Newcastle United were far from their best against Crystal Palace but will still be frustrated to not leave with three points.
Saturday’s trip to Selhurst Park ended in a 1-1 draw after a stoppage-time equaliser from Daniel Munoz cancelled out Newcastle United’s lead.
Ironically, Marc Guehi gave Newcastle the lead after a well-worked free-kick routine ended with Anthony Gordon’s low cross. Newcastle’s top summer transfer target couldn’t get out the way and ended up scoring an own goal.
However, Guehi bounced back and provided an assist for Munoz in the dying seconds of the game. Newcastle had defended resiliently but were finally broken down and left with one point.
Howe made two changes to his side against Palace, with Dan Burn and Sandro Tonali returning to the starting lineup.
Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United is under pressure from Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace ...
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Sandro Tonali was excellent vs Crystal Palace
The last few weeks have been frustrating for Tonali after he was named on the bench for three consecutive Premier League matches.
Sean Longstaff boasted an incredible record as a starter, but that came to an end during last week’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham. Against Palace, it was Tonali who started ahead of Longstaff.
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Newcastle fans were buzzing to see Tonali start, and it turned out to be a brilliant decision from Howe with the Italy international thriving in the deep defensive midfield role.
To summarise just how effective Tonali was in midfield, he won 100% of his five ground duels while also making three tackles, one interception and three clearances.
He also brings much more composure and control in midfield than Longstaff. Newcastle ended with 52% possession but the major problems came further up the pitch with the Magpies struggling to create chances.
Dan Burn was the biggest winner vs Crystal Palace
While Tonali put on a brilliant display against Palace, the biggest winner from the match was Burn.
Burn was sorely missed by Newcastle against West Ham last week, with Lloyd Kelly struggling to fill his boots at centre-back.
The 32-year-old returned to the backline against Palace and was arguably Newcastle’s best player on the day. Had it not been for Burn, there was a good chance Newcastle left the capital emptyhanded.
BBC pundit Michael Brown was impressed by Burn against Palace and hailed his “brilliant” defending to deny Munoz from close range.
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Burn was given a 7.6 rating on SofaScore – the highest of any Newcastle player on the pitch. He made a whopping six clearances, three tackles and won six total duels to help the Magpies dig in and keep Palace out.
Newcastle have a big contract decision to make when it comes to Burn, with his current deal active until 2026. At the moment, he is a key player for Howe.
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