Snapshots of a beaming Eddie Howe at the final whistle do not quite tell the whole story.<\/p>\n
Newcastle\u2019s manager describes January as a \u201cseason defining\u201d month for his inconsistent side and he looked suitably delighted to begin it with the collection of three points as Crystal Palace\u2019s winless run stretched to seven games in all competitions.<\/p>\n
Yet those home smiles allied to the bald statistics of a victory secured thanks to second-half goals from Bruno Guimar\u00e3es and Malick Thiaw offer a perhaps slightly misleading summary of this often chaotic \u00adcollision between the Carabao Cup and FA Cup holders.<\/p>\n
Indeed, if the injury-hit visitors had not been quite so vulnerable to set pieces, the outcome of a contest decided by two poorly defended dead balls might well have been different.<\/p>\n
By the 78th minute, when \u00adGuimar\u00e3es\u2019s inswinging corner eventually dropped before Thiaw, who poked the ball past Dean Henderson, the disappointment was writ large across \u00adOliver Glasner\u2019s face suggested the Crystal Palace manager knew the game was up.<\/p>\n
Malick Thiaw put the ball in the net after Palace failed to deal with a set piece. Photograph: Fred Palmer\/Focus Images Ltd\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
Until then, the visitors had looked eminently capable of securing at least a draw from an ugly match almost as bleak as the bitter winter chill that ensured there will be no imminent thaw on a snowy, icebound Tyneside. With the exception of Thiaw, Guimar\u00e3es and Lewis Miley, a 19-year-old midfielder once again outstanding out of position at right back, not too many home players were at their best.<\/p>\n
If Miley suggested it will not be that long before this Newcastle team is built around his elegant vision and stellar passing range, Anthony \u00adGordon once again disappointed on the left. It was no coincidence that Howe\u2019s side improved considerably once the England winger was replaced by the catalytic Harvey Barnes in the 63rd minute.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tough game, a bit bitty at times,\u201d said Newcastle\u2019s manager whose team rose to ninth, only five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. \u201cIt was very, very difficult for us to control, there were nerves in the stadium and we had to be patient. But today was a big step forward for us.\u201d It was also rather untidy. Admittedly, there were minor early highlights; Henderson acrobatically tipped Fabian Sch\u00e4r\u2019s header over the crossbar and Yoane Wissa selflessly slid a square pass for Gordon to tap home before a VAR review detected Wissa had been fractionally offside.<\/p>\n
Generally though, Palace proved reasonably resistant to the attacking pace of Gordon and Wissa, and might even have opened the scoring had Thiaw\u2019s tremendous interception not prevented Yeremy Pino from making the most of Adam Wharton\u2019s excellent, potentially goal-creating pass.<\/p>\n
Shortly after an offside Joelinton had swept a shot into Henderson\u2019s net in the wake of one of Sch\u00e4r\u2019s trademark long, lofted passes, Jean-Philippe Mateta curved a shot \u00adnarrowly wide.<\/p>\n