Aha, Louise Taylor’s match report is here:
Meaning we’re finished. Thanks for your company, enjoy the rest of the weekend, and go in peace.
It wasn’t that long ago Eddie Howe’s job looked in danger. But his side now have a Cup final to anticipate, as well as an FA Cup fifth-round tie at home to Brighton and next season’s Champions League well within reach. Any success and his job will be safe for at least another season.
We’re about to kick off at the Etihad.
“And then suddenly they sacked me…” Really, Julen?
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Next for today’s teams: Newcastle visit Liverpool while Forest host Arsenal, both on Wednesday night, the gap between them three points; then, after both play in the Cup, it’s City away for Forest and West Ham away for Newcastle. I kind of fancy the latter to finish above the former.
The Fordshire derby went with Watford…
“For all their success so far this season,” writes Hasan, “one of Forest’s starkest vulnerabilities is that when they lose they tend to lose royally. It’s a very thin silver lining to see them put up a fight this time round but the spirit of Cloughie would remind me that good defences win titles, not silver linings (presumably before clipping me around the earhole).”
Only if you invaded the pitch. But otherwise, Forest are doing brilliantly; top four this term, title next.
Isak tells Sky it was a brilliant first half but Newcastle dropped a bit second half and conceded four goals, something they’ll have to work on. On his open, he’d made up his mind to go central and the goalie hung on a long time, but he might’ve left his line and it’s a big win.
City v Liverpool will soon be upon us. Join Rob Smyth for the best of the buildup:
It’s a funny thing, really: Newcastle went behind, punished their opponents’ effrontery by four in 12 minutes and willl, you’d assume, now be enjoying a major going-over from their manager. Rightly so, too: they weren’t at it second half and were nearly made to pay.
How the table looks:
FULL TIME: Newcastle United 4-3 Nottingham Forest
Newcastle hang on.
90+4 min Liveramento humps clear, Wilson is away … but he’s not got the pace to escape Murillo, who blocks him and his shot.
90+3 min Ball in behind the Newcastle defence down the left, Livaramento clears before Elanga can do anything.
90+2 min Ball down the line for Gibbs-White, he digs out a cross fort Yates, and the header goes over, but did Gordon shove him? He did, but only because he too was shoved, by Aina, and Newcastle will take the goalkick. What a strange game this has been; what a strange game this is.
GOAL! Newcastle United 4-3 Nottingham Forest (Yates 90)
Goodness me! The corner is poor but Newcastle can’t clear at the front post, Wood has a go at it, Schar blocks, and Yates rams home a livener! Three minutes of added time for Forest to force an equaliser! What on earth are Newcastle playing at!
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90 min A swirling cross from I don’t see who, turned over the bar by Pope.
89 min Andy Hinchcliffe gives Hall player of the match and that’s a solid call. He might’ve gone for Miley, whose goal on comeback changed the game, but the other Lewis earned it too.
87 min Forest win a free-kick out on the right and Murillo, after shaping to cross, instead snaps it down the line for Hudson-Odoi, who spirits a delectable ball into the middle, on the run, and there’s no one on their toes able to poke, nudge or bundle home.
87 min Change for Newcastle, Wilson replacing Isak, who hasn’t been at his best, but whose movement has been very good.
85 min Aina has loads of time out on the right, shaping to cross before nipping inside the now-committed Hall and coaxing into the middle for Milenkovic! But peeling away to get head behind ball, he can only send an effort just wide of the far post. Phew! Newcastle are making hard work of this; Forest are making them make hard work of this.
83 min “After another poor weekend for Arsenal and Isak showing his brilliance again, what sort of price do you think he could command now? Let’s assume that the £200m for Neymar is sovereign state wealth and the £105m for Declan Rice was the very bottom rung of the scale, would Arsenal be able or willing to pay, say £150m? Would the returns in terms of trophies (unguaranteed) be worth it? Shirt sales (equally unguaranteed)? Attendance – high anyway? Hard to swallow, but the pelters if nothing happens will be severe. And the alternatives don’t look anything like as persuasive.”
Any transfer that succeeds is worth the money the buying club is lucky enough to pay. But would Isak even want Arsenal? The current team is nearing the end of a cycle, perhaps on the way down more than the way up,
80 min Forest have shown decent bottle in keeping Newcastle under pressure this half; they’re a very impressive outfit, but with Arsenal visiting the City Ground in midweek, they’ve work to do to avoid losing a third match on the spin, assuming they can’t retrieve this one. As Liverpool are able to confirm, such runs can become difficult to abort, even if, at their genesis, they seemed like nothing to worry about.
79 min The delivery is decent too, but a flick means the ball arrives at Murillo quickly and unexpectedly; he’s unable to control his effort, heading wide.
78 min Elanga robs Livramento, who hangs on to possession far too long, Hudson-Odoi collects, slips a return in behind … and Hall slides into a fine challenge. Get that wrong and it’s a penalty, but instead it’s a corner.
76 min Changes for Forest: Yates for Dominguez and Sangare for Anderson. This looks a physical call rather than a tactical one, Nuno seeking to keep the pressure on Newcastle by swapping tired legs for fresh ones.
76 min Apparently there’s another game on this afternoon. The great Rob Smyth has the buildup.
74 min Hall’s been excellent and when he rides a shove from Gibbs-White then veers inside Aina, Dominguez has seen enough, knocking him over at cost of a booking.
71 min “Gordon ‘s hair is giving me Joey Boswell from Bread vibes,” suggests Jim Hinks. “I’m thinking more the second actor to play Joey Boswell rather than the first, although my memory could be deceiving me.”
Yes!
And what a theme-tune, the song the Beach Boys wish they’d written, that Pet Sounds wishes it owned.
70 min Changes for Newcastle, Barnes and Tonali replacing Willock and Murphy. That makes sense: Howe will want his team to show greater energy and calmness.
68 min Since the break, Isak has touched the ball four times; in the first, he had 22 in the Forest half. Meantime, Forest have a free-kick which they’ll pump into the box, and when they do, Burns’ header reaches Anderson, whose shot hits Miely’s hand, but from too close for the ref to perceive a penalty; Gibbs-White isn’t happy and nor is Nuno, but this isn’t comparable to the Aina one.
66 min Can Newcastle rediscover their first-half intensity? I’m absolutely certain the thing they’ll have had drummed into them at half-time was not to sit off, the perils of so doing made clear. But here we are, and if Forest score next, who knows how this might end?
65 min Good work from Wood, dropping off to feed Elanga, who bounces into the box, but Burn slides in and pulls off a superbly-timed recovery-challenge.
GOAL! Newcastle United 4-2 Nottingham Forest (Milenkovic 64)
Well! Anderson, warmly applauded as he goes to take the corner, swings out towards the back post, Wood does well to forces back into the middle, and Milenkovic adjusts feet and body well to hook in from an awkward height. That was coming, and might this not yet be over?
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62 min I wonder if we might see Sandro Tonali soon – Nerwcastle could use his composure on the ball. Meantime, Forest have a corner…
61 min By way of comparison:
59 min We see this a lot, I guess: a game is finished by half-time, so the second period is sleepy. And that’s what this is, Forest huffing and puffing, Newcastle doing as little at they can.
57 min “Gordon’s Beehive,” begins Dan Christmas. “Surely he went in to the barbers with a picture of Princess Di circa 1992.”
I was thinking more Brigitte Nielsen.
56 min Forest have improved but Newcastle are too relaxed, Elanga finding space to cross and narrowly missing the men in the middle.
55 min A lax first touch from Livramento means he’s now tanking into a 50/50 with Dominguez, missing ball but not man; he’s booked.
54 min What a chance for Forest! Gibbs-White hangs up a cross to the back post, Williams is up well and way above Murphy to knock back across, and Elanga is there … but opting for a leaping shot, not a header, he skews the ball sideways from in front of the net, keeper naewhere.
52 min Willock beats Anderson, who scythes through him and is booked – though, given the ball had broken to Gordon, the ref might’ve played advantage.
51 min In comms, they’re discussing how well Hall’s played, and they’re right – he gives Newcastle balance, as well as aggression at both ends of the pitch. With Livramento looking a lock for the right, Eddie Howe’s men are well-served at full-back and could be for a decade.
49 min …and it picks out Schar, somehow left unattended inside the box; he loops a header that cannons the far post, just below the angle, and once more that is very poor defending from Forest.
49 min Newcastle win a corner down the right…
47 min “The combo of possession loss and goalie out of position was League 2 level defending by Toon,” says Mark Turner of Forest’s goal, which seems a while ago now. '“But don’t take it away from Hudson-Odoi, that was a top class finish from a lightning-fast thinker. Forest bought him for peanuts, got him back to form and confidence, he’ll go back to a London club with an extra zero on the price.”
A few years ago I was on a train and an agent-type was loudly advising whoever he was talking at that “Jadon” was further along than “Callum”, but “Callum” was by the far the bigger talent. I hate to admit it, but he was right.
46 min I doubt Nuno was all that pleased with his charges, who got a little silly after going behind. Well though Newcastle played, it shouldn’t have been as easy as it was for them to find spaces to attack.
46 min We go again…
Half-time email: “I stepped away from the screen for 15 minutes with Forest one-nil up,” admits Kári Tulinius. “When I got back I thought the score-counter was glitching. Lesson learned: never stop watching football.”
I hope this confession lightens your guilt. Bless you my son.
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Half-time entertainment:
HALF-TIME: Newcastle United 4-1 Nottingham Forest
Not that long ago, Forest were in front; now they’re hoping to avoid a humiliation.
45+7 min “Is there a stat to show the percentage of favourable refereeing decisions that were made by the St James’ Park crowd?” wonders Tom Gould.
I dunno – obviously the foul on Gordon was harsh, but there was a lot to do for Newcastle to score from there. They’ve blown Forest away, I’m afraid, and it isn’t the ref’s fault.
45+5 min Newcastle are still going for more goals, Willock skirting around the outside of the Forest defence and cutting back; Isak then takes a terrific first touch that looks heavy but in fact takes him away from the defender and towards goal, his eventuating shot blocked behind for a corner … which comes to nowt.
45+5 min Can someone please confirm that Murillo’s dressing-room nickname is Raquel; I’ll also accept Lisboa.
45+4 min Pope gives it away, a poor kick intercepted by a stretching Gibbs-White, who finds Hudson-Odoi, collects a return, and drills low … but too close to the keeper.
45+2 min Forest win a couple of corners, wanting a penalty from the first when the ball is whammed into Willock’s midriff; the second comes to nowt, then Milenkovic is booked for leaping into Guimaraes, arm out.
45+1 min We’ll have seven additional minutes.
45 min Another error from Aina, who’s having one – well done me – sees Gordon take the ball and fire into Murillo’s arm, but he was way too close for the ref to appraise a penalty.
44 min “Toon better attacking than defending,” reckons Mark Turner. “Forest haven’t been bad, Toon have been brilliant.”
Erm, I’d go with a bit of both. In general play Forest have been OK, but I didn’t like the defending for the first Newcastle goal, and obviously Aina’s error for the penalty was poor. But the home side have been relentless going forward and Isak is a complete menace.
42 min We’ve been made to wait – events, and all that – but we finally see a replay of the foul Aina conceded that led to Newcastle’s first goal. There’s definitely no contact, so we can assume Gordon, who went down shrieking, was looking to buy one; I guess we might say the defender’s foot was high with his studs bared, but I’m reaching.
41 min You’ve got to credit Newcastle’s intensity – if we consider their fourth goal, for example, they were leading by two yet Pope still acted quickly to initiate a counter and, as I type, they force another corner that Forest clear.
39 min “Let’s get physical,” begins Rick Harris, ingratiating himself by quoting my favourite Dua Lipa tun. “Big chance for Forest to leapfrog Arsenal in the race for second place. Not sure I agree that Newcastle are the most physical side in the PL though, I mean they were pretty cuddly against City last time out. Everton would be my pick as top bruisers.”
It’s not just about bruising, I don’t think, but about physical power and hard running. Everton might kick more, but they don’t seem more exhausting to face.
37 min We know Isak has a beautiful touch, and that he can do the really, really difficult stuff. And that’s working for him today, of course, but what’s facilitating it is the desire to run in behind and the intelligence to do so at the right time. Rasmus Hojlund, who cost about the same money, would do well to take heed.
GOAL! Newcastle United 4-1 Nottingham Forest (Isak 35)
Oh my days! Four goals in 12 minutes! Pope rolls out, Hall finds Willock down the left, and he gambols away before sliding a pass in behind for Isak, whose willing movement is exceptional. Sels has no choice but to come up, the finish takes a nick off Murilo, seeking to block, vaulting over the keeper and in! An incredible response from Newcastle.
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GOAL! Newcastle United 3-1 Nottingham Forest (Isak pen 32)
Isak strides backwards, runs up, stutters, looks to pass down the middle and into the roof, and somehow Sels, who doesn’t dive, can’t quite leap high enough and fast enough to claw it out. Isak is a lucky boy, but he scored because he didn’t dink, he punched. Long way back for Forest now.
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32 min Isak has the ball, grinning to himself like a man who knows. But does he?!
30 min PENALTY TO NEWCASTLE!
Aina’s arm is up, he turns into the ball, and though I don’t want a team to get an 80% chance of a goal for this infringement, these are the laws. Nuno doesn’t look happy but I do’t know what the counter-argument even looks like.
28 min Isak lays back to Hall, who crosses, and Aina leaps to block, turning body into ball, playground-style; it hits him on the arm, and there are appeals for a penalty. The ref says no but VAR wants a look and I don’t see how this won’t be given; I don’t see how it wasn’t given to begin with.
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GOAL! Newcastle United 2-1 Nottingham Forest (Murphy 25)
Redemption for Jacob Murphy! Newcastle have responded superbly to going behind and this time the impetus comes from Isak, who runs the channel then, when the ball comes to him facing the touchline, a cunning backheel into Gordon’s burst has Forest facing their own goal. The cross isn’t great, but a block takes it past Sels and, at the back post, Murphy runs it in, finishing on the crouch with his chest, just about keeping his arm out of the road. Two in two-and-a-half minutes for Newcastle!
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GOAL! Newcastle United 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Miley 23)
The free-kick goes to the back post and Guimaraes might head for goal. But instead he goes across, a poor decision, only for Murphy to regain possession down the left – he’ll feel much better for that – before setting back for Hall to sweep a pass into the box, Miley’s excellent first touch creating space for him to swivel and direct a fine finish across Sels and into the far corner.
22 min Newcastle win a free-kick out on the left for an iffy foul on Gordon…
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21 min In co-comms, Any Hinchcliffe wondered if Livramento gave the cross too much, but much softer and Gordon slides past it, or has to do something when he arrives at the ball; the way it was delivered to him, any touch and it’s a goal.
19 min Good work from Livramento down the right, running into the channel to open the crossing lane. The feed from Schar duly arrives, he punches into the corridor, and here come Gordon at the far post, sliding in … but the ball passes under his outstretched leg. That was a good chance.
18 min Off the ball, Forest look to be settling into a 4-1-4-1; it’s so satisfying to see how comfortable they are, and how naturally they do what they’re meant to be doing.
16 min It’s all Newcastle and Isak, down the left of the box, looks to dink a cross into the middle, but Forest have men there to clear, then Murphy sends the ball into touch.
15 min On which point I’ve been so impressed with Aina this season and last, a one-man right-flank and a threat going forward. I can’t think of too many better in the league.
14 min More Newcastle pressure, then Gordon runs away from Elanga and at Aina, the defender stands his ground to challenge well.
12 min Newcastle have responded well and when Miley feeds the presumably guilt-stricken Murphy, his cross has too much on it for Isak.
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10 min “Corners flat to the near post are in danger of failing to ‘beat the first man’,” writes Andy Flintoff, “which, as we all know is a waste (honest).”
Sure, but all corners come with risk. I just think flat to the near post is not too difficult to execute and almost impossible to defend when done well
8 min Newcastle have lost their last two league games, and will know that momentum is hard to gain but easy to lose. Big 82 minutes coming up.
GOAL! Newcastle United 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Hudson-Odoi 7)
A poor throw from Livramento, back to Murphy 35 yards from goal, and he dithers so is robbed by Hudson-Odoi who, with men over to his right, opts not to use either, instead using Burn as a screen to whip a surprise-finish inside the near post with the keeper expecting one to the far.
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6 min Murphy sends the ball away from Anderson, who hands him off and does well to escape a booking.
6 min Gordon’s hear, by the way: at the tricky in-between stage.
5 min …and it goes short, then back to Gordon, now in plenty of space and nearer the box, but his cross is miserable, floating over the bar.
4 min Newcastle win another corner, this time down the right…
3 min The corner is a goodun, flat to the near post – I’ve no idea why that went out of the game and am delighted it’s back – and a defender gets the flick, but there’s no one in the middle to nod home.
2 min Nice from Newcastle, Gordon into Isak and, on the half-turn and on the stretch, he allows the ball to run off him, feeding Lewis down the left; his cross is blocked behind.
1 min Newcastle, of course, have the League Cup final coming up, so players will, understandably, want to be fit for that. I daresay Eddie Howe reminded them during the week that if they don’t put it in, it won’t matter how fit they are because they’ll be sat at the side.
1 min Away we go!
Our teams are tunnelled … and here they come!
“Oh Isak...” begins James Walton. “What a wicked game he plays, to make Arsenal dream of him...”
Newcastle did so well to get him and Bruno so early into their state-wealth epoch. If he keeps hitting numbers, he can be one of the best in the world, so Newcastle will need to improve alongside if they’re to have a chance of keeping him.
“A bit disappointed that you didn’t extend the Chris Isaak pun to it being a potentially wicked game coming up,” chides Kris Kuenssler-Mc Ilwain.
I love the extended mixes of 80s pop tunes.
“It refused to leave the milk crate at one point,” returns Chris Paraskevas. “This thing has been rampant for months and I finally cornered it in the thunderbox ... didn’t have any rat traps though, so tried to shepherd it back to the garden. Do I need this in my life on top of Jarred Gillett being referee?”
When I lived in a block of flats, our neighbours had rat, one died, and all of a sudden we had these hunky chunky flies in our bathroom. So I sprayed some spray before bed then, in the morning, it’s like the Somme in there.
Eddie Howe tells Sky that it was a tough call restoring Nick Pope in net, but here we are. Otherwise, it’s been a long week after last weekend’s gubbing – the team have had to re-emphasise their non-negotiables as nothing survived that beating. He knows Forest are good and good away, so there’s pressure, but this is also a chance.
Forest, on the other hand, will sit deep, Anderson and Dominguez protecting Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, with Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White and Hudson-Odoi primed to counter and seek high turnovers. They’ll target any space left by Newcastle’s flying full-backs and will, I imagine, fancy getting one-on-one with Dan Burn and Fabian Schar if at all possible.
So where is the game? Newcastle will, as anyone would, look to get Chris Alexander Isak into the game. He’s that modern rarity, a complete centre-forward able to come short or run in behind, and I also expect Livramento and Lewis Hall to supply width so that Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon can attack the box, with Joe Willock crashing it. That should be plenty of Forest to be getting on with, all the more so given Bruno Guimaraes will be scheming.
Email! “My buildup to the 1am kick-off was going smoothly (even found a weird zen and was genuinely looking forward to this Premier League ‘cracker’)” begins Chris Paraskevas, “until I heard a large *thud* on the back porch. I’ve spent the last 1.5 hours chasing a bush rat around the house, trying to lure it out with sliced cheese. All I wanted was my durry, a can of Pasito and blissful ignorance of our biennial Cup Final doom spiral. Bad omens all around.”
Photos or it didn’t happen.
What could possibly go wrong?
Also going on…
Daniel Sturridge isn’t staying long. He won’t feel the benefit!
Today is a big day for Elliot Anderson, a local boy and lifelong fan reluctantly sold by Newcastle to satisfy PSR – say, real nice sport we’ve got here – now excelling at Forest. I’ve really enjoyed his work this season – he’s a proper midfielder in that he plays in the middle of the field with none of your attacking and defensive prefixes excuses. It’ll never catch on.
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As for Forest, Danilo is, as discussed, on the bench after going off in last weekend’s defeat at Fulham, with Callum Hudson-Odoi coming in, while Nicolas Dominguez replaces Morato, the defender surplus to requirements given the change of system.
Eddie Howe makes three changes to the team clattered at Manchester City last weekend. In net, Nick Pope is granted a first start since the start of December, replacing Martin Dubravka, while Kieran Tripper and Sandro Tonali – the latter having not trained this week – drop to the bench, Tino Livramento in for the former and Lewis Miley, making his first start of the season, the latter.
But before that, here’s Nuno. They decided it wasn’t “the right moment” for Danilo to return from injury – he needs more time. Otherwise, the Premier League is difficult and Newcastle are good; you always need to look at what your opponent brings to the table and set up accordingly, hence the change from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1. He’s hoping for another Chris Wood hat-trick, as happened in this fixture last season.
I’ll write these down, then we’ll wonder what they might mean.
Teams!
Newcastle United (4-3-3): Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Miley, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Gordon. Subs: Dubravka, Trippier, Tonali, Wilson, Barnes, Targett, Krafth, Osula, Longstaff.
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood. Subs: Hennessey, Morato, Sangare, Awoniyi, Toffolo, Moreno, Silva, Yates, Sosa.
Referee: Jared Gillett (Gold Coast, Australia)
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Preamble
The standard of technical ability among footballers has never been higher: the defenders have feet, the destroyers have feet and goodness us, even some of the keepers have feet. It’s not a small but disconcerting.
Consequently, we’re seeing a change in how the game operates, and the two sides we’ll enjoy this afternoon are fine examples of it. There is, perhaps, no team in the country more physical than Newcastle – especially at home. They may play well, they may play badly; they may win, they may lose; but no side takes anything away from St James’ Park without enduring intense pain and suffering.
Forest, meanwhile, are enjoying their best season in a generation, success founded on a pair of monstrous centre-backs; a good, honest, old-fashioned, traditional, retro, English number nine, except he’s a New Zealander who wears number 11; and in between them, a midfield of presence and pace, primed to streak forward the moment opportunity presents itself.
And when, to that, you add the touch that is now almost a given, along with the battle for a Champions League spot that would change plenty for both clubs, you have the makings of a very serious scuffle. This should be excellent.
Kick-off: 2pm GMT
