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Three things learned about Newcastle v Blackburn

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OPINION

Newcastle United secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-2 win over Blackburn on Tuesday, and there were plenty of talking points to take away from the game.

Sean Longstaff put the Magpies off to a superb start against their Championship opponents by netting in the first minute, which was followed by goals from new boy Cal Roberts as well as Joselu and Ayoze Perez in extra time.

Rafa Benitez would have no doubt learnt a lot about his team ahead of the vital clash against Cardiff City this weekend, a game which could allow them to get out of the relegation zone.

Here, Nothing but Newcastle has rounded up the three things learnt about the Magpies below:

Schar makes a good midfielder

If you had said that centre-back Fabian Schar would have to play in the defensive midfield role before this match, many fans would have laughed in your face. However, the defender proved that he is as versatile as he is trustworthy, as it is safe to say that he was fantastic in his new role. Whether Benitez will continue to play him in this role remains to be seen, but it must be good for him to know that he has top-level cover if he really needs it.

Fernandez must be dropped

Where has the usual, assertive Federico Fernandez gone? He was none of those things on Tuesday night, and he really struggled to cope with the threat of Danny Graham and Bradley Dack. This is so unlike the 6ft 3in [Transfermarkt] player, which is why he must be ruthlessly axed for their next match. In the meantime, he needs to get his head down and improve, otherwise his place in the first team is going to be seriously compromised – especially with players like Florian Lejeune lurking in the wings for a starting XI spot.

Murphy was star of the show

Jacob Murphy has been a bit of a mixed bag at Newcastle, but any doubts fans may have had about him would have most certainly faded away after this display. He was dangerous on the counter attack and caused Blackburn a few problems by doing so, and the 23-year-old was arguably the Magpies’ main source of attacking threat in the second half. The youngster showed determination for the team’s second goal from Cal Roberts, and he was without doubt their star of the show on Tuesday.

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