Newcastle Have Sent Their Own Quiet Message to PSG and Joelinton’s Worrying Reaction

Newcastle United have moved within three points of the top four following a 2-0 win against Burnley at St James’ Park. Miguel Almiron gave the hosts the lead in the 14th minute with a stunning strike from distance before Alexander Isak sealed all three points from the spot late on.

Almiron awakens Newcastle before Isak seals win

On paper, Newcastle had faced sterner tests. Bottom of the table Burnley had picked up just a single point all season. However, Burnley pushed Manchester United close in a narrow 1-0 defeat last week and Newcastle knew they could not take the Clarets lightly.

Howe, unsurprisingly, named a strong side with Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, Elliot Anderson, Miguel Almiron and Anthony Gordon all returning to the starting XI following the midweek Carabao Cup third-round win against Man City.

However, despite that quality, it was bold Burnley who raced out of the blocks and livewire Luca Koleosho caused Dan Burn real problems in the opening stages and teed up Amdouni in the fourth minute with a smart cross – only for Nick Pope to deny the Burnley striker. It was a big moment and a chance in a game like this that Burnley had to take. Newcastle quickly made the visitors pay with one of their first efforts on goal.

Kieran Trippier dispossessed Aaron Ramsey high up the field with a committed block tackle that got supporters off their seats, and the ball fell to Miguel Almiron. The Paraguay international took a couple of touches before letting fly with his left boot and unleashing a rocket past James Trafford into the top corner. It sparked sleepy Newcastle into life.

The Magpies pushed for that killer second goal and Alexander Isak was foiled after being played in by Bruno midway through the first half before Burnley cleared the ball off the line in the 35th after Elliot Anderson’s header was saved by James Trafford. It took until the 78th minute for Newcastle to finally double their advantage when Howe’s team were awarded a penalty after Gordon was felled inside the area by Ameen Al-Dakhil. Isak stepped up and coolly sent Trafford the wrong way to seal the win.

Injury worries pile up

The mere sight of Joelinton waiting to come on midway through the second half lifted Newcastle fans as they sang: “He’s Brazilian. He only cost £40 million…” However, the midfielder was soon hobbling off just four minutes after replacing Elliot Anderson after going down in the Burnley penalty area with what looked like a hamstring issue. Joelinton cut an understandably frustrated figure as he pulled his shirt over his face before unravelling the strapping on his hand and throwing it to the ground as he marched down the tunnel.

It means the midfielder is now a big doubt for the visit of PSG on Wednesday night at a time when the injuries have piled up for Newcastle during a packed run of games. Sven Botman missed out with a knee issue that Howe predicted could keep him out until the international break while Callum Wilson was not risked because of some tightness in his hamstring. With Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes already sidelined, Newcastle suddenly look a little stretched in certain areas.

Defence holds firm again ahead of Mbappe visit

Eddie Howe may have asked reporters if they wanted the ‘honest answer’ or the ‘diplomatic’ one when quizzed about whether he wanted to face Kylian Mbappe, or not, but Newcastle have now kept five clean sheets on the bounce – even without the influential Sven Botman this week. That feels like a quiet statement in itself and will give Newcastle a lot of confidence ahead of the visit of PSG to St James’ on Wednesday night in what will be the black-and-whites first Champions League home game in 20 years.

There will inevitably be occasions when this defence is breached but Newcastle know they have a goalkeeper in form again in Nick Pope, who made a crucial stop in the fourth minute to deny Zeki Amdouni and also kept out Ameen Al-Dakhil’s header just minutes after Newcastle went 2-0 up.

St James’ is a fortress

It shows Newcastle’s standing now that Burnley boss Vincent Kompany admitted it would take ‘something you will be remembered for’ to pull off a result at St James’. “There are not many away grounds that are harder than St James’ Park,” he said. As Jamaal Lascelles wrote of the supporters in the programme: “When they give us that support, the stadium is like a cauldron and you’re even more determined to give your all.”

It certainly won’t have escaped Kompany’s attention that Newcastle’s only Premier League defeats at home under Eddie Howe have come against Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool yet, to his credit, the Belgian did not shut up shop or try to frustrate the Magpies. Geordies have seen very different Burnley sides rock up at St James’ over the years, but this was a team that wanted the ball and that suited Newcastle, who ended up having 20 efforts, eight shots on target and five corners in what ultimately proved a routine victory.

Anthony Gordon plays on the edge and the winger was walking a tightrope before this game even kicked off, knowing one further booking would see him suspended. Yet it only took Gordon 18 minutes to pick up a yellow card and, frustratingly, for Newcastle, it was not for a committed challenge. It was for petulantly kicking the ball away.

It means Gordon will now miss next week’s trip to West Ham after being cautioned in five of the seven league games he has played this season. The only matches Gordon did not get booked in were games, coincidentally, the winger ended up scoring in against Liverpool and Sheffield United.

With Harvey Barnes out for several months, Newcastle will be without their two natural options out on the left, and potentially Joelinton, too, so it could fall to Alexander Isak to fill in at the London Stadium next Sunday.