Aubameyang Fires Marseille To Win As Newcastle Fail To Heed Howe’s Warning

Newcastle cannot kick they were not warned. Eddie Howe had cautioned his players that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was “as bully arsenic ever’ and would request to beryllium “controlled” but yet they proved powerless to forestall nan 36-year-old transforming some nan lucifer and Marseille’s Champions League ambitions.

While Aubameyang fulfilled nan soaring expectations of a raucously large assemblage astatine this stupendously designed, wonderfully atmospheric arena, Howe’s squad started good but ended up mugged successful nan mode of naive visitors who had wandered into nan incorrect arrondissement of this beguiling yet sometimes sadistic city.

Although they clasp genuine hopes of European advancement, their persistent recreation sickness dictated unwanted playoff engagement whitethorn yet beryllium required.

Harvey Barnes is acold excessively talented to person spent truthful overmuch of his Newcastle profession warming nan chair but present Eddie Howe deed upon a solution arsenic to really to unit 2 into 1 and accommodate some his near wingers, Barnes and Anthony Gordon, successful nan starting XI.

It progressive that duo morphing into a beforehand 2 successful a 3-5-2 statement that contained nary room for Newcastle’s £70m Germany striker Nick Woltemade. Yet if Howe was happy to rotate Woltemade, Sandro Tonali enjoys virtually undroppable position connected Tyneside.

Sure enough, nan Italy midfielder soon proved his worthy by accelerating guardant and breaking nan Marseille lines earlier watching Gordon nudge his cutback successful nan guidance of Barnes. All that remained was for Newcastle’s man of nan infinitesimal to people his 3rd extremity successful 2 games by lashing a near ft changeable beyond Geronimo Rulli from astir 10 yards.

Barnes’s double had undone Manchester City successful nan Premier League past Saturday and now he had Roberto De Zerbi’s squad firmly connected nan backmost ft arsenic Newcastle initially pressed their hosts precocious and hard.

Howe’s only problem was that his players could not perchance prolong specified strength and, almost incrementally, Marseille began dominating first half possession.

Mason Greenwood gets disconnected a changeable successful his first lucifer against a Premier League squad since leaving Manchester United. Photograph: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA

They besides started creating chances. One of nan much notable progressive Mason Greenwood, nan Manchester United outcast turned Ligue 1’s starring scorer, playing successful Aubameyang. The erstwhile Arsenal striker, now 36, controlled nan shot connected his thorax earlier swivelling imperiously and forcing Nick Pope into a decent save.

Greenwood was facing Premier League guidance for nan first clip since leaving Old Trafford and his progressively clever attacking nexus play represented a cardinal logic why Newcastle’s lead ever seemed fragile.

Suddenly Howe’s squad were playing connected nan counterattack but that was not needfully an wholly bad point for an XI possessing specified petrifying gait connected nan break. As if to beryllium that point, Gordon showed Argentina’s Leonardo Balderdi and his co-defenders a cleanable brace of heels earlier forcing Rulli into a good prevention pursuing Joe Willock’s done ball.

If Marseille had, briefly, entertained hopes of a visiting surrender they were being disabused. When, soon afterwards, Dan Burn, albeit unintentionally, trod connected Rulli’s skull successful nan autumn retired from a agelong propulsion it only seemed to emphasise that Newcastle were not minded to move into soft touches.

Instead, arsenic nan goalkeeper, trudged disconnected for half-time pinch his caput swathed successful achromatic bandages his wounds threatened to lucifer nan harm nan scoreline threatened to inflict connected De Zerbi’s hopes of progression to nan knockout phase.

At that juncture Marseille’s hopes were being damaged by an awesome capacity from Willock. Howe’s determination to callback nan midfielder came arsenic thing of a astonishment but it was being afloat vindicated.

Not that he aliases his teammates would beryllium precisely flawless. An bonzer opening to nan 2nd half from De Zerbi’s broadside ruthlessly exposed Newcastle’s protect fault-lines arsenic nan Stade Vélodrome dared to dream of springtime European engagement erstwhile more.

First, conscionable 18 seconds into nan caller half, Aubameyang connected pinch a agelong shot and Pope became stranded arsenic he inexplicably rushed disconnected his line. It allowed Aubameyang to information nan visiting keeper and sprout expertly into an quiet nett but nan utmost tightness of nan perspective underlined nan sheer, and undimmed, value of his finishing ability.

If that was a stunning goal, Aubameyang was not rather done yet. Having taking nan briefest of breathers while Barnes saw different “goal” disallowed, correctly, for offside, nan seasoned resumed his rescue mission.

This clip Aubameyang received immoderate constructive thief from Timothy Weah – boy of George – down nan right. More specifically he made nan astir of Weah’s transverse courtesy of an instinctive adjacent station half volley past Pope.

Although Willock’s thrust subsequently tested Rulli’s reflexes, Newcastle were earnestly up against it. Two goals successful 5 minutes from a striker threatening to redefine evergreen had thoroughly dissected Howe’s rearguard.

Newcastle’s head responded by switching that section to a backmost 4 arsenic he reinforced midfield and introduced Lewis Miley, Lewis Hall, Anthony Elanaga, Jacob Ramsey and Woltemade from nan bench.

That raft of substitutions grounded to upstage Aubameyang, pinch nan Gabon striker rightly ambling disconnected to a opinionated ovation.