Newcastle United’s last four Champions League opponents have all been European heavyweights; Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona. But they headed to Belgium as overwhelming favourites, and thousands of expectant Geordies had made the trip, with or without tickets.
Place De La Bourse in the city centre was the setting for an almighty two-day black and white party. But Newcastle arrived with business in focus; a first Champions League away win for 22 years.
They left with their biggest win yet in the competition: 4-0.
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Anthony Elanga’s Newcastle career finally underway after Belgian blast
Anthony Elanga celebrates as Newcastle win 4-0 in Belgium (Image credit: Getty Images)
More than anything, though, this was the night the attack finally clicked; particularly the wingers. Anthony Gordon scored twice, albeit from the penalty spot, Harvey Barnes came off the bench to round it off after Anthony Elanga put in a Player of the Match performance.
There has been growing discontent with the attacking output this season, off the back of a turbulent summer following Alexander Isak’s departure for Liverpool. It was the first time the two first choice wingers had started up front with Nick Woltemade, and the different was immense.
Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes celebrate Newcastle’s opener on the night (Image credit: Getty Images)
Elanga has been far from terrible in his early Newcastle career, but there has always felt like he needed to offer more to live up to his price tag.
Before Wednesday night, he hadn’t scored a goal or registered an assist; winning the first penalty at least gets that increasingly heavy burden off his back.
Howe had already challenged the suggestion that a lack of numbers was cause for concern when it came to Elanga, pointing to the number of chances he’d created that weren’t put away. But, it isn’t a secret that Newcastle’s issues have stemmed from stagnation in the final third; they, and Elanga in particular, haven’t played with freedom through the lines enough. But on a mild night under the Brussels sky, that changed.
When Elanga signed for Newcastle, he arrived under a unique sort of pressure. The right-wing berth in Howe’s team was seen as the final piece in the puzzle, the position most in need of an upgrade, perhaps alongside Fabian Schar’s position at centre back.
Eddie Howe in the away dugout (Image credit: Getty Images)
Yet, despite Elanga posting career high stats for goals and assists at Nottingham Forest last season, 17 in 38 Premier League matches, Jacob Murphy, the man he was expected to replace, outperformed him on both counts.
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Though there was a general consensus that Murphy would be unlikely to replicate that form, he did ensure Elanga had a high bar to hit to impress for Newcastle, while showing how far hard work and application can go. He is a very tough act to follow.
Newcastle made Premier League experience a prerequisite to their early summer transfer business. The idea was, after three windows without a major signing and expectation at an all time high following a first domestic trophy win for 70 years and a return to the Champions League in the offing, recruiting readymade players who didn’t need to acclimatise to English football would be best.
So many in the Newcastle squad have spoken of the sheer volume of information they need to take on in order to play for Howe anyway, let alone with the need to adapt to arguably the most demanding league in the world as well.
Joelinton (L) and Nick Woltemade (R) at Lotto Park, Brussels (Image credit: Getty Images)
Losing Isak and the guarantee of his goals has magnified it further, though Woltemade was credited with the first goal at Lotto Park, meaning he has netted three in four starts.
But Elanga was the first through the door this summer, albeit after Newcastle had reportedly missed out on Bryan Mbeumo as their preferred target in that position.
Having performed so well at Forest, there was a hope that if anybody could be a certain and instant success at Newcastle when they needed it most, it would be him. Ironically enough, Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, the two who signed from abroad, have hit the ground running quickest.
He will hope he, and the rest of Newcastle’s attack, can use this as the spark to relight their season. It had been disappointing so far, but such a comprehensive victory can make all the difference, especially at Champions League level.
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