SONNY& SCHAR
Toon wonder kid and a rocket from Fabian give Rafa’s revitalised side a crucial victory
RAFA BENITEZ is making St James’ Park a real four-tress again.
From a side who had lost eight times in front of their own fans by January 2, Newcastle have transformed themselves, with this fourth league win in a row at home lifting them seven points clear of the relegation zone.
And with the way they are playing right now, a repeat of last season’s tenth-place finish cannot be ruled out
For Burnley this was a first league defeat since Boxing Day, leaving Manchester United as the only undefeated side in 2019, and they do not look a team likely to be sucked back into the danger zone.
It needed a breathtaking opener from Fabian Schar and a first league goal from local lad Sean Longstaff to end the Clarets’ proud record.
Switzerland defender Schar had previously shown his scoring touch, with one of his brace against Cardiff last month already a contender for the Newcastle’s goal of the season.
Now he has added another right out of the top drawer.
There was little between these sides until he struck in the 24th minute. It takes something special to beat Tom Heaton but the Burnley keeper was left grasping thin air when Schar let fly with a blistering 30-yard drive after Javier Manquillo had slipped Jack
Cork’s wayward clearance into his path.
It was the Magpies’ first goal from outside the box all season and there was another first for them on 38 minutes when Longstaff opened his Premier League account.
The midfielder, tipped by his manager Rafa Benitez for England honours, found the net with a deflected shot against Blackburn in the FA Cup last month. This was a cleaner effort firing across goal and into the far
corner after Ben Mee, under pressure from Salomon Rondon, headed Matt Ritchie’s cross straight at him.
Burnley had done little wrong up to that first goal and two minutes later might have equalised only for Martin Dubravka to produce a smart save from Chris Wood’s scissors kick.
Boss Sean Dyche felt the Clarets should have had a penalty moments after Longstaff pounced when Johann Gudmundsson fell under a Ritchie challenge, although it was far from clear cut.
But Burnley should have reduced the deficit just before half time when Ashley Barnes’s header was met by James Tarkowski but from just five yards out, he volleyed wildly over.
Not so long ago, Newcastle could not win at home but there is a swagger about them now at St James’ Park.
Miguel Almiron has proved an instant hit with the Toon Army and the £21million signing offers Benitez’s side plenty of options with his searing pace and relentless energy.
Not that Newcastle had created too much before Schar struck.
Almiron’s tame shot from the edge of the box was never going to test Heaton and nor did Florian Lejeune’s header form Longstaff ’s diagonal pass.
The nearest they came early on was when Longstaff found Ritchie on the left wing and his driven cross just eluded the on-rushing Rondon.
The majority of the 48,323 crowd were willing Almiron to score and he almost did in the 52nd minute, racing onto an Ayoze Perez but was unable to beat Heaton from a tight angle.
Tarkowski headed over from a Robbie Brady cross and Newcastle survived a late goalmouth scramble but held on to beat Burnley home and away for the first time since the 1954-55 season.