Newcastle United were held to a goalless draw at St James’ Park as Fulham picked up their first clean sheet of the season and moved to double-digits for the campaign. After the game, Rafael Benitez proclaimed he was unhappy with some of the decisions by referee Martin Atkinson which ultimately cost his side three points.
Both sides stake penalty claims
Newcastle will feel they had two penalty appeals turned down after improving their intensity in the second half. Neither was clear-cut, but the second incident appeared to be the stronger case as Joe Bryan had hold of Kenedy’s shirt as the Brazilian went down.
The visitors also thought they might be awarded a spot-kick after Aleksandar Mitrovic’s shot was blocked by Jamaal Lascelles arm; however, Atkinson waved away the appeals perceiving the defender’s arm to be in a natural position.
Had a penalty been awarded either way it would have likely proved conclusive, so it was essential the referee made the correct decisions, but neither side had a particularly strong case.
Persistent lack of composure
Despite contrasts in summer spending, neither side was able to dictate proceedings, both consistently relinquishing possession in midfield. Leading to a lack of goalscoring opportunities for either striker and together Newcastle and Fulham were only able to muster two shots on target.
Mitrovic’s return to his former employers on Tyneside was not as triumphant as Claudio Ranieri may have hoped; the Serbian international was often left isolated due to Andre Schurrle’s attempts to stretch the host’s defence by providing width. Couple that with the fact he had little company when pressing from the front, it was an ineffective afternoon for the striker, producing just a single shot on target.
However, Mitrovic did have a chance to decide the game late on, but Lascelles made the crucial block to deny him. The defender was critical once more in maintaining a clean sheet for his side when he made a last-ditch tackle to prevent Abubakar Kamara from being one on one with Martin Dubravka. Salomon Rondon was equally poor, although neither striker was presented with an abundance of opportunities to capitalise on.
Newcastle improve after the break
The hosts emerged as the favourites to break the deadlock after halftime and they dramatically increased their pressing intensity and urgency to transition the ball forwards. Much of their play was focused down the right channel with Javier Manquillo seeing a lot of possession; however, the Spaniard was unable to produce the delivery Rondon required to score.
Both sides prioritised crossing, although neither were able to take advantage, due to wayward crossing that was regularly overhit.
Fulham keep their first clean sheet
Ranieri will be delighted with his defence after they were finally able to keep the opposition at bay for 90 minutes. Fulham were sturdy rather than spectacular at the back and benefitted from Newcastle’s lack of quality attacking options. Nevertheless, the Cottagers have a result to build upon and a structure to improve for forthcoming fixtures. Although slightly pessimistic with regards to their approach, Fulham defended with more confidence and better positioning than previously seen this term.
Man of the Match: Jamaal Lascelles
Few performances grabbed any attention on Saturday afternoon; however, the Magpies defence held firm, making 24 tackles to Fulham’s seven. Lascelles made a vital block to deny Mitrovic in the chaotic latter stages of proceedings, and even if the ball did strike his arm it was tucked close enough to his chest Martin Atkinson took no notice of any Fulham appeals.
The centre-back then denied Kamara a match-winning opportunity when he slid in to hook the ball away in stoppage time.
