Newcastle United defeated Derby County 2-0 at the iPro Stadium.
Newcastle United defender Chancel Mbemba put in an outstanding performance as his side recorded their fourth straight win with a 2-0 victory over Derby County at the iPro Stadium this weekend.
The Magies started the campaign as clear favourites for the Championship title, yet defeats to Fulham and Huddersfield Town in the opening two games raised some doubts on Tyneside.
However, since then, Rafa Benitez’s men have notched up four straight league wins and their most recent victory against Derby was completely professional as they limited the Rams to very little.
DeAndre Yedlin and Yoan Gouffran were the goal scorers, and while the latter was deemed the game’s star man it was his teammate Mbemba who was arguably the coolest player out there.
| Aerial Duels Won | Effective Clearances | Def Duels Won | Ball Recoveries | Touches | Accurate Passes | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chancel Mbemba | 2 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 61 | 35 | 90 |
As shown by the table provided by Opta, the powerful defender completely dominated his duels with Derby strikers Matej Vydra and James Wilson and left the hosts stil searching for their first home goal.
Mbemba posted an impressive one ball recovery, two aerial duels won, three defensive duels won and nine effective clearances as alongside Jamaal Lascelles he never looked in danger throughout.
Newcastle brought in Grant Hanley from Blackburn Rovers in the summer, yet with displays like this the Scotland international is going to struggle to become a regular at the heart of the defence.
It was an utterly professional performance from Newcastle, and one which will put fear into the rest of the Championship as they brushed aside a Derby team many also tipped for a promotion challenge.
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