Huddersfield 1-3 Newcastle - Match Reaction
Saturday evening saw the stage set for Newcastle to show their assertion in the Championship by being giving the opportunity to beat both the teams in second and third away from home, in the space of less than a week. Following the victory of Brighton, there was a chance for us to go five points clear at the top, and a massive eleven points ahead of the Huddersfield in third, factors that would inch us ever so close to that lucrative title.
The game itself was a fantastic watch for us, however there were times of huge nerves throughout. The pace was frantic from the off and it was under no scrutiny that getting an early goal could be pivotal away from home, giving us something to sit back and hold onto.
Fortunately, a mere ten minutes had passed when we were given a rather inconspicuous penalty, something that we weren’t complaining about - Matt Ritchie stepped up and put us in the lead. However, before and after the goal and for the majority of the first half, it was Huddersfield who had most of the ball and who were looking the more dangerous.
Darlow had been forced into a few saves and the defence were still holding strong when at around the half hour mark, some rather questionable defending saw Daryl Murphy with a chance and sure did he take it, tucking the ball away with a brilliant finish from an acute angle. From then on, the frustration from the home side seemed to just grow and grow, prompting boos towards the referee at half time.
Throughout the second half, our hard work was kept up and Huddersfield did eventually pull one back at around 70 minutes, Mooy stepping up to convert a penalty from a Shelvey foul. The pressure until the end was then relentless from Huddersfield who threw everything at us and it all fairness, they would have been favourites to grab the next goal by a long shot until Gayle, fresh back from injury, secured all three points in added time, being let through with an open goal following a slip from the keeper when attempting to head the ball. So then went the 90 minutes and it was confirmed, 6 points taken from Huddersfield and Brighton, something that can only be described as perfect.
Performance-wise, we were very strong defensively and took our opportunities when they came, a rather cliché away performance, giving the fans a reason to be happy. The tactics set by the gaffer seemed to work amazing and put us in good step for Tuesday’s game away to Reading, taking some of the pressure away that we would have had if any points had been dropped. The likes of Clark and Shelvey had their standard strong games, Colback again took some criticism for his rashness of going into tackles and the rest of the team had a spot on game, doing their jobs effectively. It was also good to see top scorer Gayle net on his return to the team.
Looking into Tuesday, I'd expect a similar strong performance against Reading and although three points are not a requirement, it would be an absolute dream if we can get them and then we can start thinking about getting the title come May, realistically.
