Newcastle United 4-1 PSG: 5 talking points as Magpies thumped Parisians in a historic victory | UEFA Champions League 2023-24
Newcastle United stunned PSG 4-1 at St. James' Park in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (October 4).
Miguel Almiron opened the scoring for the Magpies after 17 minutes before Dan Burn doubled their advantage in the 39th. Sean Longstaff made it 3-0 for Eddie Howe's side five minutes into the restart, but Lucas Hernandez gave the beleaguered Parisians hope by pulling one back shortly after.
Newcastle still had a two-goal cushion, and the victory was sealed when Fabian Schar added a fourth with a long-range stunner in the first minute of stoppage time.
This was the Premier League side's biggest win in the competition, and they now sit atop Group F with four points, with PSG in second with three. On that note, here are the five talking points from the game:
#5 Newcastle in dreamland
When the fixture was first drawn out, PSG were expected to sail through it, but Newcastle tore the script apart to cause a real shocker.
The Parisians started on a bright note, but the Magpies slowly found their feet. The house of cards came crashing down with a Marquinhos error that led to their opening goal.
Eddie Howe's side didn't look back thereafter, running rings around the Ligue 1 champions with their high press and incisive passes that cut a swathe through their defence.
It ended up being their biggest win in the Champions League, despite finishing with only 26% possession and completing almost three times fewer passes than their mighty visitors. This was a night the Newcastle faithful won't ever forget.
#4 PSG's attackers flatter to deceive
PSG enjoyed 74% possession but mustered only two shots on target from 11 attempts. However, none came from either Kylian Mbappe, Randall Kolo Muani or Goncalo Ramos.
Ramos started as the striker for the Parisians but was devoid of proper service for most of the time, while Kolo Muani was almost non-existent. Arguably the most disappointing of them was Mbappe.
The 24-year-old has been on fire this season but couldn't replicate an iota of that form at the St. James' Park. He barely even got a sniff off the ball, as Kieran Trippier and Jamaal Lascelles kept him firmly under wraps.
#3 Good day at office for Newcastle's local stars
Of Newcastle's four scorers on the night against PSG, two were local players, Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff, who scored within 11 minutes of each other in either half.
Burn was the first to get on the scoresheet, rising above Milan Skriniar to head home a cross from Bruno Guimaraes in the 39th minute. Longstaff followed suit five minutes into the second half with a cool finish that burst through Gianluigi Donnarumma's grasp and into the back of the net.
While Burn bagged his first goal of the season, Longstaff got his second. In the process, they became the first pair of English players to score for Newcastle in a Champions League game in 26 years.
#2 PSG's goal was a false dawn
Just six mintues after Sean Longstaff hada made it 3-0 for Newcastle, PSG reduced the deficit with a goal from Lucas Hernandez. The defender flicked a header over the stranded Nick Pope by brilliantly connecting with Warren Zaire-Emery's cross.
It was one of the few moments of quality from an otherwise lackluster French champions, who did show signs of improvement thereafter. PSG got forward a few more times and got clinical with passing.
However, the Magpies still had a two-goal advantage, and Luis Enrique's band of busted flushes couldn't find any more goals as their momentum eventually fizzled out.
#1 Race for last 16 in Group F heats up
If anyone had bet on Newcastle United leading Group F ahead of European giants like PSG, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund after two rounds of games, is surely a millionaire now.
With four points in the bag, the Magpies are leading the charge to reach the round of 16. PSG aare second with three and Milan are third with two points. Dortmund are at the bottom with just one.
It's only set to get more and more interesting from here, as Newcastle take on Dortmund over the next two group games, while PSG and Milan lock horns on matchday three and four.
The 'Group of Death' is living up to its billing.