Newcastle 1-0 Norwich: 6 Things We Learned

By Tom Davidson /

Sandwiched between the heavyweight bouts of Liverpool vs Manchester United and Manchester City against Arsenal was last season's 2 surprise packages Newcastle United (who surprised even themselves and finished 5th) and Norwich City (who were comfortably safe despite being tipped for relegation) going head-to-head at St. James' Park in a 3 o'clock kick off. It was Chris Hughton's first return to the North East since his sacking almost 2 years ago and he recieved huge applause from the Geordie faithful who are keen to recognize what he did for the club; guiding them back to the Premiership in their first attempt. The game was a scrappy affair with few chances and fewer goals. Norwich played in the increasingly popular 4-2-3-1/4-5-1 with star striker Grant Holt on the bench whereas Newcastle reverted to 4-4-2 after the first half horror show against Everton when they attempted to play 4-3-3. Thanks to superbly taken goal by Demba Ba (ably assisted by live-wire Ben Arfa) Newcastle managed to come away with all 3 points and have now got 7 out of 9 at home this season. We knew Demba Ba was a good finisher before the game, but what was learnt in those 90 minutes about the Magpies who are now in the midst of a hellish run of games?

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1. Mike Williamson Is An Able Deputy

Although Ben Arfa will once again get the plaudits for another great performance this week (once again he was Newcastle€™s main attacking threat) it was Mike Williamson who caught the eye. The 3rd-choice centre-back is often maligned for his positional play and tendency to give away fouls but against Norwich he was excellent and a contender for MotM. He won 11 aerial duels, blocked a header on-the-line and even won a penalty (which Papiss Cisse then blasted over the bar). He also made 15 clearances and conceded only 4 fouls all game, which must be some sort of record for the 28-year-old. Pardew will still be eagerly awaiting the return of his curly-haired Captain but should Williamson maintain this kind of form in the Europa League he could push either Steven Taylor or Fabricio Collocini for a first team place regardless of injuries. A healthy competition for first team places should lead to better performances from the players who do manage do get their names on the team sheet.