What £90m Newcastle United duo did immediately after the Magpies pecked the Tigers
Newcastle United head into the three-week break with a spring in their step after beating Hull City 2-1 at St James’ Park.
It was exciting, nerve-wracking and everything in between - but Newcastle United just about got over the line. Here are your five key takeaways after the Magpies earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Hull City.
Pecked by the Magpies!
There was understandable apprehension ahead of kick-off. Admittedly, The Gazette press pack were not too confident either.
Hull arrived on Tyneside unbeaten and as the Premier League surprise packages. By contrast, a whalloping at Elland Road and mounting injury crisis evoked fear in Toon circles.
For 45 minutes, Newcastle were in cruise control. The second half was anything but.
Was St James’ Park really going to have to bear that childish chant from up in the Leazes? Ultimately, the Magpies pecked the Tigers - but not without raising heart rates and temperature levels around the city.
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By hook or by hook
It truly was a tale of two halves. Newcastle blew the visitors away in the opening 45 minutes and the game should have been wrapped up by the interval.
However, Hull proved exactly why they entered the contest undefeated. They looked twice the size of the Magpies physically in the second period.
Newcastle were forced to showcase different attributes to their game: grit, resilience and a willingness to dig in. Jaissle's troops had just enough today. By hook or by crook, they needed these three points.
Most Toon fans would have taken two wins, two draws and a loss - plus two Carabao Cup victories - before a ball was kicked this season. Clearing up the treatment and kicking on after the international hiatus must now be the priority.
Yoane Wissa evokes Joelinton
Newcastle have a track record of turning misfiring No.9s into midfielders. Step aside Joelinton, Yoane Wissa is in town.
Jacob Ramsey and Nico Gonzalez ruled out with Lewis Miley at right-back forced Jaissle to get creative. While the system was fluid, Wissa spent large spells of the game in a central midfield role, carrying the ball forward when possible.
He will be disappointed to fluff his lines from the spot on the stroke of half-time. Perhaps that proved the point that he could be better served in the engine room…
Lewis Hall shows England class
There were many standout performers for Newcastle today. Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes and, penalty miss aside, Wissa all deserve plaudits. However, none provide the class and composure of Lewis Hall.
Like Bruno Guimaraes previously, he is now the one Newcastle players turn to when needing to keep the ball. His defensive work has improved tenfold from the lightweight 18-year-old who first arrived on Tyneside with potential.
Hall is the man about town right now - and rightly so. The last 10 days has seen him sign a new contract and earn an England recall. He signed that off with a first goal of the season in black-and-white stripes.
Tino Livramento… hindrance?
If Amar Dedic’s setback was not enough, Matthias Jaissle faced further injury misery before kick-off when Tino Livramento picked up a fresh blow. He was not involved in the matchday squad - an all too familiar tale for Newcastle.
He missed most of pre-season due to an injury on the eve of the World Cup. And just 24 hours after an England recall, Livramento is sidelined again.
This is not necessarily his fault. The 23-year-old will be hurting as much as anyone. But after nine injuries in three years at St James’ Park, his record begins to become a hindrance for the Magpies.
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