Steve Bruce was perhaps tempting fate when he used his column in the match programme to discuss the “green shoots” of recovery he had recently detected at St James’ Park.
Admittedly Newcastle appear to have improved considerably in the past week but they were starting from a very low base. Accordingly Bruce’s defence still found a Crystal Palace side expertly tutored in the art of counterattacking by Roy Hodgson far too streetwise at this delicate, distinctly, nervy stage of their transition from a deep-sitting back five to a slightly higher-pressing back four.
“We certainly didn’t deserve to get beat,” said the defiant Newcastle manager, aware his position remains under intense scrutiny. “But we’ve got to be more clinical and take our chances.”
Bruce’s new-look diamond formation served his players well as they ended a lengthy winless run at Everton on Saturday and they began here by passing and moving with almost unprecedented fluency. Apparently caught cold, Palace appeared a little dazzled by this home renaissance and initially struggled to recover after falling behind in the second minute.
That opener, a sumptuous half-volley unleashed from outside the area by Jonjo Shelvey, appeared emblematic of Bruce’s bold new attacking blueprint. Created by a combination of Ryan Fraser’s pass, Miguel Almirón’s flick and Callum Wilson’s cushioned header into Shelvey’s path, it was sufficient to, momentarily at least, leave the most sceptical Newcastle fans dreaming of a bright new sunrise.
There have been far too many false dawns on Tyneside in recent years and a reminder that both the home team’s confidence and defence remain horribly fragile came as reality intruded and Hodgson’s side scored twice in swift succession. First Jaïro Riedewald pounced on a clearance 25 yards out and lashed an unstoppable left-foot shot goalwards. Assisted by a slight deflection off Ciaran Clark, the ball flew into the roof of the net, leaving a wrong-footed Karl Darlow helpless.
Newcastle have long been vulnerable to set pieces and an audaciously whipped in free-kick delivered impeccably by Eberechi Eze resulted in Gary Cahill thoroughly deflating their early optimism by powering a header beyond Darlow. Cahill’s supposed marker, Fabian Schär was all too easily lost by the scorer.
Although Wilfried Zaha subsequently had a “goal” ruled out for offside, Newcastle refused to fold and, highlighting a few visiting defensive deficiencies, mustered some attacking moments of their own. Almirón hit the bar while Fraser, Schär and Wilson – who played very cleverly – all came extremely close to scoring.
Yet if Bruce was heartened by this response he must also have been painfully aware of his team’s susceptibility to coming undone on the counterattack. And particularly when those rapid breaks stemmed from the fallout following Newcastle corners.
Big on wind chill and icy sleet, this bitterest and rawest of north-east February nights was not for the faint-hearted and when, early in the second half, Zaha hobbled off with hamstring trouble Palace went into defensive mode.
By then Allan Saint-Maximin, a winger as important to Bruce as Zaha and Eze are to Hodgson, continued his comeback from two months sidelined by coronavirus by once again stepping off the bench to electrifying effect.
Saint-Maximin petrified Palace, quickly conjuring a glorious chance for Wilson snuffed out thanks to Nathaniel Clyne’s wonderful last-gasp tackle. Similarly Scott Dann – like Clyne at fault for Shelvey’s goal – made a fabulous block to deny Saint-Maximin.
“The players dug in extremely well,” said Hodgson. “The work rate throughout the team was tremendous. They put their bodies on the line.”
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