Newcastle 1-0 Brentford

Eddie Howe hailed “three massive points” for Newcastle as Callum Wilson’s second-half penalty secured a 1-0 win over Brentford and ended a three-game losing streak.

In a scrappy encounter at St James’ Park, Wilson emphatically converted his shot on goal after Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken left his line and committed a clumsy foul on Anthony Gordon.

Brentford, unbeaten in their previous four games, were unable to find a response, with Thomas Frank later insisting that the decision to award Newcastle the penalty was “wrong” and that the atmosphere at St James’ Park ‘affects decisions’.

For Newcastle, the narrow victory, following defeats to Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester City, comes as a timely boost ahead of their Champions League opener against AC Milan on Tuesday.

“It wasn’t a fantastic performance from us, but it was a courageous and determined performance,” Howe said. Aerial sports After.

“It’s a game that showed a response, especially with Brighton’s performance. It’s a clean sheet and a huge three points for us, and now we can look forward.”

How Newcastle achieved victory

Howe made five changes from the side Brighton beat before the international break, but there was no immediate evidence of a response, with Newcastle once again lacking early fluidity.

Instead, Brentford looked on the more threatening side, with Aaron Hickey forcing a save from Nick Pope with an angled shot and Yoann Wissa missing a great chance when he failed to connect with a teasing cross from Mathias Jensen at the far post.

However, Newcastle quickly began to improve and should have opened the scoring when Bruno Guimaraes met a Fabian Schar a few meters after a corner, only for Flekken to make a smart reaction with his feet.

Brentford saw Henry limp off with his knee injury shortly before half-time and Newcastle’s improvement continued after the break.

Wilson, starting ahead of Alexander Isak for the first time this season, saw a close range goal harshly disallowed by VAR after being adjudged to have impeded Flekken, but his winner arrived only minutes later.

Flekken found himself in the spotlight again as his needless foul on Gordon near the byline saw referee Craig Pawson point the finger, with VAR this time upholding his decision.

Newcastle thought they had another penalty when Bryan Mbeumo handled following an aerial challenge with Harvey Barnes, but VAR intervened again, canceling out Pawson because the ball hit the Brentford striker’s head before falling onto his hand.

Brentford rarely threatened to get back level in the closing stages but had an opportunity when Wissa failed to convert from close range after another Jensen delivery, heading the ball wide when he should have hit the target.

The final whistle was met with huge cheers inside St James’ Park as the Magpies, although not at their best, celebrated a morale-boosting victory ahead of their midweek trip in Italy.

The history of the match

Howe: trip to Milan did not influence selection

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said: “I think there was a lot of relief in our emotions at the end.

“It wasn’t a fantastic performance from us, but it was a brave and determined performance. It was a performance that showed a response, particularly through Brighton’s performance. It’s a clean sheet and three huge points for us and now we can look forward.

“At any club you can’t lose games consistently. It can’t become a habit. We were determined to bounce back from these three defeats.

“Today was a really tricky day for us. Brentford are a very good team. We stayed in the game, we didn’t concede a goal and in the second half we were much better.”

On whether Tuesday’s trip to Milan would influence his team selection, he said: “It all depended on the match (on Saturday). It was a difficult team to select because many players were away on international duty.

“The players who stayed, like Harvey Barnes and Sean Longstaff, trained very well, that’s why they got the nod. I thought they deserved their chance.

“I didn’t talk about Milan at all. I don’t think anyone among the coaches did. It’s all about Brentford. If anyone was half watching on Tuesday night, we were going to lose this game tonight ( Saturday) So really happy with the development.

“I think my mindset is to try to win every game. Whether it’s the Premier League, the Champions League, the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup, they’re all important.

“There is no preference for any competition and, in my opinion, league form is very important. You are judged on 38 games.”

Frank: Penalty call was a bad decision

Brentford Thomas Franck said: “Normally I would never complain about penalties, but this time I think it was a bad decision.

“That’s because it’s a decision on the pitch. If they hadn’t done that, VAR would never have overturned that decision.

“We were told that when it happened to Kevin Schade against Tottenham in a similar situation with the goalkeeper coming out and he makes contact with the player but he pulls away just before, so it shouldn’t be a penalty.

“I’m sure when the referee panel looks at it, Howard Webb will apologize – that will be even more frustrating.

“Of course we all do our best. I demand great character from my players and they showed it. I also demand great character from the referees. It’s a pitch and a fantastic atmosphere, but it affects decisions.”

Regarding his team’s performance, he added: “I would say I think we played a very good game. Everyone knows it’s difficult to come here.

“The way we played was very impressive, it was a balanced match where we could have won it. That’s why it’s frustrating to end up here with a decision that I think was wrong.”

Analysis: Wilson makes his point

After two goals in three substitute appearances, Callum Wilson made the most of his first starting opportunity of the season against Brentford, scoring from the penalty spot and seeing another goal harshly ruled out as Newcastle secured a well-deserved victory.

It was just the latest reminder of the striker’s effectiveness in front of goal. Wilson has now scored 11 consecutive penalties and is averaging a goal every 62 minutes in the Premier League this season.

It’s a small sample size, sure, but let’s go back to the start of last season and his record remains extremely impressive, with his 21 goals in 36 appearances averaging every 99 minutes.

“It’s about time I started,” he joked. Aerial sports After. “I’ve been waiting four weeks.

“All you can do is do yourself justice. It’s just about putting in a good performance as a centre-forward and helping the team get over the finish line, because I think it “That’s what we needed.”

The fact that Wilson played the full 90 minutes suggests it will be Alexander Isak who starts against AC Milan in the Champions League opener on Tuesday. But if Newcastle needed a goal, it served as a reminder of which player is most likely to produce it.
Nick Wright

And after?

that of Newcastle the next match is away AC Milan Tuesday as they make their long-awaited return to the Champions League – kick-off 5:45 p.m.

The Magpies then travel to Sheffield United as they return to the Premier League on September 24, live on Sky Sports Super Sunday – kick-off at 4:30 p.m.

Sunday September 24 at 4:00 p.m.

Kick-off at 4:30 p.m.

Brentford the next outing is at home for Everton Saturday, live Aerial sports – kick-off at 5:30 p.m. The Bees then host Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on September 27 – kick-off at 7:45 p.m.

Saturday September 23 at 5:00 p.m.

Kick-off at 5:30 p.m.