COOK DISHES IT UP
Bournemouth rewarded for ambition with late winner but Benitez can only fume
RAFA BENITEZ chose the eve of this game to refute claims that his Newcastle side are boring. What followed did little to support his argument, a fourth 1-0 defeat of the season exposing the shortcomings of a team who have done little to excite their supporters of late.
They would have been fortunate to emerge with a point — as had looked likely when 90 minutes expired — for they had barely threatened Bournemouth goal’s during a second-half performance lacking energy and invention.
The visitors sensed that the hosts were a spent force and went after victory in the final half-hour, belatedly achieving it when Steve Cook headed home in the 92nd minute. It was, on account of their late ambition, deserved.
Benitez, though, blamed his own players for the loss which has seen them slip into the bottom half of the Premier League. ‘We were making mistakes in possession, easy mistakes, not because it was amazing pressing,’ moaned the Spaniard.
‘They went direct late on. They knew what they had to do. We gave them the chance to believe they could score. It was a self-inflicted defeat.’
This, however, is what Benitez’s limited side will be this season, a team who can win by one goal as easily as they can suffer a narrow defeat. The manager is working with what he has after a fractious summer of under-investment, evidenced by his continued selection of £5million striker Joselu, a languid sort hardly in keeping with the club’s tradition of all-action No 9s.
Benitez knows it will be a struggle in the coming months.
‘I was worried from September 1,’ he said, pointedly making reference to the day after the closure of the transfer window.
‘What I did is to work harder and that is what I will do now. We have to keep compact and together or we will have problems.’
While Newcastle are on the slide, Bournemouth are on the climb, scrambling from the bottom three after a second consecutive away victory.
‘It is big psychologically for everyone connected to the club,’ said manager Eddie Howe.
‘It is difficult being in the bottom three, it is rammed down your throat. Now we have to build on it. Hopefully it is a key turning point in the season.’
It had been put to Benitez on Friday that his team are uneasy on the eye and, while he rejected that accusation, he did start with two in attack for the first time this season. It was a tactic that worked. At least for half an hour, that is.
It has been a source of frustration for supporters this season that Benitez is too conservative at St James’ Park, even if results have justified the means. But this was all-out attack from the off.
Matt Ritchie was involved in everything good about the Magpies during an aggressive and energised opening in which his low blast was tipped wide by Asmir Begovic. He then provided the cross from which Dwight Gayle flashed a header on goal, only for the ball to hit Cook inside the six-yard area.
Gayle saw a close-range poke flagged for offside on 16 minutes, although replays showed he was marginally on. Later, Benitez refused to talk about the linesman’s call, for he was irked at its subsequent significance.
Joselu then dragged a weak shot wide of goal and there ended the home pressure for the opening period, which closed with Bournemouth front pair Callum Wilson and Josh King both being denied by fine saves from Rob Elliot.
The second half was six minutes old when King sprung Wilson clear but he fired hopelessly into the side-netting.
Newcastle offered nothing by way of response and Marc Pugh thought he had won it when, on 88 minutes, he stole a yard for a shot only to see his low stab deflect off both Elliot and Ciaran Clark before clattering the post.
But Bournemouth refused to accept parity and Cook rose to connect with Andrew Surman’s corner for the winner some 90 seconds into time added on. The centre-back then hauled down Gayle as he made his way in on goal shortly after the restart but, somehow, the referee waved play on.
We had waited the entirety of the afternoon, but at least the closing stages were anything but boring.