Newcastle 3-0 Cardiff: Schar inspires NUFC to monumental win at St James' Park
It wasn't a classic but I couldn't care less. What a monumental win that could prove to be come the end of the season.
We came into this one without hope on so many levels, but the performance was EXACTLY what we were in need of, giving us a much needed victory at home - and a massive three points over our relegation rivals, taking us out of the relegation zone as a result.
Cardiff were poor and failed to get anything going (I don't think Dubravka made a single save?), but we did our jobs; something we've rarely done at St James' Park so far this season.
Schar was the standout player - scoring twice defending superb too - but there were so many superb displays all over the pitch today. Rondon was invaluable up top, with his hold up play giving us a pivotal platform to build on, Perez was in the mood and deserved a goal, Longstaff and Hayden bosses the midfield battle and Yedlin gave us a great outlet going forward - with Lascelles and Lejeune not putting a foot wrong defensively.
Here's how the table looks after today's results:
Elsewhere, a win for Southampton and a good point on the road for Burnley weren't exactly the results we were hoping for, but that only emphasises what a vital victory this was for us today. It's worth mentioning that Palace's loss at Liverpool puts them just 1 point ahead of us now, so there's several teams in the mix - and we've got a good lead over the likes of Huddersfield (10 pts) and Fulham (7 points) now.
Next up we'll face Watford in the FA Cup a week today, followed by yet another home game against the champions, Man City:
- Watford (H) *FA Cup*
- Man City (H)
- Tottenham (A)
- Wolves (A)
- Huddersfield (H)
A huge win for the team and one that was thoroughly deserved.
There's a long way to go and tougher challenges await, but today could be the turning point in what has been a dismal season so far at St James' Park.
HWTL!
