Newcastle 3-0 SouthamptonHome team scorersRobert Kenedy 2
Robert Kenedy 29
Matt Ritchie 57
Rafael Benítez has pledged to ban alcohol during Newcastle United’s impending warm weather training trip to Alicante but may now be tempted to relax that ruling.
A thoroughly restorative win not only assuaged his side’s relegation anxieties but exacerbated Southampton’s own fears of falling into the Championship. Mauricio Pellegrino’s side have now won only one of their last 16 league games and with Mario Lemina and company well off the pace they made things simple for a convincing, cohesive Newcastle.
Dominant in the home side’s central midfield against opponents seemingly averse to competing for second balls, the impressive Mohamed Diamé and Jonjo Shelvey can rarely have enjoyed such a straightforward afternoon. It did not take Shelvey long to remind everyone just how much he had been missed during his recent absence with a knee injury which, happily for Benítez, proved significantly less serious than initially feared.
As early as the second minute, Shelvey lifted a long pass in Kenedy’s direction and the Chelsea loanee responded by chesting it down, swivelling imperiously past Cédric and directing a slightly scuffed shot into the bottom corner.
Cédric may have gotten too close to the winger but it was still a fine goal, which gave the master the initiative over his erstwhile apprentice. After playing for Benítez at Valencia and Liverpool and assisting him at Anfield and Inter, Pellegrino says he will be eternally grateful to the man he regards as his mentor. But with Premier League survival at stake, the pair’s friendship was placed on hold.
The frown already creasing Pellegrino’s forehead would surely have deepened had Dwight Gayle not spurned a hugely inviting chance to score a quick second. Another splendid defence-splitting pass from Shelvey left the striker with only Alex McCarthy to beat but Gayle’s first touch was poor and Southampton’s goalkeeper seized the chance to gather the ball.
No matter – Kenedy soon scored a second. This time the goal was initiated by Ayoze Pérez who broke from deep when the unconvincing Lemina failed to win a header following a Southampton corner. A wonderfully fast, fluent attacking move concluded with Gayle unselfishly sliding a first-time pass to Kenedy, whose close range shot did the rest. As his players celebrated, Benítez typically declined to bask in the moment, instead pulling Shelvey aside to offer his playmaker some detailed tactical advice.
If Shelvey’s through balls continually caught the eye, Diamé’s somewhat less showy display in the holding role alongside him arguably proved just as important for Newcastle. With Diamé diligently protecting his defence and delighting in destroying Southampton attacks at the source, Pellegrino’s horizon looked as grey as the skies above Tyneside.
Unusually, Benítez – whose usual habit of sticking to nothing more than a suit in the technical area on even the coldest days surely makes him an honorary Geordie – donned an overcoat as icy second-half rain began falling.
Pérez headed just over and Kenedy, whose January arrival from Stamford Bridge has been catalytic, shot narrowly wide but it was not long before Matt Ritchie registered Newcastle’s third.
No prizes for guessing that Shelvey was again the provider. After deceiving Southampton’s defence by shaping to shoot, his pass picked out the unmarked Matt Ritchie whose low side-footed, shot was too good for McCarthy. Once again, it proved the cue for another earnest touchline tete-a-tete between Benítez and Shelvey.
The clock had nearly reached the hour mark when Southampton finally tested Martin Dubravka. Yet although Guido Carrillo had done well to dodge Jamaal Lascelles, his ensuing shot was directed too close to the goalkeeper. The striker’s substandard connection was a microcosm of his side’s afternoon.
It is safe to assume that there will have been some awkward silences on Southampton’s return flight to the south coast. If Newcastle’s own safety is far from assured they will nonetheless head to Spain as a team already feeling the first hint of sun on their backs at end of a long, hard winter.
Guardian
