Newcastle United returned to the top of the Championship table by sweeping aside a poor Aston Villa on Monday night.
Kevin Nolan knows a thing or two about winning promotion, having helped Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham United all earn a place in the top flight over a long career in the midst of English football’s rough and tumble.
Therefore, his comments on Sky Sports after Newcastle’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa on Monday night are worth considering.
A Yoan Gouffran strike and a karmarific own goal from Henri Lansbury (turns out Magpies supporters did not forget his pitiable overreaction and Jonjo Shelvey’s subsequent red card against Nottingham Forest earlier in the season), means Newcastle are back on top while Villa have lost six of their last seven games.
And Nolan believes Steve Bruce’s side paid the price for failing to deal with Newcastle’s game-changing danger men Shelvey and Matt Ritchie, who created a goal apiece.
“When you have players like Matt Ritchie who can untie defences and put in quality balls (you’ve got a chance),” the former Magpies captain said on Sky Sports 1’s live coverage of the Championship clash, broadcast at 7.30PM (20/02).
“But Villa didn’t get close so it made it easier for them and Jonjo Shelvey grew into the game as well. When you’re not playing as well, defending set pieces becomes vitally important and that is what Newcastle have punished.”
Former Bournemouth title winner Ritchie has been in inspired form of late, with six of his eight league goals coming in the last month, while Shelvey remains the front runner for Championship Player of the Season.
However, while the quality available to Rafael Benitez has certainly made Newcastle’s march back to the top flight a little more straightforward, Villa did not have to make it so easy for them.
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