Newcastle United fans have waited more than 20 years to watch Champions League action back at St James’ Park — their patience was rewarded on a memorable night against Paris Saint-Germain.
Goals from Miguel Almiron, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff gave Eddie Howe’s team a 3-0 lead inside 50 minutes in their first home group-stage match since March 2003. Lucas Hernandez got one back in the 56th minute but Fabian Schar’s spectacular strike in the first minute of added time sealed a stunning victory.
The Athletic’s Jacob Whitehead, Sebastian Stafford-Bloor and Mark Carey assess the action from a noisy night on Tyneside…
Flying start — in contrast to AC Milan
Newcastle’s attack scarcely fired a shot at the San Siro as the club returned to the Champions League with a 0-0 away draw two weeks ago — with AC Milan’s lofted balls out wide bypassing their press, Howe’s side could not force the high turnovers they needed. Restricted to balls down the channel in their own build-up, Newcastle needed pressure.
Fired by a white-hot St James’ Park, their intensity was raised another notch. It was a press few teams could play through.
PSG, as one of the best sides in the world, were able to do it, keeping it on the ground and going close through Ousmane Dembele. But they needed to be perfect every time. Newcastle only needed to be lucky once. In a rampant first 20 minutes, they managed it twice. The first high turnover was fired over by Miguel Almiron from outside the area, in what would have been a carbon copy of Saturday’s opener here against Burnley.
Wary, PSG were slower on the ball next time. They were made to pay. Alexander Isak’s snapshot was brilliantly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma — but Almiron, a man whose finishing was widely mocked early in his Newcastle career, was there to sweep home their first Champions League goal for 20 years.
The goal rocked the visitors and set the tone for Eddie Howe’s team to power their way to a resounding victory.
Jacob Whitehead
Miserable night for Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is not who he is in the game because of his work off the ball, but perhaps the moment that described his night best came when he allowed Miguel Almiron to trundle past him during the move which led to Sean Longstaff’s goal.
Lionel Messi has gone from PSG, Neymar followed him out, and so all the concerns about commitment that used to swirl around that group of megastars are focused solely on Mbappe.
And his tactical indulgence depends on his contribution at the other end of the pitch. He teased a threat with an early cross for Ousmane Dembele, but his influence waned quickly. Eighty minutes in, he had had no shots and beaten no defenders.
Eddie Howe’s defence was rigid. Mbappe rarely faced anything other than a tight back four, with a sitting midfielder pressing out towards him, and pushing him away from goal.
So, he was well contained, but it was a performance that asked further questions.
Can the Champions League be won with that kind of forward? When Erling Haaland is not scoring for Manchester City, he is menacing centre-backs. When Harry Kane, now of Bayern Munich, is irrelevant, he drops deep. Mohamed Salah is the same at Liverpool (although they aren’t in the competition this season).
Mbappe is a wonderful player, but his function within this team is somehow too limiting.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Local heroes Burn and Longstaff take centre stage
“Row S, seats 106 and 107, me to the left of my dad.”
In February, Dan Burn took The Athletic to see his old season-ticket seats in the East Stand at St James’ Park. It was here that he watched Sir Bobby Robson’s teams in what was the club’s most recent Champions League campaign at the time.
“I couldn’t believe the years after Sir Bobby left, when everything started going downhill,” Burn said. “The club never really recovered.”
Well, how was this for a recovery? Burn, having been released by Newcastle as a child, leaping and powering a header goalwards. Having never believed he would be starring for Newcastle then, perhaps it was appropriate that nobody seemed to believe he was the star now. But this looked like a goal. Newcastle looked to be 2-0 up.
A VAR check. Confirmation it crossed the line, and that Bruno Guimaraes was not offside when he sent over the cross. Then a celebration in the centre circle at St James’ Park, right where Burn belongs.
Sean Longstaff is another with a recovery story. After coming through when Rafa Benitez was the manager, his confidence was wrecked under Steve Bruce, leaving the midfielder on the brink of a move to Everton. He is now a player restored.
“We were watching a video of when we beat Feyenoord away 3-2 (under Robson in 2002),” Longstaff said on Saturday. “Just getting in the mood for it, really.”
The angle was tight, but Longstaff has overcome greater odds. His shot squeezed under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Newcastle were 3-0 up.
Former Newcastle owner Sir John Hall had previously said he dreamed of building a team of 11 Geordies. Perhaps it would have been good enough that two scored for them here in the Champions League.
Jacob Whitehead
Newcastle’s midfield stopped PSG at source
Luis Enrique named a bold, attacking line-up containing Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappe, Goncalo Ramos and Ousmane Dembele — in what looked to be a 4-2-4 structure in possession.
That might appear brave in principle, but if you struggle to get the ball to those dangerous players then your key strength becomes your biggest weakness. A PSG midfield duo of Manuel Ugarte and 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery was simply outnumbered by Newcastle’s midfield trio, and it showed in the visitors’ build-up.
Luis Enrique’s side appeared confident in the early stages, playing through Newcastle’s press with calm, considered passes out from the back. However, it was a tactic that was destined to fail given the hosts’ numerical advantage in the middle.
With Ugarte often dropping in to collect the ball from his defence, Newcastle’s midfielders — often Bruno Guimaraes or Sandro Tonali — were able to press high and man-mark him, safe in the knowledge that they had two team-mates supporting behind them.
When neither could get tight enough, Newcastle sat in a compact 4-5-1 out of possession and challenged PSG’s midfielders to find a gap behind them — which they rarely did.
Eddie Howe’s tactics were spot-on — and stopping PSG’s attack at source was key.
Mark Carey
Dembele’s disappearing act
PSG have not started the Ligue 1 season particularly well. Ousmane Dembele has, though; nobody in the French top flight has created more chances from open play. Much of PSG’s play is focused down his side, their right, so Newcastle’s plan in response was always like to be interesting.
The intent was obvious immediately. Dembele touched the ball several times within the first 10 minutes, had a volley that splayed wide of the far post and, in support, Achraf Hakimi ranged forward of him, too.
It was ominous. But it would not last.
Dan Burn lacks the mobility to challenge either of those players one-on-one, but Newcastle were disciplined in providing him with support, shutting off the wider avenues in the first half and encouraging Dembele towards the touchline or infield, and towards more congested areas.
Dembele roamed. PSG rotate their attacking components and he spent time on the left, too. But Newcastle’s defensive focus remained and he struggled to break into the box with any menace.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
Possession is not everything
In case you needed reminding, possession is a dangerous statistic in football.
While it is often perceived to reflect dominance from each team within a game, last night was a lesson in debunking that myth.
PSG averaged 71.6 per cent possession across their seven Ligue 1 games this season, yet are off to the worst start since owner Qatar Sports Investment’s 2011 takeover, sitting fifth in the table.
Against Newcastle, Luis Enrique’s side enjoyed 72.7 per cent of the ball, but anyone who watched the game would heavily question the argument that PSG dominated the play in either penalty area — you know, the area of the pitch that matters the most.
Whether it is field tilt, expected goals or simply shots on target (of which PSG only managed two), there are better ways to measure a team’s performance and likelihood of winning a game.
Many knew what style of football Luis Enrique would bring when he arrived in the summer, but there are signs that his side are showing a similar weakness to that of his previous role as Spain national-team manager — having plenty of the ball but lacking that bite.
Mark Carey
(Main image: Longstaff celebrates his goal. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)
