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Welcome to the Thauvin show: Newcastle win 4-1, Sheffield Wednesday up next

Newcastle puts four past an opponent for the first time in seventeen months. Cobblers done. Now on to Sheffield Wednesday for a cup run. Yay!

By Souvik Roy Chowdhury
Getty Images

The first time, oh the first time. First times are always sweet. So this would have felt incredible for Steve McLaren no doubt. His first victory as Newcastle's manager. And what a way to do it.

4-1, yes 4-1. Let it sink in for a moment. Let it pass through those sensory neurones. Now you may proceed to your ceremonial dance and come back to read the rest of it.

Okay, since you are back, let me tell you the next part might just be too much for you. Brace yourself. We scored four and Mike Williamson was on the scoresheet. Yep, that's right. This isn't a fever dream. You are not hallucinating. We just had the time of our lives. And even more so, we weren't allowed to watch as there was no proper streams available.

The League Cup game against Northampton was not for the light-hearted. It gave us feelings we are not used in recent times. Oh, you remember those games under Sir Bobby, which stirred emotions of pure joy in you. Well, they made a return yesterday.  Oh boy. This is the house I want to stay in. I missed this. This explosive mixture of incredibly feeling light in the head, getting unreasonably giddy about stuff and unmoored feelings of unease at seeing my very own Newcastle beat the heck out of an opponent.

Okay, let's get to it then. It's time to rejoice. 2015 hasn't been generous on us. This was only our fourth win this whole season. Except for our recent signings and our draws against the Saints and Manchester United, life for the Toon Army, hasn't really been great as of late.

What really happened at St. James' yesterday? Well, a "fever dream" might just be the best way to put it. I really can't remember the last we put four past an opponent or the last time we really felt confident going into a cup tie with resounding confidence and actually delivering as well.

This is no Sir Bobby Robson era, where we were Brobdingnagians of the land, expected to deliver Brobdingnagian performances. But, let me tell; this the sort of house we like, and if possible this is the sort of house we would like to stay in. Th last we put four past an opponent? 1st March, 2014 against Hull. The same game where a certain Alan Pardew managed to steal all the headlines with a headbutt to an opposing player. Let past be past.

So what did we do right today? Let's focus on that.

  • The team put forth actually was a pretty strong one. There were official debuts for Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles.
  • Florian Thauvin got his first taste of the action as well and what a treat he gave us. He gave us the lead three minutes into the game. Not via the route you would expect. A back post strike that should have been a header from a Massadio Haidara cross, now that's Mitrovic territory. His finish was reminded me of Laurent Robert, his celebration that of Hatem Ben Arfa. What if could really pull that off? 

    He is just getting and just gave us a glimpse of might be in for from the talented Frenchman. He went on to set up the rest of the three. By the end of the game, Thauvin had equalled Cabella's tally of goals and surpassed our previous no.20's tally for assists for last season.
    • Here is his first goal for the toon.
  • Siem de Jong saw action and scored as well. Happy days indeed.
  • There was another warm welcome back into the side for Daryl Janmaat who also ended up on the scoresheet.
  • Cheikh Tiote was incredibly rusty according to the onlookers at the game. He picked up a booking, gave away a pen and a free-kick in a very dangerous area, all in the opening twenty minutes. His rust was  pretty evident in the games earlier this season as well. It can't get worse now can it?
  • Yoan Gouffran played in the centre of midfield. Don't know why. This would have been a perfect opportunity to blood someone like Olivier Kemen. I don't know why but the situation looks eerily similar to Paul Pogba's at Manchester United. Make it happen, Steve.
  • Mike Williamson was just doing Mike Williamson thing viz. hoofing the ball at every opportunity. The painstaking work of watching him in a black and white shirt was just a little bearable owing to his goal in the sixtieth minutes from a marvellous Florian Thauvin

So that's done and dusted then, the only things that were missing were some rave reviews of Ayoze and Rolando Aarons, who had a run outs as well. Their time will come I hope.

To make things better, we got another home draw for the next round. We got Sheffield Wednesday up next and there is no reason why shouldn't beat them. Cup run, here we come.

Full game highlights:

Random fact:

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