This was a similar performance to many of late - accomplished rather than dominant - but well deserved. And this was done without Morgan or Wanyama , Our defending on the edge of the box is fantastic , meaning Forster has virtually nothing to do. Positives - Reed came of age, Pelle was a very good front man, Long a super sub , Ella's goals well taken and Cork is back.
Concerns - Forsters lack of control for their goal ( did he shout). Didn't cost us today but could have done.

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Wasnt a great game to watch but we had enough quality to see off a team that didn't really show much competition, deserved 3 points (just) but after 3 tough away games we walk away with 6 points and 4th round in the cup, bring on palace and another tough test against an unpredictable swansea side

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put a shift in bit unlucky to not get anything goalies kept both sides in it. austin unlu cky not to score. why no zarate...tarat did ok fer had a mare.

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Oh I forgot to mention that having now reached 42 points, THE SAINTS ARE STAYING UP !!!

.........and staying in the North East area, it reminds me of the article that was based on an interview / quote from Adam Johnson, the Sunderland player. He said just after we had put an unanswered 8 goals past his team, that Saints were still very much in a relegation battle and one good result didn't make them safe or exempt from the relegation battle.

Let's take a look then Adam. We have 42 points and are safe. Yes you scored the winner in the victory at Newcastle (but hey, who doesn't win there !!), but your team has 20 points from 22 games and with only 16 left, your current points to games ratio may suggest you will struggle to reach the magic 40 point mark. Maybe you will be safe, come the end of the season, but I think you now need a very large slice of humble pie with regard to your Saints comments :-)

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Had the match ended 1-1, it would have been Krull on Saints (pun intended..) Freaky goal and I wonder did Forster shout? In that kind of situation, you'd expect the keeper to come and take out the ball and players. Maybe I'm being overly harsh.

Overall, another confident, solid, professional display, miles away from home in the cold. Newcastle whilst they huffed and puffed never really threatened. A lot of high balls in but that was it. It was quite an open game and the ref let a lot go which was good to see as it wasn't a dirty game. As for the "penalty" I think it would have been harsh. With the ball being shot at Fonte from close range, it is a tricky one. Well done ref..

Again, another signing that has seemed to slot straight into the side and hit the ground running. Elia looks a decent player and seems to be quite humble in his interviews. He could be a big player for us in the run in.

I felt sorry for Pelle. He has really grafted in the games gone by and has done an excellent job that whilst it isn't really glamorous, the hold up play is very important. I would have loved him to have scored yesterday and hope he will soon.

A big mention to Harry Reed. For a young kid to come into the side and play like he's a seasoned pro is impressive. Keeps his head down and gets on with it. What impressed me most yesterday was he was "switched on" when Newcastle looked to take a short corner. He was the first Saint to react and run out to close down. Good match awareness.

And to end, nice to see the yellow shirts!!

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Having had the benefit of TV replay two points to note, firstly Forster did the right thing and would have smothered the ball had Gardos not cleared, Gardos was doing the positive thing he was just unlucky that it hit Gouffran who got lucky because he hadn't really tried to get the through ball, he had given up on I.

Secondly the penalty was nailed on Fonte although at close range stuck his hand out to stop it, when the guy shot his hand was by his side then he stuck it up, sorry nailed on penalty, however it is about time we had Some luck lol

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Outclassed, outfought, outhought throughout, no complaints with the result, gifted them 3 goals, heads dropped, no effort, no clue. 😡😡😡

Monk needs to take a long look at himself after this. Selling Bony won't help his cause, Gomis completely different type of player to Bony... Adjustments needed and no shots on goal for 90 mins in a home game where all the pressure is on Chelsea and we have nothing to lose... Says it all 😳😳😳

Worst home performance in years

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The first half intensity was almost to the standard of the last few home games of Hughes's first season.
We couldn't maintain it in the second half and their change of formation gave them the edge.
Would have liked Adel to have started to have go at them a bit more as it was always a game we would struggle to get something from.
Play like this every week please.

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Once the conditions were tested, it was at times so one sided we spectators deserved a rebate and the Crawley bravehearts should have their travel expenses paid as their team spent 70% of the match getting behind the ball and admiring the passing abilities of Dale.
A brief flurry of ambition came when Saunders decided to give his subs a training run in the snow, but it was a very one sided affair. Highlights were the midfield dominance of Camps, Bennet and Dawson plus the best showing from Andrews since joining Dale.

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Right Nick - Forster did right in coming out on the through ball, just don't know if he did have the confident shout he should have made. On the other hand Gardos tried to clear it, which is very understandable as the defenders learn how a GK plays and reacts to situations. Forster often stays on his line with crosses and through balls that he may go for, so the defenders learn that they need to deal with these balls as the GK doesn't...
Maybe bad luck - but yeah, really good footballers should be aware of what his teammates are doing, even if it might be "unusual"...

And yes, it should have been a penalty...

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