Newcastle 1-0 West Brom

As Newcastle pick up a vital 3 points against West Bromwich Albion we look at where it all went right for the Mag’s…

West Brom were dreadful.

They barely tested Rob Elliot and didn’t create any chances of substance in the entire game. That said, Newcastle were fantastic. Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote and Rolando Aarons were all drafted into the starting eleven. Steven Taylor was fantastic at the back. He really was, he looked like a man on a mission and determined to prove that he still has what it takes to be in the Newcastle side. He was calm on the ball, he passed it well and his positioning was fantastic. You couldn’t really fault him.

Rolando Aarons was unusually drafted in to play in left-back. Whilst he didn’t have much to do he got forward fast and crossed in the ball for a few great chances. Whilst also making sure he was back to tackle the oncoming player. He had a very solid game again making very little mistakes. You have to take into account that this kid is a left winger and this is not his natural position. He was there when his team needed him to do something he wasn’t comfortable with and he did fantastically. A very solid mature performance from this young man.

Cheick Tiote was man of the match.

Deservedly so. He was incredible. Not only was he our top passer but he was our top tackler too and even resorted to tackling with his head at one point! He fought so hard for the team and it was clear to see. He can be such a key player for us and has gone missing a couple of times in the past so it was a big, big call for Steve McClaren to bring him in and it paid off ten fold! Not only did he have a great game in the middle of the park but he made a fantastic strike in the first half that arguably should have counted! Guess he is just not meant to score for us again! But what a strike it was none-the-less.

Townsend looked very impressive down the wing

He is getting more and more comfortable and is really finding himself. He definitely added an extra threat going forward that’s for sure. Sissoko and Janmaat have formed a fantastic partnership down the right hand side and it truly is a joy to watch at times. They link up fantastically and were a threat going forward. Sissoko had a few opportunities where he could have scored I thought but on another day I’m sure he would have. Shelvey had a performance not too dissimilar to his debut. He controlled the game and pulled off some phenomenal passes including the one that went throught to Mitrovic to open the scoring. Shelvey had a great game.

Wijnaldum was key in linking up the play

He had some great opportunities to score himself but his vision and dribbling skills are just incredible. He really is the key to our great performances, he spreads the play and finds passes, he is always calm on the ball and can get himself out of a difficult situation with ease. He had a great game in my opinion and I think he might have gone a little bit un-noticed in this one.

Mitrovic did it!

The big Serbian did it, he got a goal. A great goal at that coolly finishing it round Ben Foster to ultimately win us the game. His positioning all game was superb. Like, literally perfect. He won the ball in the air, he brought other players into the game, he was always onside (something Cisse could probably learn from him). But I love the way he drops back to help out his team-mates. At times he came back to almost the half way line to pick up the ball and start an attack. He was fantastic and I really cannot wait to see how this young man progresses at Newcastle.

This was a game that Steve McClaren had to win

It was vital for Newcastle, and because of other results it lifts them out of the relegation places. A lot of pessimistic people will argue ‘yeah but we should have beaten them by a lot more’. I would agree, but I think that the 3 points trumps all else. Yes we should have scored more with our totally dominant performance. But we got the three points out of it and played some beautiful football, isn’t that enough?

I’m not saying that Steve McClaren is the right manager for the long term but I think today he got his tactics and Match Preparation spot on. It was a huge risk playing Tiote and Taylor especially, but it came off for him. If we work on our finishing and getting all of these chances and dominance in the back of the net then we should be fine this season. We must beat the teams around us. We can’t rely on other teams. We got the job done today and Mitrovic got some much needed confidence. It really is a vital 3 points in our relegation battle.