THE VERDICT: TOWN 0 NEWCASTLE 1 Town keep possession of ball, but not points!
TOWN RATED DOMINATING GAME BUT FAILING TO SCORE GOALS HAS BECOME SEASON-LONG PROBLEM FOR WAGNER’S MEN
ERIK DURM: (Kongolo, 60) Did his best to spark something down the left. 6 RAMADAN SOBHI: (Lowe, 60) made one decent run into the box. 6
ISAAC MBENZA: (Hogg, 77) Didn’t get much chance to get into it. 5 INJURY-HIT Huddersfield Town suffered another worrying defeat, their fourth in succession in the Premier League relegation battle.
Their season-long problem of dominating possession and territory - 74 per cent to 26pc - without finding the net dogged them again as Newcastle went away with three precious points in front of 24,036, to lift themselves six clear of their hosts.
Venezuelan targetman Salomon Rondon did the damage after 55 minutes to leave Town a win short of safety and with a high-pressure home assignment against Southampton on the horizon.
Town were forced into three changes due to the long-term injuries suffered since kick-off against Arsenal to midfielders Aaron Mooy and Danny Williams, plus club captain Tommy Smith.
Philip Billing made a welcome return after a one-match ban at the Emirates as Town looked to add to the meagre tally of just five points from the last 10 home league games.
Juninho Bacuna was handed a first Premier League start in place of Williams, while Flo Hadergjonaj returned to the XI in place of Smith.
Rajiv van La Parra missed out on the squad having failed to train the previous day due to a slight back issue.
Town, looking to secure backto-back top-flight home wins over Newcastle for the first time since April 1955, made a bright start in basically a 4-3-3 formation, Laurent Depoitre volleying over from an early Chris Lowe corner.
Then Billing raided through the middle to find Alex Pritchard on the right and, when his cross picked out Lowe, the volley was directed off target.
Play was held up while Jonas Lossl received treatment after saving at the feet of Christian Atsu, but Town weren’t knocked out of their stride and Billing’s fantastic long-range free-kick was brilliantly tipped over by Martin Dubravka.
Town, with Zanka controlling things at the back, were domi- nating possession, but they still needed Lossl to be alert to save at close quarters from Fabian Schar on 25 minutes following a well-worked free-kick move by Newcastle.
Wagner’s side put together some neat approach play, but a Billing shot was partially blocked before Hadergjonaj sent a dangerous cross speeding across the six-yard line without anyone to get a touch.
Newcastle’s frustration showed with a thigh-high challenge by Jamaal Lascelles on Depoitre which earned a yellow card, and Town continued to press, with Terence Kongolo’s back-post effort deflected to the keeper off Lascelles.
Then, after Hogg had taken another knock and stayed down, Hadergjonaj sent in a cross beyond Depoitre as stoppage time ticked away.
Atsu tested Lossl from range at the start of the second half as Town were caught on the break, and he was denied again by the big Danish keeper after 53 minutes following a sliding block by Kongolo which popped up the ball.
Then the agony of a Newcastle goal on 55 minutes