Newcastle United secured a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace after manager Matthias Jaissle made five changes to his starting XI, responding to back-to-back defeats against Coventry City and Aston Villa. The win lifted the Magpies into the top half of the Premier League table.
Five changes signal ruthless approach
Jaissle dropped Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw to make way for Dan Burn and Fabian Schar in the heart of defence, a bold call given the senior status of the two omitted players. The manager also recalled Will Osula up front, which saw Yoane Wissa drop out of the starting XI.
Burn, Schar, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy and Amar Dedic all came into the side, and Jaissle described his leadership group as an 'extended arm' on the pitch to deliver his message. The decision to make five changes followed a week of criticism over the team's tactical set-up after the losses to Coventry and Aston Villa.
Second-half surge secures the win
Newcastle looked uninspiring in the first half, but a blistering 15-minute spell after the break turned the game. Murphy, who had faced criticism after an underwhelming start to the season, delivered a stunning cross from the right that Osula converted past Walter Benitez in the Palace goal.
Joe Willock thought he had doubled the lead after latching on to Joelinton's through ball, but VAR ruled he had mistimed his run by half a second and flagged him offside. Newcastle did not have to wait long for a second goal, as Nico Gonzalez controlled the ball in the air and hooked it past his marker before finding Murphy, who fed Dedic down the right channel. Dedic cut the ball back for Harvey Barnes to whip it past Benitez.
Wissa warning and next steps
Explaining Wissa's exclusion before the game, Jaissle said: "Always in football you have some ups and downs for a player in a season and currently he dropped a bit. We count on him and he is a huge player for us. I have praised him and always praise him in the future. Maybe he gets his chance again from the bench and maybe he can deliver again."
The result sets up Thursday's trip to Everton in the Carabao Cup fourth round, and it would be a surprise to see the starting XI change on Merseyside. Jaissle has now shown a ruthless streak, making decisive changes when necessary, which should sharpen the focus of a squad getting slowly back towards full health as they aim to build a positive platform heading into next month's international break.
