Newcastle 0 City 0
Report by Colin Hall
To the amazement of many of the club’s followers, Leicester City will begin the final game of the 2022-23 Premier League season with a credible chance of avoiding the relegation which had previously appeared an inevitable fate of a truly dismal campaign.
The latest result, a 0-0 draw at high-fliers Newcastle which confirmed the hosts’ qualification for next season’s Champions League, was earned by a resilience in defence which has been absent far too often, especially on our travels, in recent months.
Some post-match critics accused Dean Smith of pursuing unduly negative tactics during a game whose outcome leaves City two points behind Everton in the battle for the crucial – and highly lucrative – 17th place finish in the league table.
However, given the Foxes’ utterly woeful record against sides in the current top six – just ONE point from eleven previous matches – the interim manager’s decision to place prudence above ambition was entirely justified.
Smith’s team selection made his intentions clear, with Harry Souttar and Luke Thomas recalled to a 5-3-2 line-up which saw both Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, two of the side’s most noted underperformers in recent games, demoted to the bench.
It was no surprise that the home team, boosted by an impressive pre-match display of flags and tifos from the stands, started the game strongly in an effort to replicate the devastating start made at the King Power Stadium last Boxing Day.
On this occasion, though, the City rearguard, with Souttar and Jonny Evans particularly prominent, showed much greater resistance.
Tensions in the home ranks were illustrated by a reckless, knee-high challenge by home midfielder Guimarães which left Boubakry Soumaré writhing in agony. Although the City midfielder was able to recover after treatment, many fans were left incredulous by both the referee and VAR deciding a yellow card, rather than a red one, was an appropriate sanction.
The magpies’ attempt to bully the visitors continued, with Isak following his team-mate into the book after a wild lunge at Timothy Castagne. City, though, stood firm, protecting their goal with far more fortitude than was evident in other recent Monday fixtures.
But such efforts were very nearly undone when keeper Daniel Iversen spilled a Trippier cross into the path of Burn. The ensuing melee saw Wilson hit the post from close range and then have a follow-up cleared off the line by Wilfred Ndidi.
As City rocked, Almirón struck the woodwork in another chance for the home side, but the visitors regrouped sufficiently to keep the score level until the interval.
Although Maddison finally took the field in the second half as a replacement for the ineffective Kelechi Iheanacho, Newcastle retained an iron grip on midfield, pinning City back for long spells without creating many clear chances.
With 13 minutes remaining, City survived their biggest scare of the night, when a Trippier corner caused panic in the six-yard box and Guimarães somehow headed against the post when he looked certain to score. Maybe the gods were paying him back for his outrageous fortune earlier in the match.
As the game entered the closing stages, the hosts appeared to run out of steam, allowing City to spend some time at long last with the ball. Two minutes into stoppage time, Castagne almost completed the ultimate smash-and-grab raid when meeting a Maddison cross, only for the alert Pope to block his volley.
This was the first and only shot the Foxes managed throughout the entire match, and while many bemoaned the lack of creativity on display here, the number of efforts on target matched that seen in many previous travels under the former regime, including games at Forest, Southampton, and Crystal Palace where the side could and should have been far more competitive.
The final whistle was greeted with euphoria by the previously subdued home support, eagerly awaiting the return of elite-level football to Tyneside for the first time in over 20 years. It remains to be seen how many of the team that featured in this less-than-convincing home display will be retained for such adventures.
City, though, have far more pressing concerns. For the must-win clash against West Ham, Smith must conjure up a side as committed to attack as the one that he fielded here was to defence.
Even if he pulls off victory – which would be only City’s second in SIXTEEN games – he and the entire Blue Army must hope for Bournemouth to deny Everton a victory at what could be the final top flight game in Goodison Park’s long and distinguished history.
The past decade has seen us defy incredible odds to produce spectacular achievements for both good and bad. Maybe the status of underdogs will inspire this squad to deliver the most unlikely of Premier League salvations.
Newcastle (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier (c), Schär, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimarães, Anderson (Murphy 77); Almirón (Gordon 88), Wilson (Saint-Maximin 68), Isak. Subs not used: Dubravka, Dummett, Ashby, Lewis, Targett, Miley.
Booked: Guimarães, Isak.
Leicester (5-3-2): Iversen; Castagne, Souttar, Evans (c) (Daka 63), Faes, Thomas; Ndidi (Mendy 89), Tielemans, Soumaré; Vardy (Barnes 63), Iheanacho (Maddison h/t). Subs not used: Smithies, Kristiansen, Amartey, Praet, Tetê.
Referee: Andre Marriner VAR: Darren England Attendance: 52 152
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation