Just where will the Wins come from?
THERE was no ranting and raving. No immediate post-match inquest. Newcastle’s players did not need to be reminded of what they had just let slip through their fingers as the dressing room fell silent.
Newcastle were a few minutes away from just their second victory of the campaign. Just a few minutes from leapfrogging Watford in the table and moving out of the relegation zone for the first time since September. Hanging on and claiming all three points would have been a huge moment in their season, delivering a psychological blow to a relegation rival in the process.
Instead, Joao Pedro’s header in the 86th minute silenced St James’ Park after Allan Saint-Maximin had previously given the hosts a priceless lead with a superb individual goal. That’s 21 points now that Newcastle have dropped from winning positions.
Heads were bowed and shoulders were slumped as the players walked back to restart the game. Was it any wonder that Eddie Howe hoped that late goal ‘doesn’t leave mental scars?’
Newcastle remain in 19th place and, depending on how results elsewhere go in the coming days, the Magpies could be cut further adrift by Watford or even drop to the bottom if basement boys Burnley win one of their three games in hand against the Hornets tomorrow.
If Newcastle cannot defeat a relegation rival who had previously lost seven on the bounce, it is hard to see where the required wins are coming from, particularly when the Magpies have already played the Hornets, Burnley, Norwich, Leeds, Brentford and Southampton at home.
While Newcastle again looked fragile at the back, Howe’s side also had just one shot on target against a leaky side who have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League in nearly two years.
Callum Wilson, who was watching on from the stands, will have known just how Chris Wood was feeling as Newcastle retreated and left the new £25million signing isolated up front.
There are two weeks left of the window at least and, although clubs are particularly keen to keep hold of fringe players as Covid ravages squads, the loan market will slowly start to open up, which could yet prove crucial.
Even Saint-Maximin was honest enough after to the game to admit that Newcastle ‘need more help’ and the Frenchman went as far as to say that ‘every player knows we need more players’ because ‘you are not in this position for nothing’.
The club’s owners will certainly agree on that but clubs don’t want to sell in the mid-season window Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood may prove the most straightforward signings Newcastle make this
month.
This was a missed opportunity against Watford, however. Before kick-off, Trippier called it was a ‘must-win game’. Captain Jamaal Lascelles insisted the players knew ‘how big it is’. Wood said he could tell his side were ‘ ready for it’ after speaking to his team-mates. For Howe, it was about ‘coming back very strongly’, after the Cambridge debacle a week previously, and ‘showing everybody that was a blip’.
He made just three changes withWood given his debut, Lascelles deemed fit enough to start, and there was a shock recall for Paul Dummett, who had not played all season because of a calf issue.
Newcastle, roared on by a deafening support, were eager to make a fast start. They rushed to take goal kicks, throw-ins and free-kicks in an effort to feed off the energy of the crowd and focused attacks down the right-hand side, where Ryan Fraser and Trippier looked to cause chaos.
There were 10 minutes on the clock when Fraser’s cross from the right took a deflection off the head of Juraj Kucka and, as the red shirts were drawn to Wood inside the area, Joelinton nipped in and struck the crossbar with his hooked effort.
It was a huge chance but, just a few minutes later, Watford had an opening of their own when SaintMaximin was caught in possession in his own half and the Hornets broke at pace as Newcastle attempted to get back into shape. The ball eventually fell to Joshua King who fired harmlessly wide under pressure.
It was a let-off for Newcastle, but the Magpies continued to cause Watford problems from wide areas.
Fraser played a one-two with Sean Longstaff after taking a short corner from the left midway through the first half and the winger swung in a teasing cross.
Watford players were again drawn to Wood but, once again, Joelinton made a late run. This time, the Brazilian volleyed wide.
It had been a tense, fairly uneventful opening 45 minutes and the longer this stayed goalless, the more nervy it got inside the stadium.
The game was crying out for some quality in the final third and Saint-Maximin duly delivered that moment of magic just a few minutes
after the break.
Jeremy Ngakia looked to have everything under control but Saint-Maximin chased down the young right-back, forcing him into a mistake.
The Frenchman then shook Ngakia off before cutting inside and rifling a shot past Ben Foster from a tight angle as
going for that killer second against a side who were there for the taking.
There is a fine line between risk and reward in situations like this. On one hand, in going for a second, Howe’s side could have doubled their advantage but, on the other, the Hornets could have stung the Magpies on the break.
Regardless, Newcastle chose to sit in the hope of getting over the line as they did in their previous win against Burnley last month. Watford were able to regain their composure and, although Ranieri’s side were in awful form, the visitors responded as Newcastle stood off.
Edo Kayembe slipped a through ball into King’s path just after the hour mark, but Martin Dubravka rushed out of his goal to make a smart stop.
Then, just a few minutes later, Lascelles tried to find Schar, his defen
sive partner, but the captain’s underhit pass across the halfway line was seized upon by Emmanuel Dennis.
Lascelles tried to make amends but the forward glided past the centre-back before squaring the ball to former Magpie Moussa Sissoko, who missed the target from close range.
It was a glorious opportunity, but there was still time for Watford to equalise and they landed a sucker punch four minutes from time.
Kiko Femenia played a clever onetwo with Cucho Hernandez down the right, which took Miguel Almiron out of the game.
Dummett scrambled to get across but Femenia swung the ball into the box and Pedro rose above Lascelles to head Watford level.
Newcastle fans fell silent before roaring defiantly as the players made their way back for the restart. There was to be no grandstand finish.