2 good, 1 bad from Newcastle 2-1 Hull

Newcastle United dazzled and ultimately scrapped to a 2-1 win over Hull City on Saturday. 

United started the match in scintillating style, going two nil up in the first seven minutes, which was the perfect tonic after Monday night’s horror show. But, as the game progressed, the lads tired, and with a very young bench (that was ultimately deemed unable to help with the game poised how it was), we had to dig in to survive a relative Hull onslaught in the second half.

The goals came via Joe Willock and Lewis Hall for United and Mohammed Ali-Cho for Hull, with Yoane Wissa missing a penalty. 

Here’s my two good and two bad good from the game:

Good: The first half response

The opening ten minutes were the perfect response to Monday night as the lads pressed and harried Hull in mistakes and were able to cut through their opponents with two incisive moves that saw a comfortable two nil lead established inside ten minutes.

Willock’s strike was a powerful low effort that caught the keeper out at the near post, but it was the Englishman’s lovely little bit of movement inside the defender which gave him the space to finish the chance and he is really enjoying a renaissance to his United career at the start of the campaign.

Hall’s goal was much deserved for an excellent start to the season in which he has been one of United’s best players, and it was a professional finish low and into the far corner.

And United really should’ve been out of sight by half time as they built on the fast start, and when Jacob Murphy won a penalty late in the half, Wissa had the chance to put the cherry on top of what would’ve been a comprehensive first-half display. Unfortunately, the DR Congo international’s penalty was well saved and United went in at the break at 2-0 up, having played well but with the nagging feeling that we should’ve been sitting much prettier.

Bad: Injuries, the bench and the red zone

It has to be a major concern that just seven games into the new season United have nine first team injuries, with probably five of them having a more than decent chance of being regular starters, and it showed on Saturday as with the team tiring, particularly Willock who looked gassed after an hour, and Pardo (who had been a pressing monster throughout) went down with cramp.

Both really needed to come off but it was Sean Steur's knock that really set the team back as Jaissle felt he couldn’t call on the youngsters on the bench. As a result, shoehorning Schar into a back five affected us to such a degree that we conceded pretty much immediately even though Hull hadn’t really threatened.

To be fair to the physiotherapy department, this part of the season is often called the “red zone” for simply being the part of the season in which the most injuries happen for the fact that the load on players goes from basically zero to one hundred in a matter of weeks but with a brand new three week international break upcoming we should see some players return over the period which will strengthen the bench (and the starting eleven) notably.

But the weakened bench, for me, played a huge part in the game devolving into a scrap second half from a United point of view especially when Hull’s subs made such an impact on the game.

Good: Scrapping for everything

And so that second half became a bit of a scrap with United facing 22 shots across the game and Hull having 36 touches in our box, but apart from their goal and a huge chance for Tim Iroegbunam who sent a half-volley over the bar from inside our penalty box late in the second half, United fought and scrapped to a huge result.

After Monday’s capitulation it was an ideal tonic to see the lads fight as hard as they did to hold onto the result and it showed the character in this young squad after what must’ve been a chastened dressing following the Leeds game.

Eight points from five league games with all the upheaval of the summer is a great return and if, as we hope, this is a baseline and United improve as the season progresses, then the lads have really set themselves up to have a decent season.

United are currently taking 1.6 points a game which if maintained sets us up for a 60-point season. This, more often than not, gets you Europa League football and that would be a hell of a return for a young squad. And in twelve months, they'll be much better suited to Premier League football, English football in general, and the demands of an increased schedule.

Keep the faith. HWTL