Attacking commitment, Joe Willock boost and a unique bond - moments you may have missed from Newcastle United’s victory over Athletic Club

Goals from Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin were enough to secure a 2-1 win for Eddie Howe’s side.

Here, we take a look at some of the moments you may have missed from the clash with Athletic Club:

Bilbao-NUFC partnership

Before the game, Athletic Club’s Iker Munain presented Newcastle United with a flag to symbolise the bond between the two clubs.

The pre-match presentation was followed by a banner unfurled in the East Stand which read ‘Ongi etorri Lehoiak’ which translates to ‘Welcome Lions’.

Athletic Club’s Twitter account also highlighted the bond between the clubs pre-match - one that created a unique atmosphere inside the ground.

Willock influence

Joe Willock was one of Newcastle’s standout performers in the first-half and looked a real threat going forward.

Whether that was linking up nicely with Callum Wilson ahead of him, or by making direct runs with the ball from midfield, the former Arsenal man posed lots of questions for the opposition defence to contend with.

Joelinton on the left of the three played his traditional all-action style whilst Bruno Guimaraes provided the class that we have become accustomed to seeing from the Brazilian.

Willock was used as the more advanced of the trio and had a few half chances to test Ander Iruarrizaga in the Athletic goal as the first-half progressed.

Much like the rest of the team, he had a quiet second period, however, his first-half display certainly did his chances of featuring against Nottingham Forest no harm.

Team display

Friday night’s clash with Atalanta was dominated by individual displays from Elliot Anderson and Ryan Fraser that has certainly given Howe one or two selection headaches ahead of the Nottingham Forest game.

The game with Athletic Club centred a lot more on the team performance with the whole unit, rather than some moments of individual brilliance, the reason for Newcastle’s victory.

Some dogged defensive work, which wasn’t pretty at times, kept their opponents at bay whilst the midfield and attack also worked hard in defence as a collective.

It’s clear that the training camps in Austria and Portugal have helped to make Newcastle a strong team unit and that can only be a benefit ahead of the new season.

Commitment to attack

One of the most positive aspects of Newcastle’s performance on Saturday was their willingness to commit bodies forward in attack. Their opponents were a good team and United were confident enough to commit men forward in search of goals.

What will no doubt please Howe and his coaching staff was also their willingness to regroup and press as a unit when they lost the ball.

To a man Newcastle were always willing to run back and fight for every lost ball which meant that on the occasions they did lose the ball, they were able to cope with a transitioning Bilbao side.

87,452 supporters

An attendance of 46,856 on Saturday means 87,452 people watched the two friendlies against Atalanta and Athletic Club on Friday and Saturday.

Much like the atmosphere on Friday night, St James’s Park was rocking throughout the clash with their Spanish opponents.

The clash with Nottingham Forest next weekend promises to be yet another special affair on Tyneside.