Newcastle edge closer to safety
As days go, this was a good one for Newcastle. Just about the only thing missing was a goal for Miguel Almiron, but that can wait for now.
Huddersfield, who were never in it once Tommy Smith had been sent off, lived down to their billing as the Premier League’s two lowest scorers went toe to toe. In contrast, the hosts looked anything but goal-shy as they took another step towards top-flight salvation.
The banner unfurled by the Gallowgate End before kick-off in honour of Almiron, the club’s record £21million signing, translated roughly to “we want to count on you”. When it came to topping off his full home debut by finding the net, the Paraguayan came up short, but a display of pace and guile suggested such a hefty fee could prove to be a wise investment.
Positives aside, the 25-year will need little reminding that with a little more clarity of thought in front of goal, his St James’ Park bow could have been accompanied by the match ball.
As it was, the hosts settled for goals from Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez in the space of six minutes at the outset of the second half to secure a routine win that would have adopted embarrassing proportions for the visitors had it not been for the woodwork being struck four times and the excellence of goalkeeper Jonas Lossl.
“Miguel gives us another option,” reflected manager Rafa Benitez after his side climbed four points clear of the relegation zone. “He lifted the crowd, they can appreciate his energy and dynamism and if he carries on like that I’m sure they will enjoy watching him. I think he will get better.”
Huddersfield, who remain bottom of the table, were rendered superfluous to the contest once Smith earned a straight red card for an ankle-high lunge at Almiron. The protests from the right-back and his team-mates were vociferous, but the sanction issued by Kevin Friend was justified.
The frame of the goal had already come to their rescue, twice in a matter of seconds as the visitors were cut apart by a six-man move from the edge of the Newcastle area, only for Almiron, put clean through by Isaac Hayden, to send a lofted finish against a post, with Rondon achieving a similar outcome when the rebound dropped invitingly.
Lossl twice more denied Almiron, then Rondon sent a diving header wide in first-half stoppage time. He atoned when mopping up to open the scoring 60 seconds after the interval when Christopher Schindler failed to deal with DeAndre Yedlin’s cross.
A single goal was always going to be enough to secure victory, but for good measure Newcastle scored a second, as Yedlin headed Almiron’s cross back into the area for Perez to fire beyond Lossl. Kenedy, with a thunderbolt via the fingertips of Lossl, and Sean Longstaff each struck the bar late on and Almiron received a rapturous send-off when he was substituted nine minutes from the end.
Huddersfield have lost 13 of their past 14 games and still need a point to better Derby County’s lowest-yet Premier League points tally of 11.
Jan Siewert, their head coach, said: “We’ve not won since November, but we will fight for everything for the rest of the season.”