Newcastle 1-0 Southampton
by Roger Domeneghetti
at St James’ Park

THIS was not a game for the ages, but it is one in which, even at this early stage, both teams laid down a marker. St James’ Park will once again be a formidable venue, Newcastle a team that will be hard to beat. Southampton are not here to make up the numbers.

Perhaps surprisingly, the visitors dominated the early knockings. They were sharp, first to the ball, moving smoothly like a well-oiled machine and they had the ball in the net early on, only for Jack Stephens to be quickly flagged offside. By contrast Newcastle looked sluggish, the home crowd uncharacteristically quiet.

The first key moment of the game came on the 30-minute mark. Ben Brereton-Diaz shoved Fabian Schar to the floor, for which he ultimately received a booking. Had Schar stayed down, I doubt I’d be writing about the incident. Yet he got up and, after a glancing clash of heads which saw Brereton-Diaz theatrically fall to the ground clutching his face, received his marching orders.

It’s certainly a red card that will be filed away in the drawer marked “soft;” Brereton-Diaz not so much making a meal of the incident as serving up an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Yet there is no denying that Schar clearly jerked his head towards his opponent. Contact might have been minimal but contact there was. It was rash, it was unprofessional, and it gave referee Craig Pawson little choice. Schar lingered, protesting his innocence, as did his teammates, but VAR rubber stamped the decision.

Suddenly, with the numerical advantage adding to their dominance to that point, Southampton had a real opportunity for a valuable, if surprising, win. Yet, the sense of injustice, albeit somewhat misplaced, galvanised the home fans and home players. They made a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time.

Stephens thwarted a rare Newcastle attack and passed back to Alex McCarthy. The keeper, under no pressure, played a loose short pass to, well, no-one really. Alexander Isak nipped in, and squared to Joelinton, who made no mistake.

The second half was more of the same. Southampton ended the game with nearly 78 per cent of possession and had 19 shots to Newcastle’s three, but the hosts defended as if their lives depended on it.

The result was harsh on Southampton, but there were positives, and a clear lesson to learn: at this level, mistakes will be punished; chances must be taken.