The memorable 4-3 victory was probably only a small consolation: Malick Thiaw experienced his most bitter appearance in a Newcastle shirt against Leeds—coach Eddie Howe took him off early.
When Malick Thiaw moved from Milan to Newcastle in the summer, not everyone was convinced by the move, including Julian Nagelsmann. But after a settling-in period as a substitute, the €35 million man has developed into one of the Magpies’ top transfers, which even the national coach has recently been unable to ignore.
What happened on Wednesday evening did not fit into the picture at all. In the Premier League clash with Leeds United, Thiaw put in his worst performance as a Newcastle professional, a horror show that coach Eddie Howe summed up at halftime by substituting his center back.
Thiaw’s performance was not for the whole family: in the 7th minute, he received a well-deserved yellow card for a foul on James Justin; in the 32nd minute, he slipped with the ball at his feet in front of his own penalty area, which Leeds promptly capitalized on to make it 1-0; and in stoppage time, he gave away a penalty with a clumsy handball that sealed Newcastle’s 1-2 halftime deficit.
Howe explains early substitution – Thiaw speaks of “blackout”
Thiaw, who has been in the starting lineup since matchday 5 and only missed the opening game (playing until the 84th minute), did not reappear for the second half. “I took him off so he wouldn’t get sent off,” Howe explained the substitution. “He’s been absolutely outstanding for us so far, but it was a difficult 45 minutes for him. The goal was to stay on the field with 11 players.”
Although they fell behind for a third time in the 79th minute, the Magpies celebrated a memorable 4-3 victory with two goals in stoppage time – which Nick Woltemade, who was substituted in the 75th minute, did not see on the field – catapulting them to 6th place, while Leeds lost for the first time since November.
And Thiaw? He took to Instagram to thank his teammates in capital letters for their “incredible mentality” and apologized for his performance: “That was a complete blackout on my part, sorry for that!” The fans are likely to take it easy, and not just because of the three points. Just three days earlier, Thiaw had not only kept a clean sheet against Crystal Palace, but also scored his third goal of the season.