In a game in which Newcastle scored first and looked promising, everything fell apart and we come away thoroughly unplayed. However, it’s the injury news fall-out that really matters here.
The good news: Viduka started, Enrique came on and looked reasonably up to speed, and Emre also featured. Barton was also there in the stands – should be returning soon.
The bad news: Viduka eventually hobbled off on 88 minutes after a rough tackle – potentially an aggrevation of his previous foot injury. Ameobi didn’t even feature on the bench, and Cacapa was nowhere to be seen.
The verdict: if Viduka turns out to be ok, injury-wise the game was a success (ignoring, of course, the result). If he’s out for any time at all, Martins will be left as our only fit out-and-out striker: not a good situation. More news to come.
