PSG move backfires after cocky comment as Newcastle ‘shut them down’ but Eddie Howe not done yet

Newcastle United taught Paris Saint-Germain a lesson in a 4-1 win at St James’ Park as Eddie Howe’s side sent out a message to Europe’s elite in the Champions League

They will talk about this for years to come. Where were you when Newcastle United hammered Paris Saint-Germain 4-1? The night the Magpies blew away these so-called European heavyweights in their first Champions League game at St James’ Park in more than 20 years.

This historic stadium has seen some sights over the years, but this? This was worth the wait. This was a message to Europe’s elite that Newcastle are not just content to be back at the top table again – they are here to upset the established order.

Forget whether Newcastle could handle the best player in the world in Kylian Mbappe – PSG could not cope with Miguel Almiron. Or Dan Burn. Or Sean Longstaff. Or Fabian Schar for that matter. Four fitting goal scorers who have come further than most. Players written off at various points in their careers who all belonged on this grand stage on Wednesday night.

You would not have known Newcastle were missing key men such as Sven Botman, Joelinton and Callum Wilson. As PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery admitted: “They shut us down.” That was an understatement on a night Lucas Hernandez’s 56th-minute header proved a mere consolation.

To think Manuel Ugarte had claimed in a pre-match interview that ‘we know that if we play well, we will win’ before the Uruguay international later added: “We’re confident and we know we’ve got a great team.” Too confident, perhaps, after Luis Enrique’s bold switch to a 4-2-4 backfired and his side struggled to cope with the intensity Newcastle played with.

Longstaff said ‘we just wanted to show how good we are and I think we did that’. Burn likened it to a ‘dream’. “I’m waiting for someone to wake me up,” the Geordie told TNT Sports – and he was not joking. It was a ‘really special’ victory for Eddie Howe, too, but the relentless Newcastle boss does not want this to be a one-off – he wants more after his side went top of the so-called group of death.

“Going from the difficult moment we were in to now, it’s a great lesson for us not to get ahead of ourselves,” the Magpies head coach told reporters. “We have come a long way in a short period of time, but we want to keep going and we take nothing for granted. Amazing night, but we have got to continue to work hard for more.”

That is a scary thought for Borussia Dortmund, who are the next visitors to St James’ later this month, having picked up just a point from their opening two group games. You suspect the media applications have already gone in for that one after journalists and broadcasters from across the globe jetted in from the New York Times, La Gazzetta dello Sport, L’Equipe, CBS Sports and Deutsche Welle last night. Alan Shearer, Shay Given, David Ginola, Rob Lee, Laurent Robert, Yohan Cabaye and Andy Griffin were just some of those former players in town, visible reminders of what is possible under the lights at this venue.

Now it is the turn of the class of 2023 to inspire a generation. Eddie Howe, in just his second Champions League game, schooled Luis Enrique, who lifted Old Big Ears as manager of Barcelona. Captain Jamaal Lascelles stood up to Kylian Mbappe et al on his debut in the competition, helping to limit the visitors to just two shots on target all game.

Newcastle were fearless and that was clear from the off as Howe’s side fed off the energy of the crowd and raced out of the blocks, pressing PSG high up the pitch and forcing them to go long. The noise was already deafening, but Anthony Gordon took it up another octave by whipping up the Leazes End in the early stages after chasing PSG’s defenders down.

Not even the sight of Mbappe racing forward in the fourth minute could silence the home support as they loudly booed the France superstar, whose lofted cross picked out Ousmane Dembele at the back post only for the winger to volley wide to jeers. PSG were soon made to pay for that miss.

There were 17 minutes on the clock when Marquinhos turned into trouble as Isak and Gordon pressed the PSG captain inside his own box. Marquinhos was far too casual and his chipped pass bounced off the head of international team-mate Bruno Guimaraes into Isak’s path. Although Donnarumma managed to beat Isak’s volley away, Almiron was rewarded for gambling on the rebound and the winger picked out the bottom corner of the net to send Geordies wild.

PSG looked shell-shocked and Newcastle smelt blood and grew more confident with each passing minute in the first half. Rather than retreating, the Magpies came close to doubling their advantage just a few minutes later courtesy of a set-piece routine straight from the training ground. Trippier’s low corner caught PSG napping and found the unmarked Schar inside the area – but the centre-back’s effort went just wide.

PSG could not live with Newcastle as Enrique grew more and more frustrated on the touchline and the black-and-whites soon made the Spaniard even angrier just before the break. Donnarumma clawed away a hooked clearance from one of his own players before Bruno had a pop and then scooped the ball to the far post at the second time of asking. There was Burn – of all people – to head the ball over the line despite Donnarumma’s best efforts and a lengthy VAR check to boot.

Enrique tried to regroup at the break, but the second half had barely got under way when another quick Trippier set-piece caught the visitors by surprise and Longstaff’s powerful drive from a tight angle was too hot for Donnarumma to handle. It was a moment the boyhood Newcastle fan will have dreamed of less than 24 hours earlier. Right in front of the Gallowgate, too.