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Newcastle's 1-0 victory over Metalist Kharkiv Thursday was not without consequence. There's of course the obvious fatigue associated with playing several first-teamers 90 minutes and flying back and forth from Ukraine, but the Magpies also suffered two potentially costly injuries in the last ten minutes.
Yohan Cabaye went down first with what appeared to be a hyperextension of his knee in the 86th minute, though we was eventually able to walk off under his own power upon being substituted. Just a minute later, Jonathan Cristaldo stomped on Tim Krul's ankle, earning a yellow card for his efforts. Krul was able to finish the match (Alan Pardew had no substitutions left), but then there was this bit of news:
Tim Krul left stadium with a protective boot on his ankle and on cructhes #nufc
— Lee Ryder (@lee_ryder) February 21, 2013
Both Ryder and George Caulkin of The Times tweeted that the medical devices seemed precautionary, but their mere presence should set off alarm bells for a club whose main backup option is a 37 year-old who hasn't seen regular action in 2 years and doesn't even travel with the team most of the time.
More on this situation as it develops.