Bristol City 0-1 Newcastle

GAYLE’S BRILLIANCE ENSURES SCRAPPY WIN

A first-half strike from Championship top-scorer Dwight Gayle ensured Newcastle took all the points at Ashton Gate, making it a second successive win in a week. In what can be described as a rugged performance, the Magpies demonstrated that they have what it takes in order to win ugly in this division. The Robins may feel aggrieved that they weren’t able to capitalise on their superior possession, but Benítez’s back-four stood firm and looked unbreachable.

Benítez made three changes to the side that thrashed Reading 4-1: captain Lascelles was recalled to the side, along with Colback and Diamé. Newcastle struggled to gain a foothold during the game, but it was a moment of quality that separated the two sides. Mohamed Diamé’s superb ball into Gayle was duly obliged by a deft touch and a clinical left-foot finish to send the away crowd into raptures.

Lee Johnson’s men responded positively and went close when a Luke Freeman in-swinging free-kick was met by Hörður Magnússon, whose header richocheted off Aden Flint and then almost onto the head of a scrambbling Jonathan Kodjia. The home side identified Newcastle’s goalkeeper Matz Sels as the weak link and delivered crosses into the box which the Belgian struggled to deal with.

In the second-half, Newcastle’s new number 9 Dwight Gayle almost got his second goal of the game after he turned Mark Little and sent a rasping shot from 22 yards that smacked against Richard O’Donnell’s post. However, it was Bristol City that looked the more dangerous going forward. The imposing Magnússon was proving to be a threat on set-pieces, and it was the Icelander’s header that went agonisingly wide as Newcastle, yet again, failed to defend another corner.

The more pressure the home side put, the more precarious Sels looked. Freeman’s deflected effort looped into the Newcastle box – and in what seemed like a comfortable situation – the 2015 Belgium goalkeeper of the year, flapped and almost gifted Kodjia, but his acrobatic volley went over the bar. However, Newcastle managed to hold on and picked up another important victory – their first away win since December 2015 – as they look to gain momentum after their two opening defeats.

Talking Points:

Dwight Gayle’s goals will be vital for Newcastle this season. His movement, quick-thinking and ability to use both feet will give Championship defenders nightmares. Gayle will be the focal point in Newcastle’s final-third, with Mitrović set to return from his ban, both will compliment eachother and we could see a deadly partnership formulating on Tyneside.

Yoan Gouffran’s inclusion in the Newcastle starting line-up for the second time highlights the need for another winger. It is without doubt that Gouffran has worked well in the last two games, but his inability to take on players can’t make the Frenchman a viable option out wide. As Bristol City doubled-up and nullified the threat of Matthew Ritchie, Gouffran found himself in acres of space in the first-half, but he lacked the instinctiveness of a winger. If reports in France are to be believed, then Moussa Sissoko will be off to Inter Milan for a fee in the region of £30m; that money should be used to capture the signature of Anthony Knockaert, who has been in scintiliating form for Brighton.

After the game at Ashton Gate, criticism was aimed at Matz Sels and there are calls for Karl Darlow to be reinstated in goal. Newcastle got a taste of Sels’ bungling capabilities during a pre-season game at Doncaster Rovers. His nerves have yet to subdue, and maybe in time, he will replicate the performances that merited him the best Belgium goalkeeper in 2015. In what is a crucial season for the Magpies, there is very little room for error; promotion is paramount, so a Darlow call-up would be a wise move by Benítez.

With more games and a better understanding of Benítez’s philosophy, Mohamed Diamé will become a valuable player. His awareness and exceptional pass to Gayle for the goal was a glimpse on what is to come. He tired out in the second-half and was substituted, but once he gains full-fitness, expect to see him be the main man that plays the link between the midfielders and strikers.

The status-quo on Newcastle United is good, with two wins on the trot, the Toon Army head into their EFL Cup tie against Cheltenham on Tuesday night with confidence. Ayoze Pérez has shown very little so far, his second-half appearance against Bristol City was somewhat wavered, so the game on Tuesday may be the tonic the Spaniard requires to boost his morale.