It wasn’t Newcastle’s night against Borussia Dortmund, losing 2-0 and falling to third in Champions League Group F.
Niclas Fullkrug scored early and Julian Brandt netted late to make it six points from a possible six for Dortmund against the Magpies, taking a group lead before Paris Saint-Germain face AC Milan.
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The result was far from ideal for Newcastle, whose first home Champions League game in 20 years saw them thrash PSG 4-1 in this season’s competition’s most stunning result yet.
However, all that inspiration went missing in a toothless display at the Westfalenstadion where Eddie Howe’s current lack of squad depth was laid to bare.
An eight-man injury list that includes Dan Burn, Alexander Isak, Sven Botman and Harvey Barnes was only made to look worse by Sandro Tonali’s ten-month ban for breaching betting regulations.
There were, though, some positives to take for the away fans, particularly when it comes to making a homegrown impact in Europe.
The glut of injuries meant Newcastle lined up with eight English players, becoming the first team to do that in a Champions League match since Manchester United in 1997 against Slovakian club FC VSS Kosice.
Local lad and academy graduate Sean Longstaff will have been the proudest name on the team sheet for the travelling Geordies, while his seven countrymen were brought in from elsewhere.
Callum Wilson, Joe Willock, Kieran Trippier, Jamaal Lascelles and Nick Pope all laced up their boots, while summer signings Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall made their Champions League debuts.
An eight the envy of many Premier League opponents, it’s still nothing compared to United’s 1997 squad.
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In that game they lined up with Gary Neville, Gary Pallister, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes, with each and every player going on to become a club legend.
