2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Aaron Stokes)
It was a game of two halves as Newcastle United came from a goal down at the break to stun in-form Nottingham Forest in their own backyard. The Premier League's surprise package of the season were on a 13-game unbeaten streak in matches where they had found the net first - but were outplayed by a Magpies side who have started to put a little run of form together themselves. Forest 's vertical counter attack, which has proved devastating at times this term with the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson leading the charge, was on display again on Sunday as Nuno Espirito Santo's side attempted to hit Newcastle on the break throughout.
That particular tactic earned a yellow card for Dan Burn in the opening period and was the obvious setup from the home side as Eddie Howe 's men piled second-half pressure on. However, it was Newcastle who proved most lethal on the counter attack, scoring their second and third goals of the afternoon with quick-flowing moves from one end of the pitch to the other. This, after also ending a barren run of set piece struggles as Alexander Isak scored from an Anthony Gordon corner.
With the game therefore finely-poised at 1-1, Newcastle continued to pile the pressure on and throw bodies forward. Isak almost had a second after a lengthy run from Gordon, which started on the edge of his own area, before Isak sent the ball inches wide of Matz Sels' far post. However, next time the visitors sprung a similarly sweeping move from back to front, it resulted in Sels' picking the ball out of his net again.
Sandro Tonali, brought on in the second-half to change the game, found a deep-lying Isak, who in turn could spread the play to Joelinton. The Brazilian was unfazed by cutting inside and having a dig with his weak foot, curling a beauty into the far corner. The final goal of the afternoon summed up Newcastle's clinical nature perfectly.
Another substitute, Harvey Barnes, flicked the ball around the corner inside his team's own final third - and 12 seconds later he was celebrating with the away fans after scoring beyond Sels at the near post. This was an incisive second-half display from a side who are now starting to not only find their scoring boots once again - but are also keeping their opposition relatively quiet at the other end. "We had work to do at half-time but credit to the players because the second half was up there with our best performances this season," Howe said at full-time.
"Everything we didn't do in the first half we did at the start of the second half. "We were intense and direct with our attacking. We asked more questions and could have scored.
I'm really pleased with the second half." Opposition manager Nuno Espirito Santo was equally as complimentary about Newcastle's 'lethal' attacking exploits, praising Howe's men for their City Ground performance. “It is easy to see we have been punished by the way that we have been punishing other teams.
That is a reflection to be made on the game," Nuno said. “I cannot say it is a bad performance, honestly. “We have to give credit to Newcastle because they are a good team and they were able to control us.
They were able to take advantage of some decisions we made when we were rushing our decisions and they punished us on the counter-attack.".
