Newcastle comfortably beat Brentford 3-1 at St. James’ Park.
It was a comfortable afternoon for Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United side on Saturday as they eased to a 3-1 victory over Brentford.
Ciaran Clark gave the Magpies the lead in the 11th minute, and the margin was doubled five minutes later through Dwight Gayle. The striker got a second after the break, with Scott Hogan grabbing a consolation for the Bees.
After making it three wins on the bounce, here are five things we learned from Newcastle’s win over Brentford.
Ayoze Perez is surely approaching last chance saloon
The Spaniard replaced Mo Diame in the Newcastle starting XI, but yet again his weak stature made it another afternoon to forget.
Perez was a handful for Premier League defences, but it just is not working for him in the Championship, with almost every defender he has faced getting the better of him.
The forward showed flashes of what he is capable of and came very close to getting a goal, having seen once chalked off in the first half, but time could be running out for Perez who has squandered almost every opportunity Benitez has given him.
Believe the Ciaran Clark hype
When Newcastle signed Clark from Aston Villa in the summer, a few questions were asked, but the centre-back has emerged as a key figure under Benitez with a string of dominating performances at the heart of defence.
The Republic of Ireland international has already bagged two goals this season, but his back-to-basics style in front of his own goal have surely put him above Chancel Mbemba in the Newcastle centre-back pecking order.
Only Jonjo Shelvey is undroppable
If any Newcastle player was rotated by Benitez, there would not be too many questions asked, and the decision would normally be justified.
However, that cannot be said for Jonjo Shelvey. The man is simply undroppable right now. The midfielder makes Newcastle tick, and there have no one remotely like him in their arsenal.
Swap Colback for Hayden, Atsu for Ritchie, Yedlin for Anita, it is all like for like, but if you look at Benitez’s squad there is not another man like Shelvey who can dictate play, spray passes and create chances.
Will Mitrovic ever get a chance?
It was a surprise when the Serbian striker was not in the starting line-up, and the 22-year-old did not even get off the bench against Brentford.
After his international brace, it seemed likely that Mitrovic would be given a chance from the off, but instead Benitez kept him on the bench, going for Gayle and Perez up top.
It seems as though the manager does not trust his big forward just yet, and as long as Newcastle keep on producing on the pitch, then it could be difficult for Mitrovic to be given a chance.
For his sake, hopefully he will be given a chance midweek against Barnsley.
Newcastle can really dominate this division
It was another three points for Newcastle, and did not look they were really tested at any point by their opponents.
The Magpies were simply better in every department. Brentford had some good spells of possession in the second half, but they did nothing with it. It was a professional performance from Benitez’s side, getting the job done quickly and seeing out the result, effortlessly keeping the ball without forcing the issue.
Newcastle are gaining an ability to do real jobs on their opposition, and that is what will see them dominate the Championship. They have the best squad and the best manager, and they how to get the job done.
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