Saint-Maximin makes instant impact to give Magpies belief

FOR Steve Bruce, the answer was there all the time: just get the right players on the pitch. Almost an hour had passed with his Newcastle side doing a fine impression of a bunch already reconciled to playing in the Championship next season when he had seen enough. On came the cavalry in the shape of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin. And the rewards were immediate.

Within seven minutes SaintMaximin had conjured up an equaliser and he then scored a brilliant solo goal to secure three points that had seemed unreachable.

“I will say it was a tactical masterclass,” a smiling Bruce said. “They’ve had big injuries. You see what we’ve missed. It’s not rocket science: we need our best players.” Newcastle’s goalkeeper Martin Dubravka twice saved spectacularly before his team-mates realised they were in a contest.

What will have alarmed Bruce most was how easily the home side were winning everything in the air (and, being Burnley, there was a lot in the air). Newcastle’s lack of aerial application was in evidence when Ciaran Clark’s wayward header landed at Ashley Westwood’s feet.

Dejected

He played the ball quickly to Chris Wood on the edge of the area. The forward skimmed past the dejected Clark and cut the ball back to Matej Vydra, who side-footed into the net.

Newcastle attempted to respond when Bailey Peacock-Farrell, in for the injured Nick Pope, was obliged to save brilliantly as Dwight Gayle stepped in behind the defence. The ball bounced up and, as James Tarkowski cleared, his boot came close to Sean Longstaff ’s forehead when the midfielder attempted to seize on the rebound. After an interminable examination, VAR deemed it no penalty.

Finally, Bruce sent on his two best players. Within a minute of stepping on to the pitch, Saint-Maximin sold a couple of dummies, checked and passed back to Jacob Murphy, whose crisp shot fizzed into the net.

Moments later, the Frenchman picked the ball up in his own half, charged forward, left Tarkowski on his heels and stabbed the ball into the net. It was of a quality completely missing before then.

His presence seemed to inject confidence into his colleagues. Suddenly passes were landing at feet and headers were being won. Miguel Almiron almost benefited from another Saint-Maximin assist but his shot was cleared off the line by Tarkowski. Burnley peppered the visitors’ goal with 20 shots but Sean Dyche had nothing on his bench to match Saint-Maximin.(© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021)