LEAPING LASCELLES GIVES RAFA A LIFT
Skipper sends Newcastle up to fourth – but Rafa refuses to look at the table!
IT WAS exactly 20 years ago that Newcastle United enjoyed their most memorable European night and, on full-time here, they were back in the Champions League places.
Tino Asprilla’s hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Barcelona marked the club’s debut in the continent’s premier competition in 1997.
Two decades on and are they dreaming of a return? Not likely, although they will enjoy their lofty standing while it lasts, especially after a summer of discontent in which manager Rafa Benitez waged war on owner Mike Ashley and his reluctance to spend more on the playing squad.
Perhaps Ashley was right, this team did not need more than the £40 million invested since last season’s promotion to ensure survival this time around. A more plausible explanation for their surprise start is the influence of Benitez, the organiser and motivator in chief.
Just think what he could have done with the players at the top of his wish list. It is three wins on the spin now and, as one supporter informed his comrades as they shuffled out of St James’ Park: ‘We’re four points off top.’ It drew a laugh, but they deserve to be up there after responding to two defeats at the onset of the campaign with nine points and just one conceded.
That came here when Stoke’s Xherdan Shaqiri equalised Christian Atsu’s first-half opener before captain Jamaal Lascelles headed the winner for the second week running. He was the hero at Swansea seven days ago as Benitez watched at home from his sick bed. The 23- year- old — the youngest skipper in the top flight — was again his side’s best player.
And Benitez said: ‘The captain is leading by example. The main thing though is the togetherness, workrate, the character and connection with the fans.
‘It is really important that players want to stay, want to fight, want to defend their black and white shirt. They’re doing that and I think the fans appreciate it.’
But when asked about their league position, Benitez said: ‘I haven’t seen the table and I don’t want to see it, believe me.’
Stoke, meanwhile, are one point above the drop zone, although there is mitigation given a difficult run of fixtures and four points taken from Arsenal and Manchester United.
Manager Mark Hughes, however, was not happy. ‘ We didn’t play particularly well, not as good as we were in recent weeks,’ he said. ‘It was a different test, against a team who allowed us a certain amount of possession and we needed a different mindset. But our loose passing played into Newcastle’s hands. We have to be better.’
Stoke’s best period came in the opening quarter of an hour before Newcastle’s breakthrough.
Benitez, perhaps wary of the swirling rain and lingering pain from surgery to an infected hernia
wound, remained inside the comfort of the dugout until venturing to the touchline on 18 minutes.
If his presence was intended as a boot up the backside after a disjointed start then it had the desired effect. Within 60 seconds his side were in front.
Midfield pair Mikel Merino and Isaac Hayden shifted possession from left to right where Matt Ritchie received before dropping the most inviting of crosses to the far post for Atsu to steal in and fin- ish. Former Stoke striker Joselu — a £5m arrival last month — then had three chances to double the lead but spurned each of them.
First he swiped wide when unmarked on the penalty spot with just Jack Butland to beat. A chance to amend for that passed by when he prodded straight at Butland from six yards before he fired over when again one- on- one with the goalkeeper.
It is little surprise he wore a rueful look as he waited to restart play after Shaqiri’s equaliser on 57 minutes, the Swiss winger having curled into the bottom corner from 25 yards.
A home counter-attack then saw Ayoze Perez send Atsu clear. The winger was poised to shoot when Kurt Zouma slid and appeared to take a combination of man and ball. Penalty? Referee Stuart Atwell thought not and left the home crowd incensed.
But they had forgotten about that when Lascelles rose to meet Ritch- ie’s corner and headed the winner via the underside of the crossbar.
Four points off the top? Benitez will tell you it’s 31 from safety.