Newcastle United defeated Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on Wednesday night, in case you forgot or just never tire of reading it.
Newcastle as a whole was simply ‘up for it’ that night. The fans, the players, and the staff were all on the same page, and it was clear from the start.
Thierry Henry told The Rest Is Football podcast that he knew PSG were in for a bad night after just 30 seconds, when Anthony Gordon placed his stamp on the game.
Thierry Henry couldn’t believe his eyes when he arrived at SJP.
“I have to say I was sitting at home, I felt it from St. James’ Park, I was sitting in Paris,” Henry explained. When Gordon made that tackle after 30 seconds, I’m not sure what he did, but he went to put pressure, got up, and ordered everyone to stand up. They were already standing.
“Oh my God, they’d already gotten up. ‘Oh trouble,’ I thought. We all played there, and you can get in a lot of trouble when that stadium is shaking.”
Thierry Henry was correct; that moment set the tone for what was to come from Newcastle; the players and the audience somehow bonded, their energy were shared, and it was this that propelled the home side to a great victory.
Newcastle executed a flawless game plan against PSG.
According to Sky Sports, Newcastle had 27% possession but eight shots on target to PSG’s two.
The strategy worked flawlessly. Keep Kylian Mbappe quiet, let them move the ball around, and then charge!
Eddie Howe orchestrated one of the best games in Newcastle’s history, and when Thierry Henry sits back and admires it, you know you’ve done well.
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