Newcastle vs Burnley: For the first time in the 2021-22 Premier League season, the Magpies are winners after holding off the Clarets for a 1-0 victory at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
[ MORE: How to watch PL in USA ]
The victory sends Newcastle (10 points) into 19th place in the Premier League table, once again ahead of Norwich City, who are still to play this weekend. Burnley (10), meanwhile, remain 18th, also in the relegation zone.
Callum Wilson got the game’s only goal late in the first half, not long after Newcastle had taken control of the game’s proceedings.
Newcastle vs Burnley final score, stats, results
Final score: Newcastle 1, Burnley 0
Goal scorers: Newcastle (Wilson 40'), Burnley (None)
Shots: Newcastle 19, Burnley 10
Shots on target: Newcastle 4, Burnley 1
Possession: Newcastle 48%, Burnley 52%
3 things we learned - Newcastle vs Burnley
1. A win is a win is a win: Look, Newcastle don’t care that they were well on their way to a 15th straight game without victory to start the season; they don’t care that they were far and away second-best for the opening half-hour; the don’t care that Maxwel Cornet’s injury completely changed the game and gave them the upper hand. When you’re that many games without a win and facing the very real possibility of relegation, nothing matters aside from the points you pick up, and Newcastle picked up three on Saturday.
2. Burnley forwards terrorize Newcastle defenders: Chris Wood and Cornet are only a few months into their time together, but the Kiwi and the Ivorian have already struck up a solid, effective big man-small man partnership up front. Burnley have always had the option of playing the ball long to Wood to hold it up against multiple defenders, but they never had a second attacker of similar quality to combine and play off their 6-foot-3, 205-pound talisman (49 goals in 140 Premier League games). It’s simple enough and Sean Dyche won’t be accused of revolutionizing the sport for it, but it worked a real treat for 30 minutes (until Cornet was injured and forced off) against Newcastle, as the Clarets out-shot the Magpies 5-2 and looked the only side capable of scoring.
3. One of these teams (if not both) will go down: Based on the evidence of Saturday, there’s not enough quality in either the Newcastle or Burnley team to stave off relegation. Of course, the expectation is that Newcastle’s new owners will spend wildly to keep them up in January, and Saturday’s win goes a long way toward making that a more likely outcome, which leaves Burnley…
Man of the Match: Callum Wilson - The finish for the goal was sublime, and precisely the moment of unexpected, but inspired, magic that Newcastle hadn’t previously experienced this season.
Newcastle vs Burnley highlights
Callum Wilson finishes after Nick Pope spills a cross (goal video)
Nick Pope looked like Joe Willock’s cross into the penalty area wouldn’t be causing any trouble, until he landed on top of Fabian Schar and spilled the ball on top of his head. Wilson pounced quickly, racing to the right and finding the narrowest avenue to the back of the net.
