Key events
Eddie Howe: “There was a lot of relief in our emotions at the end,” says Newcastle’s manager in a chat with Sky Sports. “It wasn’t a fantastic performance from us but it was a gritty one, a determined one. We wanted to show a response from the Brighton performance and you’ve seen that – a clean sheet and three points.
“At any club you can’t lose games on a consistent basis because it becomes a habit. We wanted to bounce back and today was a tricky one for us. Brentford are a very good team who make the game set-piece orientated. We had to deal with that and make sure we didn’t concede.”
Match report: Newcastle 1-0 Brentford
Premier League: “Without Callum Wilson here, Newcastle’s winless run would almost certainly have stretched to four matches,” writes Louside Taylor from St James’ Park. “Instead his impeccable second-half penalty was a rare moment of perfection, camouflaging the fast-developing faultlines running through a side possibly distracted by an impending European adventure.”
Callum Wilson: “It was massive,” says Newcastle’s goalscorer of his team’s win in an interview with Sky Sports. “I think the international break came at a good time for us because we were on a losing streak and needed to get back to winning ways. We were able to regroup and work on a few things that needed improving. Today we had to win ugly but the three points is the main thing.”
Meanwhile in Italy: AC Milan have been hammered 5-1 by city rivals Inter ahead of their match against Newcastle at the San Siro on Turesday night.
Full time: Newcastle 1-0 Brentford
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeep! It’s aqll over at St James’ Park, where Newcastle have ended their their tyhree-match losing streak with a scrappy win over Brentford. Callum Wilson scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot, after a clumsy, needless challenge from Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken gave Craig Pawson a tricky decision to make.
Brentford may argue that he didn’t make the right one and they might have a point, but at worst Antony Gordon gamed the system by “forcing the contact” as he went to ground.
90+9 min: From that corner, they win a third in quick succession, Callum Wilson kicking it wide off the shins of a defender after Anthony Gordon had played the ball his way down b y the flag.
90+8 min: Newcastle win a corner, followed by a throw-in, followed by another corner deep in Brentford territory.
90+6 min: The yellow card comes out again and is brandished in the general direction of Bruno Guimaraes for a foul on somebody or other.
90+4 min: As Newcastle try to count down the clock by keeping the ball near the corner flag, Callum Wilsomn is booked for barging into an opponent and trying to slow down the subsequent free-kick. Anthony Gordon is shown a yellow card for dissent moments later.
90+3 min: Brentford win a free-kick near the corner flag. The ball is sent drifting towards the far post, where Yoane Wissa fails to make decent contact with his header. Nick Pope had been drawn off his line and failed to get near the ball, so that was a terrific chance that went to waste.
90 min: We’ll have a minimum of nine minutes of added time. Nine!!! Plus whatever Craig Pawson decides to add on for any stoppages that may arise during those nine minutes.
89 min: Nothing comes from the set-piece and Newcastle clear their lines.
88 min: Berating a hasty retreat, Dan Burn does just enough to get back, slide in with a well-timed challenge and poke the ball off the toe of a marauding Kevin Schade. Corner for Brentford.
86 min: Newcastle have a free-kick directly in front of the Brentford goal, about 35 yards from goal. Scahr and Trippier stand over the bar, neither of them shoots and the dink towards the left upright is cleared.
84 min: Good play from Lewis-Potter who stands the ball up nicely for Yoane Wissa on the edge of the six-yard box. From a standing sdtart, he’s unable to get much power behind his header and Nick Pope saves easily.
83 min: Brentford substitution: Aaron Hickey makes way for Keane Lewis-Potter. Newcastle substitution: Harvey Barnes goes off to be replaced by Miguel Almiron.
Penalty overturned …
82 min: Having been summoned to his pitchside monitor to review the incident, Craig Pawson decides not to award Newcastle their second penalty of the game after all. It’s the right decision, although Newcastle fans might beg to differ.
Penalty for Newcastle!
With Ethan Pinbnock on the ground holding his shin, Newcastle play on regardless, as is their God-given right. Anthony Gordon sends a cross to the far post, where Harvey Barnes’s downward header hits the hand of Bryan Mbeumo via his head. Mbeumo had his back to the ball, was in an aerial duel with Barnes and knew absolutely nothing about it. That is ridiculous.
78 min: A Kevin Schade shot that might have been intended as a cross fails to trouble Nick Pope at his near post. The Newcastle goalkeeper saves the ball comfortably.
76 min: There’s a long VAR check for a possible Newcastle penalty, for a ball that clearly struck the shoulder of Mads Roerslav as it was corssed into the Brentford penalty area. No spot-kick is awarded and rightfully so.
72 min: Brentford triple substitution: Neal Maupay, Frank Oneyka and Kevin Schade on for Ben Mee, Vitaly Janelt and Christian Norgaard.
69 min: There’s an imp[romptu drinks break as Ben Mee receives treatment for an injury.
67 min: After a madcap two minutes, Mark Flekken sufficiently composes himself to come off his line and successfully pluck a Dan Burn cross from the air without incident.
64 min: Moments after Wilson blasts the ball past Flekken, the Brentford goalkeeper is booked, presumably for repeatedly complaining about the spot-kick being awarded in the first place. He has no defence – Aaron Hicky sold him short with a backpass and Anthony Gordon was too clever for the goalkeeper, making sure to get between him and the ball before going down.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 Brentford (Wilson 63pen)
Newcastle lead! Callum Wilson scores from the spot to give Newcastle the lead.
Penalty for Newcastle
61 min: Mark Flekken is penalised for bringing down Anthony Gordon as he rushes out of his goal to the left side of his penalty area, bringing down Gordon with his left knee. It was a very rash challenge which the goalkeeper had no need to make. Aaron Hickey did him no favours with a dodgy backpass.
Goal disallowed: Newcastle 0-0 Brentford
It’s as you were. Wilson’s goal is ruled out on the back of a VAR check as he is adjudged to have fouled Flekken by backing into him. I think it’s a harsh decision and the Brentford goalkeeper is has got away with one there. He had completely missed the ball as he attempted to punch a cross clear, an error that led to the aforementioned goalmouth scramble in the first place.
GOAL! Newcasdtle 1-0 Brentford (Wilson 57)
Newcaslte lead! Callum Wilson takes advantage of some questionable goalkeeping to back into Mark Flekken and stab the ball home from a couple of yards out after a goalmouth scramble.
56 min: On the touchline, Brentford manager Thomas Frank has his tactics board out and is moving magnetic discs around in a fervour.
54 min: Newcastle are completely dominating the early stages of this second half but haven’t created any chances of note thus far.
51 min: Dan Burn gets on the ball again and advances down the left before playing it to Harvey Barnes. The ball finds its way out wide to Trippier, whose cross is headed clear. Moments later, Harvey Barnes sends a cross into the Brentford penalty area from the left but it’s a little too high for its intended target, Anthony Gordon.
49 min: It’s spookily quiet at St James’ Park, where the home team’s build-up play is ponderous in the extreme. Dan Burn gets the ball in a promising position out wide, takes on Mathias Jensen and immeditely loses it.
47 min: Anthony Gordon goes down holding his knee after getting caught by the follow-through of an Aaron Hickey back-pass to Flekken. He’s back on his feet soon enough and looks OK to continue. Referee Craig Pawson drops the ball for Ethan Pinnock to resume play uncontested.
47 min: Another big boot from Flekken, who sends a back-pass out of play for a Newcastle throw-in near the halfway line.
Second half: Newcastle 0-0 Brentford
46 min: Play resumes with Brentford on the ball. There are no further changes in personnel. Mark Flekken launches the ball forward for Brentford but it’s headed clear.
Half-time analysis: “That’s one of the hardest positions for a goalkeeper, between your legs,” says Shay Given, prompting schoolboy titters from Jamie Redknapp and Dave Jones in the Sky Sports studio. At least I think that’s what they were laughing at; it was certainly what I was laughing at.
Half-time: Newcastle United 0-0 Brentford
Peep! Craig Pawson signals the end of a fairly uneventful first half and the teams traipse off. Brentford started in the ascendency but Newcastle have gradually grown into a game of very few chances. It’s all square at St James’ Park and here’s hoping for a more entertaining second half.
45+5 min: Bryan Mbeumo heads harmlessly over the bar from a Brentford corner.
45+2 min: Kieran Trippier has his foot trod on by Christian Noorgard but doesn’t get a free-kick. Brentfortd launch a quick counter-attack and get Yoane Wissa in behind the Newcastle backline, only for Schar and Sven Botman to scramble, regroup and clear the ball between them.
45+1 min: We’ll have a minimum of five minutes of added time, most of it for the spells Fabian Schar and Rico Henry spent getting treatment for injuries.
45 min: Since Rico Henry’s departure, his replacement Mads Roerslev has taken up position on the right flank, with Aaron Hickey moving across to the left.
43 min: Christian Noorgard is booked for a foul on Harvey Barnes and Newcastle have a free-kick in the inside left channel. Kieran Trippier sends the ball into the mixer but it’s headed back towards him by Mee. Newcastle’s right-back blasts his follow-up high over the bar.
41 min: The stretcher-bearers arrive to carry Henry off the pitch but he is already on his feet and hobbling to the touchline. He’s replaced by Mads Roerslev and hopefully his injury isn’t too bad.
39 min: Kieran Trippier quickly kicks the ball out of play as Rico Henry goes down with what looks like quite a serious knee injury. The duo were tussling for the ball near the corner flag deep in the Newcastle half and Henry’s knee seemed to twist and go out from under him.
38 min: Kieran Trippier sends a cross into the penalty area that’s a might too high for Callum Wilson, who gets his head to it anyway but can’t steer it goalwards. In a better position behind him, Harvey Barnes tells Wilson he should have left it for him. Wilson replies by saying he didn’t hear any call from his teammate.