Ed Vinegar

The Doku challenge may or may not be a penalty by the rules, but I couldn't help feeling when watching it back that I'd much rather see a penalty given for things like that than for the barely perceptible graze of a knuckle of a defender jumping to head the ball. Was it the Luton Sheffield United game where two pens were given for the crime of a defenders finger skin cells molesting the pristine leather of the match ball? Can't quite remember but those pens being given make it seem laughable for Doku not to be reprimanded for dropkicking an opponent.

4-1 is getting to be a familiar scoreline! Loved seeing Isak pick out Miley to celebrate the first goal. Feels like we've got a good team mentality for bringing through young players now, hope it continues.

He's got a great attitude and can be coached, huge attributes for a top player. That interview where he says he wants to be trustworthy for Howe shows he's got the right attitude, and also shows Eddie's got coaching nailed. He's shown AG the path, convinced him to take it and let him prove to himself that it works. Really positive seeing a strong relationship develop between player and manager at AG's sort of age.

Every match this guy does at least one thing that makes me disbelieve I'm watching a Newcastle player. His assist for Murphy yesterday being one. He's sublime, so classy, plus he's got a brilliant attitude, clearly values coaching, and what I especially like is that you regularly see him trying to make our other players do better. What a fucking player man.

He's got a strong shout for being called up already, but I don't think Southgate fancies him. Which is even odder because he does plenty of Henderson-style hard work. I'm delighted for Longstaff this season, he's started to score the goals he was always in position for last season, he's growing in confidence and he seems to just get better at playing a strong team role, keeps contributing all round. For some reason I don't think he'll get rewarded with an England call, but it wouldn't be a reflection on him.

This is so important, he did it a couple of times at 3-1 towards the end of the PSG game. Gives us such a tactical advantage, opposition teams can't be sloppy because we'll nick the ball, get it to Gordon and they'll have to choose between fouling him and disrupting momentum or letting him run at the defence. It's the sort of little extra dimension that good teams have. Obviously he does lots of other stuff well, but I've really noticed this in a few games and it is a massive boost for us imo.

It was pretty mild. They were mainly joking about the fact that he's taken his shirt off for 3 goals that got disallowed, iirc. His response is totally fine too. It's just bantz innit?

How does that get given? There was a much more likely one in the Europa final that was cleared. No idea what's going on with VAR.

That punch getting cleared by VAR is jaw dropping. Didn't expect it to be that bad and blatant. Jeepers.

Felt quite grim that match. Hoped we were going to jam our way to the win but wasn't to be. Overall poor from us with some honking performances combined with some not quite there performances. Still, a point is ok and we're still on track, though this does increase the pressure. I'm torn between being amazed we are up there and worried we might let it drop. Ultimately it'll be our fault if we fuck it from here.

Is the club able to do anything about this, do you know? The more I think about the incident, and knowing that it's led to an injury, the more I think he should be reprimanded (more for player safety concerns than anything else). But I assume there's no way for that to actually happen.

Some types of goal just make you smile, love an absolute belter like that. What a hit son.

Two great goals from Everton, this one was better. Strange things happen at this end of the season.

It's not quite a free hit imo, but winning is much better for us than losing is bad. Win this and we're coasting, lose it and we're still in control. Huge match like.

Losing this doesn't matter too much, but winning it would be a massive boost. I hope that means we set up to try and batter them in the first 30 minutes - as others have pointed out, they're on a rough run and are psychologically vulnerable so we could shut them down early. Another way of looking at it is that we drew our last meeting, away, when their team was better and ours was worse than now, and in that game we adjusted to getting battered in the first 20. Now we're on a good run, they're on a bad one, we're at home, and winning will feel like a big prize. I'm hopeful - weird feeling. Think it'll be 2-1.