Mike Jackson has admitted that Newcastle United were 'very difficult' to break down after his Burnley side were relegated following a 2-1 defeat against the Magpies at Turf Moor.
Burnley had to match rivals Leeds' result against Brentford on the final day of the season to stay up, but the Clarets ended up shooting themselves in the foot in the first half after Nathan Collins handled the ball inside his own penalty area. Referee Craig Pawson eventually gave a penalty, following a VAR intervention, and Callum Wilson opened the scoring from the spot on 20 minutes.
As Burnley poured forward, and left gaps, it was Wilson who doubled the visitors' advantage with that crucial second goal on the hour mark with a smart first-time finish. Although Burnley did pull one back through Maxwel Cornet, which changed the momentum of the game in an instant, the hosts were unable to find an equaliser to set up a grandstand finish despite Wout Weghorst and Jack Cork both going close.
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Burnley, as a result, were relegated after six seasons in the Premier League and Jackson knew it was always going to be an almighty task for his side on Sunday once the visitors went in front.
"I knew what Newcastle play like and once you give that first goal away, and what's at stake, they make it very difficult in terms of trying to break them down," Burnley's interim boss told reporters. "The back four doesn't move a lot, it doesn't come out of its shape. They're away from home as well so it was difficult to try and break into that with what was happening."
These Newcastle players may have once crumbled in the opening stages, when Burnley supporters created a hostile atmosphere, or after Cornet pulled a goal back, but the Magpies have become a steelier outfit under Howe. Although Newcastle only kept one clean sheet and conceded 43 goals in their opening 22 league games, the black-and-whites went on to keep seven shutouts and let in just 19 goals in the final months of the campaign.
Those improvements off the ball have been crucial to Newcastle's turnaround under Eddie Howe, and an 11th-placed finish, but there were no overzealous celebrations in front of the away end as players and staff briefly saluted the travelling support after the game. In fact, Newcastle players showed their class on the pitch at full-time, whether it was Jamaal Lascelles consoling fellow captain James Tarkowski; Kieran Trippier hugging Aaron Lennon; or Dan Burn going over to Jackson to shake his hand.
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