Newcastle came out in their 4-2-3-1 with Sean Longstaff as the number 10 behind Dwight Gayle. It didn’t take long for Bruce’s front two to make a difference.
At the five minute mark, Longstaff made a tackle deep in the Bournemouth end. Allan Saint-Maximin, who started on the right, pounced on the ball and found Dwight Gayle. The striker put it in the back of the net to give Newcastle the early lead.
Newcastle looked bright in the first 30 minutes. Gayle was causing Bournemouth issues while Sean Longstaff and Joelinton, who was on the left, were very lively in their new(ish) roles.
Allan Saint-Maximins was giving the Bournemouth defense fits with his pace and prowess on the ball.
The Magpies doubled their lead on the 30-minute mark with another assist from Allan Saint-Maximin. He went down the right to the byline and pulled the ball back into the box for Sean Longstaff. The midfielder fired the ball into the goal for a 2-0 lead.
However, Longstaff was forced off with what appeared to a hamstring injury just minutes later. Miguel Almiron was brought on to resume his role as the number 10.
That was a superb first-half from the lads. The front four were outstanding, and Bournemouth were thoroughly outplayed. They’ll have to make some adjustments at half-time, or it’ll be four defeats on the trot for them.
242 comments so far
kimbo
Jul 1, 2020 at 8:42 PM
Comment #241Great goals but Joelinton proved he is not a footballer in the second half he was terrible.
Shelvey was majestic but would like to see Lazaro start instead of Joelinton on Sunday.
magicmac54
Jul 1, 2020 at 8:47 PM
Comment #242I said earlier today i fancied an o-o dour draw with two teams scrambling for points at the wrong end of the table, delighted to be proved wrong and finish up with egg on my face he he he, brilliant performance by Newcastle tonight in fact the best performance for many a day, all the lads played very well, and joelinton had a great game playing wide no doubt his best position, i hope he is played wide in the future as he clearly is not a striker, happy days. HWTL