Newcastle stole a point against Bournemouth after going 0-2 down to maintain their unbeaten start in the Premier League.
As for the Cherries, it was yet another example of them starting strong but failing to see things off at the end. Late goals conceded against Manchester City, Everton and now the Magpies mean they have yet to win a game in the new season.
Most of the action went down in the first half at St. James’ Park. Marcus Tavernier put the visitors 1-0 up and a Malick Thiaw own goal double the Cherries’ lead 35 minutes in. Harvey Barnes quickly responded with a stunning, curling effort and Jacob Ramsey put them level in the 88th minute.
Despite all this, what Marco Rose’s side did in the first 45 minutes is definitely what stood out the most. So let’s start there.
How did Newcastle vs Bournemouth unfold?
Bournemouth’s relentless first half
Bournemouth have failed to hold their good football for 90 minutes so far this season. But they really turned it up a notch in the first half today against Newcastle.
Their intense 4-4-2 out-of-possession shape really troubled the hosts and made life difficult for them. Going in man-to-man press, they straight up stole the ball from the Magpies near the goal. In a more zonal, structured and rested look, closed all the passing lanes and left them no options.
The Cherries recovered possession 13 times in the attacking half during the first half. This is a new record for any side in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game this season.
And they were also incredibly sharp to turn those recoveries into goalscoring opportunities. They went into half time with 13 shot attempts – equalling the most of any team in a first half this year. Chelsea previously established this number on opening weekend against Fulham.
But it was also the second most of any visiting side across the last 10 seasons.
The hosts were rather lucky to not have conceded more as well. Three minutes after Tavernier’s opener, Evanilson had a clear-cut chance to double Bournemouth’s lead but placed it over the bar.
Tavernier himself also could have had a brace a few minutes before Thiaw’s own goal. But his attempt was poor and weak, giving Lukas Hornicek an easy save in what should have been a goal.
Newcastle’s lifeline
It took a moment of pure magic from Harvey Barnes for Newcastle to get back into the game against Bournemouth. But it was the Cherries’ own doing that gave them the opportunity to do so.
Marco Rose orchestrates a highly intense type of football. Coming from the Red Bull school of managers, with stints at Salzburg and Leipzig, the German demands running and pressure at all times. That is certainly what fuelled Bournemouth’s strong start against Newcastle, make no mistake about it. But it’s also what led to their downfall to a degree.
There were no big structural mistakes or errors in their approach in the second half. They actually did well to ‘ice’ the game a little bit and offer Newcastle little space despite giving up possession. It was an isolated set-piece scenario and a lapse in concentration that led to Ramsey’s goal.
The bigger problem lies in the first goal. Right after going 2-0 up, Bournemouth right-back Adam Smith decided to step way up and press Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall. He arrived late and didn’t block the pass, but rather gave Barnes a lot of space in behind.
This was the first time Barnes had the chance to take a defender one-on-one, and got the best out of Tyler Adams. But even if he hadn’t gone for the individual play, Newcastle had a 4v4 across the whole length of the pitch in the final third – almost inside the box.
The Cherries’ desire to step up, go for it and kill the game off is actually what kept the Magpies alive in it.