Newcastle United 2 Nottingham Forest 0: Match Analysis

So much has changed in the last 12 months that it is easy to forget just how desperate things were in the early months of the previous campaign. With Mike Ashley still at the helm, summer investment had been largely non-existent, with Newcastle’s only transfer business last summer being the conversion of Joe Willock’s loan move into a permanent deal. Steve Bruce was freely admitting he was ‘trying to keep things ticking over’ as the Magpies treaded water, and performances on the pitch veered from the disappointing to disastrous.

Fast forward a year, and everything has been transformed. Off the pitch, while Newcastle’s new owners might not have been quite as free-spending as some might have anticipated, there has been a second wave of significant investment with more additions anticipated before the end of the month.

• READ: Newcastle to make a new push for Benjamin Sesko

St James’ Park has become a cauldron of excitement and anticipation, and on the field, Eddie Howe’s players continue to go from strength to strength. Saturday’s success, which saw the Magpies outplay newly-promoted Nottingham Forest from start to finish, means Newcastle have now won eight of their last nine home matches, with the only blip in that run coming courtesy of a narrow defeat to Liverpool. Their fine form from the end of last season has carried over to the start of the current campaign, indeed if anything, the Magpies look ready to kick on again. It can be dangerous to make predictions after one week of the season, but on all available evidence, this is a Newcastle side that looks more than capable of pushing its way into the top half of the table.

“When you go into the first game, you’re desperate for a win,” said Howe. “There’s no hiding from that – you want that win out of the way, then you want to try to build on that and consolidate during the weeks to come.

“We had that feeling, especially with it being a home game. We wanted to carry on with that momentum we had towards the end of last season and keep that feelgood factor going. It was a great day, but we know it’s just one game. There’s such a long way to go, and this league is so strong. We can’t rest for a second.”

That might be true, and as Howe readily concedes, there are still question marks over the depth of Newcastle’s squad, particularly in the attacking third. In terms of the starting XI though, you will struggle to find much stronger units outside the established big six, as highlighted by Saturday’s dominant display.

Nick Pope exuded authority on his senior debut, calmly collecting crosses on the rare occasion Forest forced their way into Newcastle’s box. Fabian Schar, whose explosive strike opened the scoring at the start of the second half, justified his place in the side ahead of summer signing Sven Botman, dovetailing neatly with Dan Burn, whose January arrival transformed the Magpies’ defensive effectiveness at a stroke. Matt Targett might not have been a headline summer signing, but in conjunction with Kieran Trippier, the re-signed full-back caps off an impressive rearguard.

Further forward, Joelinton continues to develop into a top-class central midfielder, although he will have to go some to match his compatriot, Bruno Guimaraes, who continues to dazzle. With his graceful movement and incisive passing, the 24-year-old might well be the best player to have worn the black-and-white shirt for quite some time.

Allan Saint-Maximin remains a nightmare for opposition defenders, then, of course, there is Callum Wilson, whose deft flicked finish completed Newcastle’s victory and maintained his fine record of scoring in the opening game of a season.

“I think today’s performance would be a great example of where we want the team to be on a consistent basis,” continued Howe. “We’re not the finished article yet, we’re still very much in the growing phase, but I was very pleased with what I saw.”