No Ritchie, no party: Three things we learned from Newcastle v Brighton
Shelvey stakes his claim
Jonjo Shelvey was Newcastle’s talisman at times throughout their Championship winning campaign, and he almost had an immediate impact against the club’s familiar rivals after stepping off the bench.
Entrusted with set piece duties over Matt Ritchie, he hit the post directly from a corner, as he looked to instigate a change in the Magpies’ fortunes.
He was unable to have the desired effect this week, but with Isaac Hayden having had a day to forget, the former Liverpool man will be knocking on his manager’s door looking for a place in the starting XI against his former side.
Whether Benitez will feel he can trust in such a clash remains to be seen, after the midfielder’s show of petulance which saw him sent off against Tottenham, and left him fighting for his first team place.
Click ‘4’ below to see the third thing we learned in the clash with Brighton