Rotherham 0-1 Newcastle - Reaction
After the whirlwind midweek comeback against promotion rivals Norwich, Newcastle faced a different challenge against bottom side Rotherham at the New York Stadium. Many pundits and fans had Newcastle nailed on for the three points, but the encounter in Yorkshire proved to be difficult than first perceived. Alan Stubbs’ men have only picked up one win this season, and that came against Brentford in August, but the Millers may feel aggrieved that they left the afternoon empty-handed.
As expected, Benítez continued his rotation of the side by handing a full-debut to on-loan Chelsea winger Christian Atsu and recalling Vurnon Anita to the starting XI, after the Dutch international completed his 3-game ban.
It was the visitors who started brightly, first, it was the inform Yoan Gouffran stinging the palms of Rotherham’s goalkeeper Lee Camp early on, and then, on the 13th minute, the Frenchman went close – with what is becoming his signature skill – Gouffran met Anita’s cross perfectly, but his volley was superbly cleared off the line by Ball. Moments later, Shelvey’s half-volley went over the bar as the Magpies looked to assert themselves. At the other end, Rotherham were keen to show they were no pushovers, midfielder Joe Newell’s dipping effort was emphatically tipped over the bar by Karl Darlow. The fans got onside and that filtered onto the pitch, summer signing Jon Taylor’s rasping shot smacked against Darlow’s crossbar, from then on, Benítez’s men knew they weren’t in for an easy ride.
Despite Rotherham’s neat little interplays, it was a moment of Premier League quality that separated the two sides. After a contentious decision by the referee that allowed Newcastle to break up play, Gouffran picked the ball up from the left and gave it to Diamé, Shelvey – who was in acres of space – quickly received it from the Senegalese and drove forward, with Atsu his only option on the right. What we saw next was worthy of the admission fee. Atsu’s pace and trickery was always going to be a problem for the Millers, the winger cut inside of his favoured left and sumptuously bent his effort into the ‘keeper’s right; causing absolute bedlam in the away end. “A Hollywood finish,” as described by the commentator.
In the second-half, Newcastle looked to seal the points. Shelvey whipped in a dangerous free-kick, and it was Wednesday’s night hat-trick hero Dwight Gayle whose outstretched leg failed to make full contact with the ball from six yards, much to the relief of Camp. Diamé, who some would say has made a slow start to his Newcastle career, released the fleet-footed Atsu with a well-timed through ball; bearing down on goal, Atsu’s low drive was well palmed away. In the 65th minute, desperately in search of his first Newcastle goal, Diamé was denied by the valiant Rotherham defence after they blocked his goal-bound strike out for a corner.
As Newcastle struggled to grab a second goal, the home side started to become more assured. Izzy Brown’s corner was not dealt with, but the woodwork spared the blushes of Gouffran. Rotherham piled on the pressure late on, for the travelling supporters; the game against Aston Villa was probably on their mind. A floating corner by Brown was headed back into the danger zone, only for Vaulks’ header to be cleared off the line by Ciaran Clark. However, Newcastle managed to hang on and see the game through. It’s now back-to-back wins for Rafael Benítez as the Magpies’ promotion push marches on.
Talking points:
Atsu looked lively and did a great job on the right, as Benítez opted to rest Ritchie. With match-fitness, the Ghanaian will be an integral player for us. The centre-back pairing of Lascelles and Clark has the potential to become one of the most solid partnerships in the Championship: commanding in the air, vocal and committed. The signing of Clark raised a few eyebrows, but maybe this league is exactly what he needs in order for him to fulfil his true qualities.
Diamé needs a goal, and as soon as that first goal comes, he will go on a goal scoring run. I would have opted for either a Mitrović and Gayle partnership or Pérez playing behind Gayle in place of Diamé. However, his excellent through-ball to find Atsu in the second-half is just an example of why Benítez opts to play him. I wouldn’t be too discouraged of his missed opportunities, with a bit more composure, that first goal isn’t too far away.
Colback started in the middle again with Shelvey, but I am not too sure why Benítez has favoured him over Hayden. Since arriving from Arsenal, Hayden has added much-needed freshness to Newcastle’s midfield and definitely adds more to Newcastle’s game than Colback. Apart from the odd sliding tackle, it’s difficult to understand the other facets of Colback’s game and what he actually brings to Newcastle’s midfield.
