The new dawn at Newcastle United was capped in style, as Fabian Schar’s rocket from range broke the stalemate at St James’ Park. It was a goal that propelled his name into the headlines, but his decisive contribution at the other end was arguably just as crucial.
Allan Saint-Maximin sacrificed possession cheaply on the edge of the penalty area just before the break. Lewis O’Brien slipped inside with a jinking run past Joelinton and steered a reverse pass into the path of Jesse Lingard.
Lingard’s eyes lit up until Schar shifted across to divert his effort behind with an astute block. His intervention prevented Forest from breaking the deadlock against the run of play and potentially derailing an otherwise dominant Newcastle performance.
His display alongside Dan Burn has also presented a positive, but difficult selection dilemma for Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. He took the decision to leave his £35m marquee signing Sven Botman on the bench and his selection was warranted as Burn and Schar combined to devastating effect.
Schar has thrived under Howe and has developed a strong defensive partnership with Burn since his arrival from Brighton & Hove Albion in January. The Swiss international has form when it comes to finding the net, scoring twice last term against Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
He was fantastic against Forest and it’ll be intriguing to see how Newcastle integrate Botman into the side after such a solid defensive performance. Howe insists that further reinforcements are needed before the end of the summer transfer window. The only criticism of Newcastle’s performance was that they should’ve won by more, which perhaps emphasizes their need to invest in the final third.
But with Schar and Burn flourishing, and a top quality defender in the shape of Botman waiting in the wings, Howe’s defensive overhaul has left Newcastle in good stead for the season ahead.
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