AARON RAMSDALE VS NICK POPE: THE GOALKEEPER WHO SOLVES NEWCASTLE'S PRESSING PROBLEM
Aaron Ramsdale showcased elite distribution, dissecting Everton's press with a crucial pass, leading to a goal chance. Eddie Howe praises the new dynamic Ramsdale brings over Nick Pope.
Newcastle United's victory was clear long before the 79th minute at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Newcastle fans in the corner were ecstatic. They were enjoying their hard-won Premier League away victory.
The Newcastle team was having fun on the field. Everton showed some fight, with Thierno Barry having a goal disallowed prior to Kieran Dewsbury-Hall scoring a consolation goal. Then, United took charge again and kept the ball for almost a minute, spreading play across the field before returning it to goalie Aaron Ramsdale.
The travelling fans were so pleased they could have started chanting 'ole' as Newcastle toyed with Everton. Many home fans had already left.
Ramsdale stood casually, his foot on the ball inside his penalty area. Everton pushed forward to press, with three midfielders pressuring Lewis Miley and Bruno Guimaraes. Barry moved towards Ramsdale, blocking the pass to Malick Thiaw.
The United goalie could have kicked the ball long towards Nick Woltemade, who is physically big, or passed left to Dan Burn, the safer option.
Instead, he rolled the ball forward and sent a perfect pass through Everton's midfield to Joe Willock, who was unmarked. That single, precise pass broke through the press and launched a United attack.
The attack almost resulted in a fifth goal. Willock exchanged passes with Woltemade and then moved towards the defence before passing to Jacob Ramsey on his left, whose shot was saved by Jordan Pickford. If the shot had scored, it would have been one of the best goals of the weekend.
Ramsdale showed what he brings to Newcastle in that moment. He may not be as good at stopping shots as Nick Pope, but his passing is better. Pope has many good traits, but beating the press with a through ball isn't one of them.
Nick and Aaron are goalies with different strengths, Eddie Howe said.
They are still good. Today, Aaron showed his good footwork and distributed the ball well.
Newcastle were often challenged by teams that press high, as they knew Pope didn't have the traits to help them build from the back like Ederson, Alisson, Pickford, or Raya. Ramsdale offers a different aspect to United's play.
Now, it seems like the No. 1 shirt is Ramsdale’s to keep. Howe did not say if Pope would have been dropped if he hadn't hurt his groin in training. Either way, Ramsdale took his chance.
He gets to play longer, playing against Spurs on Tuesday night. He also played against them earlier in the season in the Carabao Cup.
EXPERT ANALYSIS: EDDIE HOWE IDENTIFIES "CONFIDENCE" AS THE KEY TO FIXING NEWCASTLE’S AWAY FORM
Despite a nervy second half, Eddie Howe’s side clinched their second away win of the season. Read the full Turf Moor match report.
Eddie Howe’s team barely scraped by Burnley, grabbing only their second Premier League away win this season.
The Magpies jumped ahead quickly with a goal from Joelinton at Turf Moor. Soon after, Yoane Wissa, in his debut Premier League start for the club, made it 2-0. Josh Laurent then scored an awesome volley, cutting the lead in half. Newcastle clung to their lead until Bruno Guimaraes scored a third goal during stoppage time.
It wasn't a pretty game for Newcastle United on that cold night in Lancashire. They needed those three points, especially after that tough loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Friday.
This win nudged Howe’s team into the top half of the Premier League, with Crystal Palace and Leeds United up next. But, let's be real, their play didn't exactly inspire confidence that they've turned things around away from home.
Eddie Howe shared his thoughts on Newcastle United’s win over Burnley. What’s the answer to their away game struggles? Howe thinks it boils down to ‘confidence.’
“I think we've been close before. I feel we're headed in the right direction when you look at how we’re playing, Howe said as he talked about his team’s showing.
“If you keep playing well, you’ll win. Manchester United is a good example. I don’t think we played badly, and we had chances to get more from the game. We didn't score, but we played well overall.
“I think we will win games because of the kind of play that we have, and that’s what happened. We're not feeling super confident right now, which is clear.
“But, I think it’s mostly a confidence thing. And the only way to fix that is to win the next game.”
Howe said this: “It was a huge win for us. I don't think it matters how we got it. We just needed to get it.
“We started really strong, knowing how crucial this game was. I can’t say enough about how the players fought through it.
“That second half was significant for us. We had to make it.
“I give the players credit for finishing the game and showing the team's character.”
Newcastle United now has a few days to chill after the win at Turf Moor before heading back to Tyneside for four home games in a row. First up is Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. After that, they’re up against Daniel Farke’s Leeds United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday, January 7.
Then, they’ve got two cup games against Premier League teams. They’re hosting Bournemouth in the FA Cup and then playing the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
EDDIE HOWE ADDRESSES ALAN SHEARER’S COMMENTS BEFORE TONIGHT’S MAJOR KICKOFF AT BURNLEY
Alan Shearer sets a massive challenge for Newcastle United: win the next four games to ignite their 2026 Premier League campaign.
Before tonight's game against Burnley, Alan Shearer told Newcastle United what he wants to see in the next month.
Newcastle is currently 14th in the Premier League, which isn't good enough, but there's still a lot of the season left.
Even though Eddie Howe isn't in danger of losing his job, people are still worried about how the team is playing.
Another loss at Burnley on Tuesday would really increase the pressure. Alan Shearer thinks this game could be the start of something better.
Newcastle United Needs to Win Their Next Four Games
On Match of the Day, the Newcastle United legend sounded positive about the team's next few games and & thinks this could turn their season around.
He said, Yes, this could change things. A few weeks ago, everyone thought Fulham would get demoted, but they've won three straight games, and & now they're in the top half.
Newcastle needs to do that. Their next four games are against Burnley, Palace, Leeds, and Wolves. They have a good chance to win some.
These four league games are part of a busy January for Newcastle, with important Champions League matches against PSV Eindhoven and PSG and an FA Cup game against Bournemouth, as well as the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final versus Man City.
This period of games could really make or break Newcastle's season.
He should stay until the end of the season so everyone can make a better decision instead of rushing into anything. Hopefully, there will be more choices to replace him by the summer.
Where Newcastle Could Be If They Win
Let's say Newcastle wins all four of their games. It might happen, but those 12 points might just push Newcastle to just outside the top five or six in the league.
Aston Villa could get no points during that time and still be ahead of Newcastle before they play each other at the end of January. That shows how far apart Newcastle and Aston Villa are this season.
Still, getting to 35 points before the end of next month would really help Newcastle. The teams above them will probably also get points, so Newcastle might not move up the table much, but it's important for them to catch up to their rivals soon.