Newcastle weren't reliant on Nick Woltemade's goals to beat Benfica on Tuesday evening
Sean McCormick is a football writer covering Newcastle United for ChronicleLive. After starting his career covering North East sport, he has had a spell working as an editor on the Manchester Evening News. He also writes about darts and boxing. He joined us in 2016.
Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon eased the burden on Newcastle goalscorer Nick Woltemade against BenficaView Image
There was a lot to like about Newcastle's performance in their 3-0 win over Benfica.
Newcastle's wingers finally clicked into gear in front of goal, some of the link up play in the forward areas looked seamless, the Magpies kept a seventh clean sheet of the season and goalkeeper Nick Pope even bagged himself an assist.
It also secured a second consecutive Champions League win for the first time since 2003 and has left Eddie Howe's team in a positive position in the league phase table.
But the fact Newcastle won without Nick Woltemade scoring a goal would have pleased Howe the most. For the first time since the German forward joined the club, the Magpies won a game he started without relying on the 23-year-old scoring a goal.
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Woltemade has been excellent since joining Newcastle in a club record £69million move in the summer and has scored five goals already in all competitions.
But the goalscoring load has been spread far too thinly elsewhere in the team, particularly in the Premier League. In fact, Howe had to field questions about his wingers' lack of output before the Benfica match.
"We have meetings with them all the time - individually, as units and a team. We are constantly working on all phases of our game," Howe told reporters before the Benfica game.
"There is an onus and a responsibility on the attacking players to contribute, but sometimes the problem doesn’t always exist with what you’re directly looking at and there is another reason behind it. It’s about giving everyone accountability within the team, myself included, to find a solution.
"It’s down to the team. Nick has more than played his part, he has really helped the team. I think the team can do more [to create chances].
"I think the wingers can do more, the creative midfielders can do more, our full backs can do more - they have been an incredible creative force for us for a long time. We need goals from set pieces, from free kicks and corners, there are many ways to score a goal."
His wingers stepped up in a big way against Benfica, with Anthony Gordon scoring the first goal and Harvey Barnes bagging a brace. Woltemade's performance was excellent but if Newcastle aren't relying him to be the sole goalscoring threat, it should ease the pressure on their talisman.
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And if Woltemade has thrived in those circumstances already, his game could go to another level if he feels that greater sense of freedom.