Marc Guehi makes ‘class’ Newcastle United admission after refusing easy option

Marc Guehi makes ‘class’ Newcastle United admission after refusing easy option
Ciaran Kelly
3 – 4 minutes

Marc Guehi has admitted that Newcastle United ‘wanted it more’ after the Magpies hammered his Crystal Palace side 5-0.

Crystal Palace had lost just one of their previous 11 away league games before Wednesday night’s trip to Tyneside, but the Eagles were taken apart at St James’ Park as Newcastle moved up to third place in the table. An honest Guehi was the first to recognise that Newcastle were ‘definitely the better team, who showed their class from minute one’.

Jacob Murphy’s stunning opener gave Newcastle the lead before Crystal Palace had a chance to draw level through Eberechi Eze following a contentious penalty decision that ignited the crowd. However, Nick Pope was equal to the Crystal Palace star’s meek spot-kick.
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It proved a huge moment in the game. Guehi diverted the ball into his own net just a couple of minutes later and Harvey Barnes and Fabian Schar put Newcastle 4-0 up at the break before Alexander Isak got in on the act in the second half. Rather than dwelling on Eze’s penalty miss, though, Guehi refused to use it as an excuse.

“No,” the Crystal Palace captain told Premier League Productions after being asked if it was a turning point. “It was right from the beginning. You could just tell they were the better team. They wanted it more. They were winning their duels.

“It’s got nothing to do with the penalty. That happens in football. It’s important that we learn very quickly because we have got another important game.
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“We spoke before the game about energy, winning your duels and getting up to people. I don’t think we did ourselves justice with that.”

Guehi was, of course, subject of multiple offers from Newcastle last summer but the black-and-whites ultimately stopped formally bidding for the defender in the final weeks of the window after Crystal Palace’s demands for ‘superstar money’ went beyond what they were prepared to pay, particularly for a player with less than two years left on his contract at the time. The England international is now approaching the final 12 months of his deal and boss Oliver Glasner revealed earlier this month that ‘Marc is thinking what is best for his personal career and this is what we have to accept’.