5 talking points as Yamal breaks Newcastle hearts but Barcelona tie in balance

NEWCASTLE 1-1 BARCELONA: The Premier League outfit thought they’d had the dream night when Harvey Barnes scored late on, but Lamine Yamal converted a stoppage time penalty

Newcastle’s dream night was thwarted by a stoppage time penalty as Barcelona rescued a draw courtesy of Lamine Yamal’s penalty – which cancelled out Harvey Barnes’ late goal in the first-leg of the Champions League clash.

The Magpies thought they were going to take a well deserved lead to Spain when their winger finished first time at the back post with less than five minutes of the 90 to go. It was a rare moment of end product that looked set to win the last 16 clash.

But a foul on Fermin Lopez late on saw the referee point to the spot without hesitation and Yamal stepped up, sending Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way to restore parity.

Joelinton thought he’d found Newcastle’s winner with 15 minutes remaining when he reacted quickest to a Barnes shot that came off the post, but the Brazilian was quickly flagged for offside.

Newcastle were unlucky not to go in at half-time leading, but for all their promising attacking positions they did little to force Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia into serious action. Balls into the box either weren’t met or efforts were off target. Anthony Elanga remained a willing runner and his pace was a constant outlet for the hosts, but a lack of end product was a source of frustration.

Robert Lewandowski had Barcelona’s best chance just after the hour mark when he managed to get on the end of a Raphinha cross, but the Pole was under pressure and stretching, meaning he could only steer his effort narrowly wide of the post.

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Barcelona secured a 2-1 win here in the league phase owing to two Marcus Rashford goals on his return to England. The loanee began the night on the bench, coming on with 20 minutes left, but it was their star man Yamal who nervelessly slotted a penalty in the 94th minute. Here’s five talking points from St James’ Park

Dream scenario scuppered

The killer for Newcastle, Howe and everyone inside St James’ Park will be the lack of game management. They only needed to hold on for less than 10 minutes but failed to do so – and the advantage they thought they’d gained from Barnes late goal was cancelled out.

Barcelona pressed for an equaliser and were presented with the perfect opportunity with the clock beyond the four allocated minutes of stoppage time. Taking a one-goal lead to the Nou Camp was all the hosts could’ve asked for, and their personnel would’ve given them the chance to hold on, but conceding so late takes the wind out of their sails and makes it a daunting task next week.

Hall stands up

Going up against Kylian Mbappe is maybe the toughest task in world football for a full-back, but trying to contain a Yamal in full flow isn’t far off. Lewis Hall has had his Newcastle career hampered by injuries, but he proved his quality and made the Ballon d’Or runner-up look ordinary at times.

It was always going to be a huge challenge, but the former Chelsea man was more than up to it. Barcelona’s front three caused havoc in Europe last season, but the Newcastle back four dealt impressively with their stellar cast, and Hall led those efforts.

Barcelona need to find another level

This time last season the Catalans were beating Benfica across two-legs with Europe watching in awe as they scored at will, or so it felt. They claimed both the league and the cup in Spain, which they may well do again, but they aren’t looking as irresistible as they were 12 months ago.

They are on the perceived easier side of the draw, and could prove to be the semi-final opponents for Arsenal, should they both keep winning. But there’s no doubt Barcelona need to find another gear if they want to claim the European crown that many felt they were on course to land last season before their defeat in the last four.

Pace remains king

Newcastle’s best efforts this season in the Champions League have often seen Gordon wreaking havoc. Even with the ex-Everton man on the bench they had Elanga to fill the void. Both men possess out and out pace, something you simply can’t defend against.

It remains a blueprint that has been successful for the Magpies, even more so when they have both Gordon and Elanga on the pitch at the same time. That didn’t occur on Tuesday but, even against a side of Barcelona’s quality, their best moments came with the ball out wide, at the feet on players with blistering speed. That may well prove their best shot at securing a memorable night in Barcelona next week.

£125m snubbed

I’m sure Howe would comment on there being a game plan or a reason behind the snub. But when the Newcastle boss claims he’s hampered by PSR in the transfer market and then leaves his £125million strike force on the bench for the club’s biggest game in recent memory, he’s somewhat undermining his own point.

Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa were both overlooked when it came to the starting XI. The German costing a club-record £70m whilst Wissa set the club back £55m on deadline day. Newcastle’s summer spending wasn’t ideal, but leaving both men out on Tuesday night was a damning indictment on their recent recruitment.

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