After emphatically beating QPR 6-0 at Loftus Road we take a look at the five things we learned from Newcastle v QPR.
Jonjo Shelvey scored twice as Newcastle comprehensively beat QPR 6-0 at Loftus Road on Tuesday night with an emphatic performance.
QPR offered very little in reply to the Magpies as Rafa Benitez’s side made it clear to the other teams in the Championship that they are ready and willing to show just how well set they are in their push for promotion.
Newcastle’s win was a clear message that after their slow start, everything is starting to tick, and Shelvey was the star of the show.
We take a look at the five things we learned from Newcastle’s rout of QPR.
1. Perhaps Rafa Benitez is getting the best out of Jonjo Shelvey
After early promise at Liverpool, Shelvey made a move to Swansea City and it is worth remembering that a little under a year ago the midfielder was playing for England. Shelvey has since dropped down to the Championship, but after a performance like this, the midfielder will still live in hope that the national squad will once again come calling.
Shelvey helped Newcastle crank up the pressure on their Championship rivals, with the Magpies having equalled their biggest away win, but it could have been more.
This was by far Shelvey’s best performance for quite some time, and there is a belief that Benitez may be working wonders on the midfielder.
2. Benitez has assembled a solid side
Against QPR, Benitez showed just how solid a side he has assembled, but aside from just being solid, his side has a certain flair about it.
The Spaniard has set the foundations for Newcastle to build a team, and there remains the view that at the heart of this will be Shelvey after his starring role.
Set out as a 4-4-2 formation, the side from St. James’ Park had Aleksander Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez up front, whilst the supporting cast was Shelvey, Matt Ritchie, Isaac Hayden, and Yoan Gouffran.
Newcastle have now won six games in succession in league and cup, and Benitez is laying down his marker.
3. Newcastle were rampant
Any side that can score six goals in a game are showing they can run rampant but this was not about the scoreline, but more about how Newcastle got to that point.
Benitez’s side were impressive in how they dispatched of QPR, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will no doubt feel that his side have let themselves down.
At half-time QPR found themselves 2-0 down, and when their supporters would have been looking for a reply from their side, Hasselbaink’s side offered very little.
That’s where Newcastle took control, scoring three goals in a 15-minute period that blew QPR away and left no doubt that Newcastle are a force top be reckoned with in the Championship.
4. QPR were completely outclassed
Hasselbaink’s side have got off to an indifferent start to the season having picked up 10 points from their opening seven games, with six of those points coming in their first two fixtures, after wins against Leeds United and Cardiff City.
If the first half was a one-sided affair then things were to get no better as Newcastle were even more dominant, completely outclassing their Championship opponents.
The worrying thing for Hasselbaink will be that his side were there for the taking and Newcastle responded by emphatically dominating QPR in every area, stretching them to almost breaking point.
The Magpies finished the game with 51% possession, with 29 shots on goal and 12 on target, while QPR managed 49% possession, 7 shots on goal, and 3 on target.
5. Newcastle can dominate the Championship from hereon in
Newcastle’s performance was ruthless and assertive and offered an insight in to how they can dominate the division from here on out.
BBC Sport reported after the game that Benitez refused to rest on his laurels, stating: “We can still improve. The team was playing well, everybody was pushing and working hard, but you always make some mistakes.
“The main thing for us was to get the three points so we could leave our fans happy. We also managed to get the clean sheet.
“We now have to show we can concentrate in every game. It doesn’t matter if we score six goals, we get three points in the end. Now have to concentrate on the next game and not lose that concentration.”
With Newcastle now having won six consecutive games in league and cup competitions there was also proof against QPR that goals will come from all areas of the team, with goals from Grant Hanley, Ciaran Clark, Mitrovic and Perez, in addition to the two goals from Shelvey.
From here Benitez’s side could not only dominate but set records in the process, with the Championship points record of 102 a marker.
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