Newcastle United were in cruise control as the minutes ticked by against 10-man Fulham. Not only were the Magpies closing in on their first Premier League win since the opening day; Eddie Howe's side were about to go home with a clean sheet.
Newcastle were so comfortable at 4-0 up that Howe had the luxury of being able to take off some of his key players in the closing stages at Craven Cottage. Sven Botman was ultimately the only starting defender still standing late on after Jamaal Lascelles, Jamal Lewis and Matt Targett were all introduced from the bench in the 83rd minute.
Botman may not have not had a huge amount to do defensively on Saturday, after Fulham retreated following Nathaniel Chalobah's early red card, but the Dutchman helped marshal Aleksandar Mitrovic alongside Fabian Schar before the in-form striker hobbled off. Mitrovic going off made Botman's life a little easier, but you can be sure the Dutchman still wanted to see the game out and help his side record a fourth shutout of the campaign.
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That, perhaps, explains Botman's furious reaction after Newcastle switched off and Bobby Decordova-Reid pulled a goal back for Fulham in the 88th minute with the hosts' one and only effort on target. It was a sloppy goal to concede; substitute Neeskens Kebano was allowed to cut inside and neither Lascelles nor Sean Longstaff blocked the cross before Decorva-Reid ghosted in behind Lewis at the far post to head the ball into the net.
Botman did not hold back as he punched the air in frustration. Newcastle still won the game by a huge score line, but Botman's fury shows the high standards at the club now. Indeed, even after such an impressive victory, Eddie Howe admitted that the 'lads in the dressing room were disappointed not to get a clean sheet'. Botman will have been very much in Howe's thoughts when the Newcastle boss said that.
Yes, Botman is a calm figure on and off the field, but the centre-back is not afraid to speak up or air his frustrations like he did after Decordova-Reid's goal. As former Lille boss Jocelyn Gourvennec previously told ChronicleLive: "Sven did not speak a lot like Jose [Fonte] but when he's speaking in the dressing room, even if he's young, the other players are listening. He was always thinking about what more he could do for the team."
Botman's response to being dropped against Bournemouth last month was a case in point after Howe had previously pointed to Dan Burn's experience and leadership skills when explaining his decision. Rather than sulking and giving an interview in his homeland during the international break, Botman pulled out of the Netherlands' under-21 squad so he could have an extended training period under Howe and his staff.
Botman explained his reasons to Erwin van de Looi over the phone, but the 'disappointed' Netherlands under-21 boss admitted he could not 'understand' the defender's decision. However, that sacrifice impressed Howe, who revealed Botman 'trained excellently' after 'really benefiting' from staying at Benton.
With Targett not risked from the off - the left-back had just recovered from illness - Botman was rewarded with a start against Fulham as Burn moved over to the flank. Botman again impressed, even having his name sung by the away end at one point, and helped set up Newcastle's third goal at the other end after his looping header cannoned off the post and Sean Longstaff knocked the rebound in.
Botman is still adjusting to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, as well as the intensity of Howe's training sessions, but some of the centre-back's numbers have been encouraging - even before the Fulham game. Botman had lost just two aerial duels in his previous five top-flight appearances, winning the other 15, and completed 87.4% of his passes. These were not just straightforward balls out from the back either; the composed Botman found a team-mate with 77.1% of his long passes as he gave the backline a new dimension with his vision and range.
You can already see why the summer signing will play a huge part in the club's future.
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