve no doubt he’ll finish a chance if he gets one but he’s barely had a sniff at goal for weeks.

I was hoping we would avoid the stereotypical cup hangover following our triumph at Wembley and we started very brightly in the opening 10 minutes.

Unfortunately, after that we became very lethargic and wasteful in possession.

Ultimately, we were able to display enough quality to win but I’m hoping that lethargy is now out of the players’ systems ahead of a busy period up until Easter.

Newcastle 2 Brentford 1 – Wednesday 2 April 7.45pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 45+2, Tonali 74

Mbeuno 66 pen

Possession was Newcastle 48% Brentford 52%

Total shots were Newcastle 21 Brentford 12

Shots on target were Newcastle 4 Brentford 3

Corners were Newcastle 4 Brentford 5

Touches in the box Newcastle 35 Brentford 37

Newcastle team v Brentford:

Pope, Trippier (Krafth 89), Schar, Burn, Livramento, Joelinton, Tonali, Bruno, Barnes (Miley 98), Isak (Wilson 66), Murphy (Willock 66)

Unused subs:

Dubravka, Shahar, Longstaff, Osula, Neave

(Newcastle 2 Brentford 1 – Match ratings and comments on all the Newcastle United players – Read HERE)