Newcastle winger Christian Atsu believes that the Magpies gave Ipswich the confidence to perform after starting so poorly at Portman Road yesterday afternoon.
Freddie Sears scored three minutes before half time as the Tractor Boys went into the break 1-0 up. Atsu, who was one of five players who came into the starting eleven for the game, told NUFC.co.uk that he felt the players just didn’t show enough fight in the match.
“We didn’t start well, and we gave them confidence. We were not compact. But we have three more games to play and something to fight for, so we have to keep on doing that.”
“No one is happy with today. Everyone is down, but we cannot keep on like this – we have to make sure we change everything with our next game. We have to give more, fight, and just give everything in our next game, which is more important now.”
A goal from former Ipswich player Daryl Murphy levelled the score on the hour mark, but a strike from David McGoldrick seven minutes later, and a third from Emyr Huws deep into injury time sealed a 3-1 win.
After the match, Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez questioned whether the team were “mentally ready” for the match, and it seems that despite the importance of the game, the lack of solidity in defence against a team who generally struggle to score times was concerning. Like Atsu, Magpies fans will be hoping that the side perform far better when they face Preston North End next Monday.
