Newcastle's November

After Newcastle's worst start to the season in a few years, what did November look like for the team currently sat 13th in the Premier League at the end of the month?

(Image credits to @nufc on Instagram)

Premier League action 

The month began with an away game at London Stadium, to face West Ham. With Jacob Murphy enabling Newcastle to get a dream start after scoring only 4 minutes in, hopes were high. However, after 35 minutes, West Ham equalised, taking away the lead Newcastle once had. To finish off the first half, the score went 2-1 to the home team following an own goal by Sven Botman, not the first half of the game Newcastle had envisioned.

Despite the early start, the match ultimately slipped away as the away team ended up losing 3-1as West Ham scored again in the 90 +7 minute, sealing the defeat for Newcastle, losing another crucial 3 points.

The following weekend offered little improvement with another 3-1 defeat this time to Brentford.

After taking the lead in the first half, a goal 27 minutes in by Harvey Barnes, it looked to be a promising game for Newcastle.  However, the 2nd half brought disappointment, as in the 56th, 78th and 90+5th minute, Brentford scored, turning the game around in the wrong direction for the away team. To add to the frustration, Daniel Burn got shown a double yellow in the 73rd minute, resulting in Newcastle having to play down to ten players.

Not a great start to the month for the North East team, but their next game against Manchester City finally brought the luck that they desperately needed.

After a tense first half with no goals having been scored. The home team needed a turnaround in the second half. In the 63rd minute, Harvey Barnes put Newcastle in the lead. But this lead was soon lost due to a goal in the 68th minute by Ruben Dias. Hope soon returned to Newcastle, only two minutes after the equaliser, Harvey Barnes secured the win with his second goal of the evening. This was the much-needed bright moment in what was a hard first half of the month.

The final Premier League game of the month continued on a high note. An away game against Everton brought hopefulness for the weeks ahead. 

After only 52 seconds, Malick Thaiw scored an incredible header with a clever assist from Lewis Miley, a great start to the game, exactly what Newcastle needed to keep the spirits high. 25 minutes later, another goal was scored by Lewis Miley to see the black and white army have firm control over the home team. To finish off the first half, Nick Woltemade added another, making sure that their team would go into the second half without high pressure. A clean first half for the leading team saw them go into the second half with a 3-0 lead. 

Starting off the second half as they finished off the first, another goal by Malick Thaiw secured the win for the team. However, the home team would score, there was nothing else they could do to beat the team whose month hadn't started off the way which they had imagined, a determined Newcastle. Full time 4-1, a strong turn around gaining another three points, gaining them another place in the league table. 

Champions League action

The English team are currently sat near the top of the round 16 playoffs zone, only two places away from securing qualification. November brought two Champions League matches offering a valuable 6 points.

The first match of the month was against Athletic Club, a Spanish team. After an early goal by Daniel Burn, this saw Newcastle take the early lead. Exactly the start they desperately needed after a difficult run within the Premier League. They took this lead into the second half of the game, where 4 minutes after the second half kicked off, Joelinton scored again for Newcastle, doubling the advantage they had of the game.

In the 65th minute, Burn was taking off due to injury, however his early goal led Newcastle to have the game they much needed, securing the 3 crucial points.

The final Champions League match of the month for Newcastle was an away match against Marseille, a French team. Another early goal by Harvey Barnes put the visitors ahead and this saw them lead into the break 1-0. Another strong start from Newcastle who needed to keep this up to score more points, keeping them closer to the round of 16th zone. 

However the second half brought disappointment as within 4 minutes Marseille turned the game around, scoring 2 goals, both by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earning him player of the match. 

Not the result Newcastle would've wanted but there were plenty of positives to take away from the performance and into December.

Article written by Skyla Crook