Terrific teen star Tariq tears Toon to shreds
BRUCE’S MEN TAKE SOCIAL DISTANCING TOO FAR
THE city of Newcastle went into partial lockdown this weekend – but Steve Bruce’s footballers went into total meltdown.
Social distancing was observed far too well by the home side as Brighton, inspired by new teenage star Tariq Lamptey, ran riot.
Graham Potter’s well- drilled team secured the points with a double from Neal Maupay in the first seven minutes.
They then added a humiliating third goal seven minutes from time when Aaron Connolly curled the ball into the net.
Lamptey tormented the Toon for almost an hour. Bruce got his game- plan badly wrong and Newcastle did not muster a single shot on target.
Wing- back Lamptey, 19, a £ 3million steal from Chelsea last season, won a penalty, drew yellow- card fouls from Jonjo
Shelvey and Jamal Lewis, caused a change in formation to contain him and made a goal- saving tackle on Ryan Fraser.
He was also denied a goal by Karl Darlow’s block on the stroke of half- time.
This is a lad who can one day break into the England side.
Lamptey limped off, job done, after 58 minutes, kicked out of the game.
Potter’s strike force destroyed Newcastle, who could not work out how to defend against spearhead Connolly, with hardrunning support from Leandro Trossard and Maupay either side.
Allan Saint- Maximin fouled Lamptey as he burst clear into the box, Kevin Friend gave the penalty and Maupay converted.
If that was uncomfortable early viewing for Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, attending his first home game since January, worse was to come.
Brighton were slick and mobile, finding space with Bruce’s men in a 4- 4- 2 system that looked far too static.
Trossard, who hit the post in the second half, also fired in a cross for Maupay to cleverly glance his second from close range.
The effort was flagged for offside and the celebrations cancelled. But the goal was eventually reinstated by Craig Pawson on VAR duty, with Maupay onside by a toe.
There were plenty of poor shows in black and white.
Saint- Maximin, so often their star player, conceded the penalty, allowed Lamptey to repeatedly overlap and limped off injured after half an hour. He simply did not look up for the fight.
The only blot on the Brighton performance was Yves Bissouma’s late sending- off for a high challenge that caught Lewis in the face.
Darlow 4; Manquillo 4, Fernandez 4, Lascelles 4, Lewis 3; Hendrick 3, Hayden 3, Shelvey 3 ( Joelinton 72), Saint- Maximin 2 ( Fraser 33, 4); Carroll 3 ( Almiron 46, 7), Wilson 3.