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#2 Rafa Benitez’s plan became clearer as the game went on
Given his love of rotation at the best of times, it was not a surprise to see Benitez make changes, especially with two crucial games at home to Brighton and away at Stoke coming up. Early on, it seemed as though Newcastle only wanted to keep the score down and move on. Jonjo Shelvey, back in the side after a two-game ban, shot at goal straight away from kick off; it was rather bizarre because it surrendered possession without threatening Ederson’s goal.
Jacob Murphy and Aarons grew into the game as it went on, but Atsu and Gayle came on after the break and that made a difference for Newcastle. Mohamed Diame made forward forays when he got the chance, Shelvey started to play it into more dangerous areas because Gayle made runs that Joselu, who started the game, simply wasn’t able to.
Benitez saw that pressing early would have opened the game up even more. It was crucial to introduce the substitutes and get the crowd excited at the right time; they could have paid off too, Gayle went close with a header and City’s defence did begin to feel the pressure.
