Newcastle started their 2018-19 season with a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park, but Rafael Benitez’s side can take plenty of positives from the match.
The Magpies legend and now a popular football pundit, Alan Shearer, took to social networking site after the match to express his reaction.
The BBC pundit noted that although it was a “disappointing result”, Newcastle tried hard to get a point and there are plenty of positives.
A disappointing result as did enough to get at least a point, but plenty of positives @NUFC #NEWTOT
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 11, 2018
Newcastle went behind within the first 10 minutes when Jan Vertonghen directed Davinson Sanchez’s header into the net.
The Magpies quickly restored parity thanks to a lovely glancing header from Joselu who met a fantastic cross from Matt Ritchie from the left flank.
However, Newcastle fell prey to yet another sloppy defending, and Dele Alli punished them badly by finishing with a header from close range.
Despite the defeat, Newcastle can take positives from the performance they have put in, especially in the second half. They registered 15 shots during the game, and matched Spurs toe to toe.
In fact, they created two very good chances in the second half, and had they finished those the result could have been different.
Newcastle played with great tempo and spirit, but lacked ruthlessness in front of goal. Skipper Jamaal Lascelles said after the match that the Newcastle players feel hard done by after this performance.
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