Newcastle make ‘big step forward’ for ‘fed up’ Howe

Fans at Newcastle United were unable to believe it.

“How bad must you be?” At Hill Dickinson Stadium, they roared. “We’re winning,” yelled the president!

The visitors had been anticipating this 4-1 victory over Everton for a while.

In the previous seven months, the Geordies had traveled to Aston Villa twice, Brighton twice, Arsenal, Leeds, Bournemouth, West Ham, and Brentford without achieving a single victory.

After bruising defeats at the Gtech Community Stadium and the London Stadium earlier this month, Howe and his players almost sheepishly made their way over to the away end at full-time.

However, this time, Howe celebrated his 48th birthday with a loud roar as he won.

Finally, this side had discovered a treatment for their Premier League travel sickness.

After the midweek defeat in Marseille, Howe’s big calls came to an end on an evening.

Rare starts were made for Aaron Ramsdale, Lewis Miley, and Anthony Elanga, and regulars Lewis Hall, Joelinton, Nick Woltemade, all received recalls.

One day after the Newcastle head coach insisted he had “no favorites,” Fabian Schar, Sandro Tonali, Jacob Murphy, and Anthony Gordon, who have all been significant players for Howe, were left on the bench as a result.

The visitors experienced the benefit of rotating rather than the six changes causing a disruption to the side, as they ultimately did at West Ham earlier this month when Newcastle looked strangely lethargic.

It is not surprising that Newcastle have gained new dimensions down the flanks thanks to Hall’s recent recovery from injury and fellow full-back Tino Livramento.

Miley, on the other hand, delivered a goal and an assist against Everton, marking Elanga’s best-performing goal and assist since joining Nottingham Forest for £55 million last summer.

Everton struggled with Newcastle’s physicality on a night when Joelinton battled away in the middle of the park, and Woltemade scored a delightful lob to make it 3-0.

After the under-fire Nick Pope missed out with a groin injury, Ramsdale’s goalkeeper brought a calmness to the field and Newcastle used the ball much more effectively, completing 88% of their passes.

However, both the mindset and the personnel changed.

Elanga won a corner shortly after the kick-off, and Malick Thiaw headed in the visitors’ lead from Miley’s in-swinger.

After only 55 seconds, it was Newcastle’s quickest Premier League goal of the season.

In each of their previous three away games, they had taken the lead before going on to lose.

As Everton looked into their investigation, they defended their position with force this time.

Back in his preferred position at left-sided center, Dan Burn made a few crucial blocks. Hall did as well. Even Woltemade resurrected to save Jack Grealish from a cross.

Thiaw noticed that, though.

He stated in Match of the Day that “we also scored early in other games away” or “went 1-0 up.” However, this time, even after losing a little momentum in the game, we all stayed together, defended well, and it paid off.”

This season’s first half of league games should give Howe’s side a stronger starting lineup because they have only conceded a meager four goals in that period.

This appeared to be a return to what this side excels at.

After the game, Everton manager David Moyes even described Newcastle as “the most physically aggressive team in the Premier League.”

It was an evening where Newcastle won all of their tackles (15), covered nearly 5 kilometers more than Everton, won more aerial duels (19), and made 13 more clearances than the hosts).

After the visitors failed to bring home their advantage away at Marseille, Brentford, and West Ham after opening the scoring, Newcastle also had a ruthless edge in the final third, which has been lacking recently.

At the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Newcastle doubled their lead despite Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford being at fault for Miley’s goal.

By the time Newcastle, according to Howe, had put their “foot to the floor,” it felt a long way back for Everton.

Woltemade added a third before Thiaw added a fourth with a fourth-placed header that his countryman would have been proud of.

Woltemade called himself an “unbelievable player.” We’re constantly making jokes about how he can’t head. He completed two headers today.

He requested to train headers, but it was cancelled due to the severe rain. You no longer require it.

When the Newcastle head coach jokingly rubbed his eyes, perhaps stunned that the man of the match had scored two headers, Howe and Thiaw exchanged a joke at full-time.

Thiaw has already matched his highest individual goalscoring total in just one game, and the burden is finally being distributed.

However, this must be the beginning.

We still have work to do, “Howe added. It is a long way from where we were previously.