Newcastle United

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

I popped down the road to Newcastle at the weekend for the visit of Nottingham Forest, expecting the unexpected. Forest recently won 7-0 against Brighton and lost 5-0 to Bournemouth in successive games. Newcastle have similar Jekyll and Hyde tendencies. Neither let the recent narrative down in a breathless seven-goal thriller. Newcastle were exceptional in the first half and the visitors abject. They changed ends at the break and suddenly Newcastle were abject and Forest very good.

Not only is it impossible to predict their games, it is impossible to guess from one half to the next. This is why the race for the European places is such a joy this season. The gap between third and 11th is only seven points and any one of those nine clubs is well capable of finishing in the top five.

Newcastle fans are conflicted about what they would prefer between Champions League football or winning the EFL Cup against Liverpool in a couple of weeks. I guess most local fans would choose the glory of their first major domestic trophy since the 1950s, whereas the hierarchy and maybe even the manager might go for the financial grail of the Champions League.

In the longer term, things look good. Their youngsters Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall have the full-back positions sorted for a generation, but the real upcoming star will probably be Lewis Miley. Last season, when he was only 17, I said he could be an England international in the making.

Since then, he has had injuries and this was his first league start for a year. He still scored the Toon's opener, played with the assurance of a seasoned campaigner and looked to me as good as anyone in the midfield already. This kid is going to be a true star.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Sweden striker Alexander Isak may be allowed to leave Newcastle if they do not qualify for next season's Champions League, with Liverpool and Arsenal interested in the 25-year-old. (Mirror, external)

Newcastle are considering a summer move for Atalanta's Nigeria striker Ademola Lookman, 27, and could face competition from Manchester United. (Teamtalk, external)

Lookman will leave Atalanta after falling out with manager Gian Piero Gasperini. (Sky Sports Switzerland - in French, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Newcastle may have fallen over the line in seeing off Nottingham Forest but their endeavour during the win was noteworthy.

The Magpies clocked 109.6km of running as a team compared to 103.47km for Forest.

Furthermore, the Magpies produced 173 sprints, with Forest on 35 fewer.

Are Nuno Espirito Santo's side running out of steam given their superb season so far? Or are Eddie Howe's side finding that extra bit of hustle at the business end of the campaign?

Bruno Guimaraes (11.7km) and Lewis Miley (11.2km) broke the 11km barrier, with no Forest player doing so.

Left-back Lewis Hall was the busiest player on the day with a game-high 96 touches. He completed 89% of his passes, including an impressive 92% of passes he attempted in the final third.

No player had more duels than Hall's 17 and the former Chelsea player won 11 of them. Hall created three chances on the day, with only Forest's Chris Wood reaching the same figure.

You've heard the cliche - now we can show it.

The above graphic, newly available via the Match Stats tab on every Premier League match report, demonstrates starkly how the pendulum swung in Sunday's ding-dong game between Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.

Essentially, the visual represents every minute of the game and shows the likelihood each team had of scoring in that moment of the match.

The more likely a goal for a team, the bigger the bar.

So in the first half, the glut of yellow bars represents just how dominant Newcastle were, obviously having four goals to show for it.

However, after the break, back came Forest, and the swathe of white demonstrates their pressure on the Newcastle goal and just how close they came to getting back on terms.

To get into the weeds of how it works, check out our full explainer here and make sure to keep an eye out on every game your team plays in the Premier League from now on.

• Not a Newcastle fan? Find and follow your team's page here

Image source, PA Media

Eddie Howe hopes to find a solution to the "inconsistent" spells between and during games which have been a feature of Newcastle's season.

The Magpies responded to a heavy defeat at Manchester City by beating Nottingham Forest 4-3 at home on Sunday.

Newcastle scored four goals in a blistering first-half period, but Forest fought back from 4-1 behind at the break and almost earned a point.

"The challenge we need to pose each other as a group is to find solutions in those moments to help the players," Howe said. "That's what I'll go away now and try to figure out.

"This has happened too many times this season, where we've been inconsistent game to game, but we've been inconsistent in-game as well.

"Ultimately we've won the game so I have to be very pleased. That was a tough game - we knew it was going to be - but the players were magnificent in their response to conceding, so loads of good stuff to take away and of course some stuff to improve.

"We need to know when we go to Liverpool [on Wednesday] what we're going to get. Our learning and future growth is going to be, even within games, finding that way of playing that we don't deviate from."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

Anth: Elation, frustration, stress and then panic left me in an emotional puddle! From Mount Everest to the ocean floor! A game of two halves just doesn't do that justice. I'm grateful for the three points and loved the first half, but I had to borrow fingernails at the end as the second half screeched towards its inevitable, excruciating conclusion. Liverpool looming fills me with not a little trepidation!

Tony: Eddie Howe says we are at our best when we play free-flowing, attacking football. That's what we did in the first half and blew Forest away - we were unplayable. Second half was abysmal and we let Forest get a foothold, get back into the game and get hope. This side is either brilliant or awful, with no in between.

Davy: Three valuable points and back to winning ways. However, lots still to be concerned about. Sloppy passing throughout and constantly losing possession. Made what should have been an easy victory into a difficult one. Three points though and a magnificent performance from Lewis Hall.

• Not a Newcastle fan? Find and follow your team here

Mark: The defensive implosion, not just in this game but in recent games in general, has been very worrying. That's seven conceded in our past two in the league, or 14 in the past five. That's not going to get us Champions League football, no matter what Alexander Isak does at the other end. No game has better summed up just how devastating we can be - both to ourselves and opponents.

Kian: Sums up our season! Great attacking football first half then enter the second half, sit back and drip feed goals back to the opposition. It seems both sets of fans looked despondent after the game. That says it all - but great for the neutral! It's been a lifetime, literally, since we won a cup so let's see how many goals we can hold back against Liverpool at Anfield next.

Jill: Why on earth does the team act like a pricked balloon when they have a good lead? It seems as if they imagine they can cruise to victory, when with effort they can keep on the front foot. They are not good enough yet to be able to control a whole game against teams they imagine are weaker than themselves. Or is it complacency, which would be horrible to see?

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney has praised the "maturity" of Newcastle United academy graduate Lewis Miley, after the 18-year-old scored in Newcastle's 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest.

Speaking on Match of the Day 2, Deeney said Miley gives Eddie Howe another "great option" in central midfield.

"Take away from that baby face, this is a mature man playing in midfield," he added. "To drop Sandro Tonali and put Lewis Miley in there shows the confidence Eddie Howe has in him.

"When you watch him, he plays it and he doesn't just stand there and watch, he gets after the ball again and keeps himself as an option.

"He is always in space. He has always got time because he plays it and goes forward again.

"He isn't happy just watching his work, you can see his tenacity. How many times does he win headers? It's like he says: 'No problem, let's keep the ball alive.'

"These are all the scrappy things you don't get in under-23s football, such as doing your job at the back post where most young players would switch off.

"He is from the Toon and you can tell he wants this so bad. This isn't somebody who plays under-23s football, this is someone who is a mature young man."

Catch up on Match of the Day 2 here

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

• Newcastle 4-3 Nottingham Forest

• Man City 0-2 Liverpool

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle looked to be heading for a landslide victory after four goals in 11 first-half minutes put them 4-1 up against Nottingham Forest, but a slack second half performance almost cost them dear.

The home side reacted brilliantly to Callum Hudson-Odoi's opener, with Lewis Miley, Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak all getting on the scoresheet.

On his 76th Premier League appearance Isak scored his 50th goal in the league; only six players have reached that milestone quicker.

The second half was a different story, with the hosts looking shaky at set-pieces and unable to control the game.

Nikola Milenkovic and Ryan Yates pulled goals back for Forest but Newcastle hung on to win 4-3.

"I don't know whether it was because we were protecting the lead and that subconsciously affects our performance," Magpies boss Eddie Howe told BBC Match of the Day after the game.

"I have to remind myself that we won the game and ultimately that's the most important thing."

There's plenty for Newcastle to work on, but with 12 games left to play they are fifth in the table.

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I am trying to control my thoughts and stay positive. We have won the game and that is what we needed to do.

"I thought it was a great performance in the first half and we were everything we weren't at Manchester City. We didn't manage the game well but overall we are happy with the win.

"It was always a difficult game and when they took the early lead you know you have an big task. I thought we were great with the ball and looked dynamic but then a couple of frailties showed in terms of defending set plays.

"When you win and you have things to improve, that is a good start point. That's what I'll take away from today.

"We can reflect on that 45 minutes and there are things that we can do better. We pride ourselves on doing better and getting the details right."

On Alexander Isak reaching 50 Premier League goals: "It is huge and when he plays like he did in the first half he is massive for us. He showed his pace and the timing of the run was excellent. Big player."

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United have won 13 of their last 16 games in all competitions (L3). Since the first match of this run on December 14th, it is the most wins by any Premier League side.

Alexander Isak scored his 49th and 50th Premier League goals, making him the highest scoring Swedish player in the competition's history, overtaking Freddie Ljungberg (48).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Forest's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Two matches make up Sunday's Premier League action and we will bring you every kick.

• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest (14:00) - follow the action here

• Man City v Liverpool (16:30) - follow the action here

All kick-off times GMT

Full commentary of both games on BBC Radio 5 Live

As the BBC's predictions expert I always try to go with my head and not my heart.

That's what I am doing with this game, which is big for both teams in the battle for the top four.

I'd love to say my boyhood club, Nottingham Forest, will respond to their defeat at Fulham but this game is actually quite simple for me to predict because I am expecting Newcastle to bounce back from their woeful performance and result against Manchester City last weekend.

I just think there will be a big reaction from Alexander Isak, who was kept really quiet by City, and a real response from their whole team.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On whether defender Sven Botman will be fit for the game against Forest: "I don't think he will be fit and available for this weekend. We are going to have to see how things stand over the weekend for next week. He is making progress but just not as quickly as we wanted him to. He is very much on track, just not quite ready."

• Injured midfielder Joelinton is "doing really well" but Howe didn't give a timescale for his return.

• Howe was keen to praise goalkeeper Martin Dubravka after he signed a new contract with the club, stating: "Pleased to sign Martin to a new contract, I thought he was important in January and we definitely didn't want to de-stabilise the team or the group with a departure in a position we couldn't afford. Delighted that he is staying."

• Howe also spoke about a new contract for defender Emil Krafth: "With Emil, his character and attitude stands out. He is a reliable, consistent performer, but his versatility and ability to play different roles is so important for a small squad to have a player who can cover various positions. Whenever he has played this year he has been very, very good. I think he fully deserves his contract extension."

• Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood was praised heavily by his former manager, who said: "I think he has been outstanding. Chris, when he came to us, helped us in a really difficult situation fighting relegation. We felt we needed a focal point in that position, somebody who could take a lot of pressure off of us as a team and give us a physical presence. I thought he did all of those things and was outstanding for the team. I'm delighted for him on a personal level because he is a great character and gave everything for us."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

Former Newcastle defender Steve Howey believes the new contract for goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is "very good news" for the team.

He told BBC Radio Newcastle: "He's certainly been more than capable of filling Nick Pope's shoes.

"His performances since he took over from Pope have been excellent. Like all goalkeepers, sometimes if you make an error it leads to a goal, but he's been very consistent.

"There was talk of him going over to Saudi Arabia, so the deal from Newcastle is probably a very good one that he's happy with."

You can listen to the full discussion here

Newcastle are interested in Bournemouth's Ghana striker Antoine Semenyo, 25. (Talksport), external

The Magies are ready to pay Brentford £50m for Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo, 25. (Football Insider), external

Newcastle will sign Burnley and England goalkeeper James Trafford, 22, this summer, even if the Clarets are promoted to the Premier League. (Mail Plus - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka says Newcastle "holds a special place in my heart" after signing a new contract with the Premier League club.

Dubravka, 36, has made 178 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions, keeping 54 clean sheets, since joining initially on loan in 2018.

This campaign, the Slovakia international has featured 14 times, keeping seven clean sheets.

"I had a really positive discussion with the gaffer and sporting director and we all agreed that it would be best if I stayed here," Dubravka told club media.

"I have a really special connection here with the club, the staff and the fans. My children were born here, so they are Geordies now, and this club holds a special place in my heart.

"I feel that the team is in a really good place at the minute, with how we are doing in the league and obviously being in two cup competitions is really exciting."

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: "Martin is a high-quality goalkeeper who has performed brilliantly for Newcastle United over the years.

"He has stepped back into the team recently and performed very well, demonstrating his value within a strong goalkeeping unit.

"It's no secret that he had options to move on in January, but he deserves huge credit for keeping his focus. We are delighted Martin is staying with us."

Newcastle have not disclosed the length of Dubravka's new contract.

Image source, Getty Images

Defender Emil Krafth says Newcastle "feels like home" after signing a one-year contract extension with the Magpies.

It means the 30-year-old is set to stay with the club until the end of the 2025-26 season.

Since joining from French side Amiens in 2019, Krafth has made 93 appearances for Newcastle.

Having spent a number of weeks out with a broken collarbone, the Sweden international has featured eight times across all competitions for Eddie Howe's side this campaign.

"I'm delighted to extend my time at Newcastle United for another year. It's an exciting time to be part of this club," Krafth told club media.

"We have a lot to play for throughout the rest of this season and I'm looking forward playing my part in helping the team finish the season in a positive way.

"It feels like home here for both me and my family, having been here for such a long time. We all enjoy everything about being part of this club and I love playing for Newcastle United."

Newcastle boss Howe said: "He is an incredible professional in the way he trains, plays and conducts himself. He offers us versatility in defensive positions, which is vital to have, along with vast experience and a steadying influence.

"He will continue to be an important part of our squad on and off the pitch."