Report - Newcastle Edge Past Forest

 Relief for Magpies Amidst Second Half Collapse 

Well , it was not straightforward was it?

As mentioned last week after an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Manchester City , Newcastle United had to beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon , and they did just that . As expected given the news regarding Sandro Tonali on Saturday night , he was only able to make the bench due to an injury scare - far from ideal with the Carabao Cup Final now less than three weeks away. 

 Yet , it was his replacement Lewis Miley that filled the boots of the “Midfield Maestro from Milano” who played a starring role in midfield . It was his equaliser in response to an early Callum Hudson-Odoi strike that galvanised Newcastle kickstarting a goal-laden eleven minute spell . 

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Lewis Hall was another in black and white that impressed , with his deflected cross landing just inside the six yard box for Jacob Murphy to bundle over the line , making amends for his giveaway in the lead up to the opener . It was Hall again involved in Newcastle’s third thanks to a cross that struck the raised arm of Ola Aina and saw Alexander Isak just about squeeze home the penalty past former magpie Mats Sels in goal for Forest . Moments later , the impressive Joe Willock raced through on goal and played Isak in and , albeit with the help of a deflection , he buried his nineteenth goal of the season amidst jubilant scenes at St James’ Park. Newcastle had truly blitzed a Nottingham Forest team who had turned up on Tyneside slight favourites in a dominant first-half performance. 

However the second half unfolded in quite the opposite manner . The hosts had , as expected , sat back and were willing to soak up Forest pressure aware of the risk this posed given the form the likes of Chris Wood , Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White have been in this season . Although it was an unlikely source that provided hope for the visitors , in the form of Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic who improvised well to finish a Chris Wood cross early in the second half . This set the tone , with Newcastle enjoying little joy in the final third in contrast to the free flowing first half. Murillo flashed a header wide and Anthony Elanga cleared the crossbar with an acrobatic effort from a few yards out . Sandro Tonali’s introduction 20 minutes from time provided much needed calmness in front of a defensive duo of Dan Burn and Fabian Schär that struggled with the relentless pressure . Thankfully , it was too little too late when substitute Ryan Yates slotted past Nick Pope , with Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo venting his frustration at the lack of additional time . Callum Wilson ought to have sealed three points with the last kick , seeing his shot blocked despite Anthony Gordon bracing for a simple finish yards away . Luckily , that did not matter as Newcastle held firm for an important three points , even more important in the context of the weekend’s results with Manchester City , Bournemouth , Chelsea and Fulham all losing. Given an ominous trip to Anfield awaits on Wednesday, Newcastle can now afford an expected defeat against the runaway leaders , and look ahead to next weekend’s visit of Brighton in the FA Cup fifth round where a win would take the toon one victory from a Wembley return. 

Up The Mags!

Must win for the Mags

Toon must find form ahead of Wembley 

As Chris Wood returns to the club he spent an underwhelming year at , no one in black and white could have predicted his change in fortunes in the midst of a remarkable Forest campaign that has them pushing for the top 3. 18 goals , 1 more than Alexander Isak , as well as a league leading 10 clean sheets from another former magpie , Matz Sels has spearheaded this push . In truth , it has been a team effort , with the creativity of Morgan Gibbs-White and the pace of Anthony Elanga notable factors aswell. Sunday also marks an emotional return for Elliot Anderson , who finally burst onto the scene in black and white last season and was hastily sold in order to comply with strict PSR rules . This move has sparked frustration from many geordies as he has gone on to have a superb season in red thus far. 

Last time out in the Premier League , it was Newcastle who came out on top in November winning 3-1 at the City Ground , having also came out on top on penalties there in round 2 of the Carabao Cup in August . In the fact , since Nottingham Forest’s return to the top flight in 2022 , they have only beaten Newcastle once in their last trip to the north east where a stunning Chris Wood hatrick gave them 3 points in December 2023. Their previous visit to St James Park the year prior ended in a 2-0 defeat courtesy of a Fabian Schär screamer and a goal from Callum Wilson . 

Newcastle’s squad is now bolstered with the likes of Callum Wilson and Harvey Barnes able to provide firepower from the bench after returns from injury while Nottingham Forest have a fully fit squad bar Miguel to choose from . 

Predicted Starting XIs : 

Newcastle - Dubravka , Livramento , Schär , Burn , Hall , Bruno G. , Tonali , Miley , Gordon , Murphy , Isak

Forest - Sels , Aina , Milenkovic , Murillo , Morato , Neco Williams , Anderson , Danilo , Gibbs-White , Elanga , Wood.

Player to Watch - For Newcastle if he starts , Lewis Miley , a great young talent with a point to prove after a long injury lay off . Scored against Bromley in his last start at home . 

For the visitors , Anthony Elanga . Chris Wood is the obvious shout but without Elanga he would struggle . Will be a tough test for Lewis Hall down the left . 

Prediction - Newcastle 2-1 Nottingham Forest . Home crowd should be enough to edge toon over the line . Howay the Lads!

Where do the Toon go from here?

 Have Cup Final Cracks Started To Show For Nufc?

Yesterday's humbling defeat at the Etihad has left myself , like many Newcastle fans with a sense of deja vu. 2 years ago , after a composed carabao cup semi-final victory and in the midst of a historic period of form , the Magpies inexplicably faltered as Wembley loomed on the horizon . Poetically , 2 years on , we find ourselves in a similar position having brushed Arsenal aside and embarked on a superb 9 match winning run in the process . With Nottingham Forest and Liverpool up next in the Premier League , turning around the club's fortunes will be a tough ask , with 3 defeats in 4 league games already threatening to disrupt what could be a historic season , given the toon may well be making multiple trips to the Wembley arch this year.For this to happen though , performances against the bigger clubs in particular must improve , with yesterdays loss being the SIXTEENTH consecutive league defeat away to Manchester City.In addition Newcastle have failed to beat Liverpool home or away for the best part of a decade , which is certainly an ominous reminder of the gulf between the clubs which some supporters argued that nearly 4 years on from the takeover would be a lot smaller.

In terms of where the team go from here , the answer is non-negotiable : Onwards . As tough as a 4-0 loss is to take , it has to be put to one side as we approach the run-in of the 24/25 campaign which has been in typical Newcastle Fashion a rollercoaster ride.Eddie Howe often highlights the huge impact the passionate,loyal fanbase has on the squad,and this must continue if we are to be successful.Just look at the semi-final second leg in which a key factor of overwhelming a talented Arsenal team came from the stands,creating a night and atmosphere that will live long in the memory,and earn iconic status if Bruno Guimaraes lifts the carabao cup aloft in a months time.

In conclusion , on the pitch Howe must direct full focus and commitment onto Forest next week and ensure the lads take each game as it comes because going into Wembley on a poor run certainly won't help our underdog status ahead of what is already a huge task . Off the pitch , fans must remain calm and avoid negative knee-jerk reactions which are understandable after a performance like yesterday however.