Fulham vs Newcastle United match report: Rafael Benitez's side taught lesson in Championship football

Matt Smith's first half header gave Fulham a 1-0 win on a night that showed Newcastle United what the Championship will be like this season

Matt Smith's first half header was the difference at Craven Cottage (Getty)

Rafael Benitez surprised many when he decided to stay as Newcastle United manager, but no-one could accuse him of lacking ambition. This first game back for the new domestic season, a first dip into the muddy waters of Championship football, showed Benitez just how hard it will be dragging this club out of this league.

This was the perfect way to open the new season, a curtain-raiser to rival the Olympics. Two big teams, under lights, playing in a loud ground for of fans desperately relieved that the football was back. It was also a perfect Championship game: frantic, hectic, intense, and settled by a header from a corner. This is why people love the Championship, but it is a very different type of football from the Premier League. And here, in their first try, Newcastle could not get a handle on it.

Of course no-one should jump to conclusions on 5 August. As Slavisa Jokanovic pointed out afterwards there are still 135 points left to play for. But Jokanovic’s side looked more ready and better equipped for the season than Newcastle did here. Given the disparity in resources between the two clubs, that is damning.

What Fulham showed here is that at this level games are not decided by the best manager or even the best players. They are won by the team that has a plan, some grit, enough luck and the basic bravery to ride out the ups and downs of a Championship match. That is what Fulham showed, and Jokanovic praised how his players had “suffered” on the pitch, running themselves into the ground even when Newcastle were on top. When things got difficult for Benitez’s side they just froze.

Fulham played the only game they were ever going to play: chasing everything, snapping into tackles and hitting long balls to Matt Smith when they had to. Newcastle should have been prepared for this. But while their supporters sounded desperate for the football to return, the players did not. They looked like schoolboys who had failed to revise for the exam that had been in the diary for months.

This was a brisk and unforgiving education in the reality of Championship football. There was no time on the ball and precious little space. Newcastle players were trying to take extra touches they had no right to. And a limited Fulham team were running them into trouble.

Rafael Benitez walks off dejected after a first defeat of the season (Getty)

Newcastle only had one real opening in a poor first half, when Ryan Tunnicliffe handled a Matt Ritchie cross. Simon Hooper did not award a penalty, but even that was the closest Newcastle got to scoring all night.

Fulham did not create many more chances, but they scored from a set-piece just before the break. Tom Cairney took an out-swinging corner from the left, the Newcastle marking collapsed, and Matt Smith was gleefully free to head the ball in. It was the type of simple preventable goal that decides matches at this level.

Newcastle slightly improved in the second half, but not by much and not by enough. They did at least create one real chance, when Vurnon Anita bounded down the left and pulled the ball back to Ritchie, who shot straight at David Button.

The rest of the second half saw Newcastle dominate possession, although never good enough to create chances. Benitez threw on Rolando Aarons, Jonjo Shelvey and Adam Armstrong, none of them able to make a difference. Newcastle needed a real threat up front, a plan, or even just some confidence or fluency to get them going. But they had none of that at all. They could never get a real foothold in the game.

Benitez took the defeat on the chin but he knows better than anyone how far his team are from the standard required. They have plenty of time, but need to start making the most of it.