Newcastle 4-3 Nottingham Forest
by Roger Domeneghetti
at St. James' Park

A BRACE from Alexander Isak and goals from Jacob Murphy and Lewis Miley saw Newcastle grab three points that left them sitting outside the top four on goal difference today.

However, they were clinging on at the end. This was Schrodinger’s Newcastle, a team both good and bad; one capable of muscular tenacity and debilitating passivity. One capable of scything through the opposition and gifting them goals.

They were behind after just six minutes, Murphy gifting the ball to Callum Hudson-Odoi, who ran into space, took an early shot and beat Nick Pope’s low to his right. 

It was against the run of play, and 17 minutes later, they were level, Lewis Miley shooting low across Matz Sels. Dan Burn picked the ball out of the net, jog-sprinted to the halfway line, placing it purposefully on the centre circle. The message was clear: “right, lads, let’s not let this slip again.”

It was a reset and in a blistering 11-minute spell, they bullied Forest into submission finding themselves 4-1 to the good thanks, in part at least to a dose of luck.

First, Murphy atoned for his error, bundling home after good work from Lewis Hall’s down the right. Then an Ola Aina handball gifted a Newcastle penalty. Isak stepped up to the spot, his dink again just getting the better of Sels. He grabbed his second three minutes later, tucking home Joe Willock’s cross.

Despite the scoreline, there was a nagging feeling at the break that Forest were not done. It didn’t help that Newcastle were passive after the re-start, perhaps thinking the game was done, perhaps with an eye on the imminent League Cup final. 

Forest grabbed a deserved second through Nikola Milenkovic with 27 minutes to go. Game on. Pressure continued to build, and Ryan Yates grabbed a third in the 90th minute, but it was too little too late.