Paul Merson says anybody watching Fulham match would never believe Newcastle are top

Paul Merson couldn’t believe what he was watching today.

Saying that Newcastle just didn’t get going whereas ‘Fulham started very well’, then they went on and controlled the match.

So poor were the home side that Paul Merson declared ‘If you didn’t know football you would never in your wildest dreams think Newcastle were 15/20 points ahead of Fulham.’

Newcastle started the day 20 points ahead but now it is 17 points between themselves and Fulham, the West London side moving to within two points of the play-off spots.

As for NUFC, they are ahead of Brighton only on goal difference and six ahead of Huddersfield, who have a game in hand.

It might stick in the throat to agree with Paul Merson but when he says ‘Newcastle just don’t start quick enough, you want them to bombard teams and get on top of them’, not many supporters would disagree, certainly in home games.

Paul Merson speaking to Sky Sports:

“Newcastle just didn’t get going.

“You get days like that in the Championship, or any place, but it wasn’t good. Just didn’t get going.

“I thought Fulham started very well and it just didn’t happen for them (Newcastle).

“You are watching the game and if you didn’t know, you’d be thinking how are they top of the league? How are they top?

“Their main players like Shelvey and Ritchie didn’t do anything, you know what I mean? It wasn’t good.

“Cairney picks it up 25 yards out and Darlow doesn’t stop that.

“Fulham are a good team and they just kept breaking away.

“Ryan Sessegnon – I wouldn’t mind being his agent.

“Fair play to the crowd, they stayed virtually right to the end. It wasn’t like ’60 minutes – see you later’.

“Newcastle just don’t start quick enough.

“You want them to bombard teams and get on top.

“The longer this goes on the other team are thinking ‘fifty thousand people, this is lovely’. Passing it around, every game is a cup final (for Newcastle).

“If you didn’t know football you would never in your wildest dreams think Newcastle were 15/20 points ahead of Fulham.”

Stats from BBC Sport:

Newcastle 1 Fulham 3

Goals

Newcastle: Murphy 76

Fulham: Cairney 15, Sessegnon 51, 59

Possession was Fulham  62% Newcastle 38%

Total shots were  Fulham 11 Newcastle 11

Shots on target were Fulham 4 Newcastle 4

Corners were  Fulham 7 Newcastle 5

Referee: James Linington

Newcastle United:

Darlow, Anita, Lascelles, Clark (Gamez 64), Dummett, Colback, Ritchie, Shelvey, Atsu, Diame (Murphy 61), Gayle (Gouffran 74)

Unused Subs

Elliot, Hanley, Perez, Mitrovic

Crowd: 51,903

To read the instant NUFC fan/writer reaction to the defeat go HERE.

The Fulham boss quizzed on whether Newcastle will still get promotion – Read HERE.

To read the match ratings go HERE.