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'ELLO LADS!
This was a very entertaining match to watch, as are most matches that feature the "Welch Catalonians". I was very pleased with Alan Pardew's starting line up. It was important to get Santon in at LB so Guitierrez would be able to run around (nonstop) in the midfield. The early goal was essential as a 4-3-3 quickly became a 4-5-1 as Swansea dominated possession in the first half.
A great man once said (hint: it was me) that possession against Swansea is a lot like learning how to surf the first few times out. You fight and battle the tide, exhausting yourself until you finally get out far enough to get up on the board and the second you do, you fall down and have to start back over. The thing is, once you finally do get up you realize it was all worth it. Because that few seconds of sheer jubilation while riding a wave in, out weighs the task of fighting the tide 10 to 1 (see Cisse's goals)
Player ratings, coaches quotes, and player tweets all await . . . all you have to do is continue reading! ENJOY
Starters:
| Krul | 7 | Solid parry on Sigurdsson effort in 30th. Great save in 52nd to adjust to the deflection. Was not challenged a whole lot, but made no mistakes with the balls sent at him. |
| Santon | 7 | Was glued to Dyer. Did not get forward a lot, as Newcastle was not able to keep possession. For me, this was his best defensive performance for the Magpies. The "X factor" for the game as Dyer seemed to get about 2 touches the entire match. |
| Perch | 7.5 | Was not involved too much, which may be attributed to his quality marking. But when he did get involved, he produced well-timed and crunching tackles. Always in the right place making good tackles or interceptions. |
| Williamson | 6.5 | Clumsy challenge earned him a yellow in 39th. Did well to out muscle Graham in 86th in a one on one situation. Was not as dominant in the air as in recent games, but played a better all around game. |
| Simpson | 6.5 | Taylor gave him a lot of trouble early on, but Simpson took the "bend but don't break" approach. Played much better in the 2nd half and Taylor disappeared. |
| Guitierrez | 7 | Blocked a Sigurdsson effort in the 41st that seemed to be headed for the net. We really needed his work effort today and he did not disappoint, as he showed up everywhere. Started the play that ended in the first goal. |
| Tiote | 5.5 | Subbed out at half for a hamstring strain and did not seem himself the entire 1st half. It is a shame because Newcastle could have really used his aggressive presence breaking up and challenging Swansea's ball movement in the midfield. |
| Cabaye | 8 | Incredible one touch through for Cisse's early goal. Possibly an even better set up on the second. When we were able to get possession, he held it well with good distribution. Both goals were due to his perfectly placed passes. |
| Ba | 5.5 | Looked a little over whelmed early by the Swansea pressure. Should have done better with the Ben Arfa through ball in the 17th. Switched with Cisse, which allowed him to go up top and he did not play much better up there. He was the only player on the Newcastle bench not to celebrate Cisse's second goal. Worrying? Maybe a little, but lets not make more of this than it is. |
| Ben Arfa | 6.5 | Helped back well. Almost single-handedly set up a goal in the 64th, but the ball trickled over the line. His reputation alone creates so much space for him and forces other defenders to help out. He seemed to struggle a little early with the pace of the game (as did most of the team) but once he got his feet about him, he dazzled us again a few times |
| Cisse | 9 | Brilliant finish on goal in the 5th. Played all over the pitch, popping up for some important interceptions in the Newcastle box. His second goal was an absolute thing of beauty. The first touch was absolutely incredible and the chipped shot while off-balance brought a tear to my eye. Top 10 of the season! |
Subs:
| Taylor | 6.5 | Came on at half for Tiote. Did not contribute a lot offensively. Waited too long on a well timed Cisse run when he was in plenty of space. Defended well and did not get the ball away. Solid sub |
| Ferguson | 6 | Looked out of sorts in beginning. Came on for Ba in the 57th when it was still a very tight game. His biggest appearance so far and once the second goal went in, he settled and played well. His quickness adds a different element on the left flank. |
| Gosling | 6.5 | On for Cabaye in 73rd. He dribbled into danger a few times, but for the most part kept the ball well. |
Alan Pardew
"We were a little bit flat. But the way they pass, we conceded the ground and conceded possession knowing that if we could win it in certain areas they were going to be wide open and you got two chances for Papiss and he took them both. They were fantastic goals!"
Tim Krul
"To win at Swansea is a fantastic result. Team spirit today was immense. To take three points off Swansea is a big challenge because not many teams have done that this season."