Will it be enough to convince Rafael Benitez to stay at Newcastle? It remains to be seen. But everyone in black and white will be feeling much better about themselves after this morale-boosting win, secured by a late goal from Jamal Lascelles. It was a scrappy game, low on quality, but Newcastle won’t care. They have six points from four games and have gone 10th. As for Swansea, they drop to 15th. They were poor. Paul Clement is going to need some time to work out his best side without Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente. Thanks for emailing and reading. Especially you, Rafa. Bye!
Goal scorer Jamaal Lascelles celebrates victory after the final whistle. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
90 min+2: Bony brings the ball down and releases Narsingh, who charges into the area and decides to shoot from a tight angle. Elliot diverts it behind at his near post. Nothing comes from the corner.
88 min: Swansea hoick the ball into the middle of the Newcastle area. The defending’s skittish and eventually the ball’s burrowed behind for a corner. It’s sent to the far post, but the unmarked Fer heads over.
86 min: Luciano Narsingh replaces Tom Carroll. Merino has been receiving some treatment. Newcastle have stopped Swansea gaining any rhythm since the goal.
80 min: “Rafa, Rafael, Rafa, Rafael, Rafa, Rafael, Rafael Benitez!” is the chant booming out of the away end now. Six points from four matches wouldn’t be bad at all. Meanwhile Fer has been booked for Swansea.
79 min: “I really wonder what to make of Renato Sanches,” says Konstantin Sauer. “Your account of his display so far reminds me of nearly every time he got a chance for Bayern under Carlo Ancelotti: very eager and determined to impress, yet too often choosing the wrong option, especially when it comes to either passing the ball or making a run towards goal. I understand that it is especially hard for a young player at Bayern Munich who is aware that there will only be a limited number of chances for him to leave a mark. However, I haven’t seen any sign of renewed self-esteem yet. I very much hope Swansea will turn out to be the right choice for him, otherwise I don’t see a future for him at Bayern.”
A corner to Newcastle on the left, won by Atsu. Ritchie curls it into the six-yard box and Lascelles attacks it eagerly, rising above Mawson to powerfully head past Fabianski! Happy now, Rafa?
Lascelles get up to meet the corner to score. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters
73 min: This is a big chance for Newcastle. Manquillo’s pass inside from the right finds Perez, who has a surprising amount of space to run into and no one between him and Fabianski. He shoots low and hard, but Fabianski saves with his feet.
69 min: It’s time for Big Wilf. Wilfried Bony comes on for his second Swansea debut, replacing Renato Sanches, who, quite frankly, has been majestically bad. Mo Diame is also on for Isaac Hayden.
68 min: Ritchie saunters down the right before slipping a ball through to Perez, who flashes a cross-shot across the face of goal, no one there to apply the final touch.
65 min: Renato Sanches scampers through the middle with space to attack, only to suddenly look as though he’s trudging through treacle, leave the ball behind and fall over. It’s not quite been a Woodgate of a debut, but it hasn’t been great.
63 min: “I’m glad the game is still eleven versus eleven, but surely Ritchie has to walk?” says Matt Loten. “The consensus yesterday was that Man’s sending off was correct because the law stipulates that a tackle which ‘endangers the safety’ of an opponent is to be punished with a straight red card. Whether or not the player makes contact is irrelevant; Ritchie threw his studs up in the direction of Mawson’s face, at pace, just as Mane did to Ederson, thus he must receive a red. At least as far as I can tell.”
60 min: Leroy Fer turns in the middle of the Newcastle half and, finally, someone in white produces a moment of real quality, a pass through to Tammy Abraham that completely slices the visiting defence in two. Abraham is in the clear and in the area and he looks certain to score after round Elliot in the Aguero style - only for Jamal Lascelles to race back and scramble the striker’s goalbound effort off the line! Superb defending! Perhaps, though, Abraham would have scored had he lifted his shot off the ground.
Abraham goes around Elliot. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
56 min: Ayew twists and turns on the left, all trickery and mischief, and hangs a cross towards the far post. Naughton arrives, slamming a volley into the six-yard box, and Ritchie clears, doing well not to score an own-goal. Still Swansea press, though. Again it’s Ayew twinkling on the left. He scoops a beautiful little pass through to Carroll, who volleys from an angle, forcing Elliot to make a smart save.
49 min: Merino swings a ball towards the right. Ritchie attacks it with his boot raised and ends up catching Mawson in the face with his studs as the Swansea centre-back heads it away. Fortunately Mawson didn’t go down; he wasn’t caught properly. But given what happened at the Etihad yesterday, for a moment you wonder if Ritchie’s about to be sent off. Instead he’s booked.
46 min: Newcastle get the second half underway. Renato Sanches has switched roles with Leroy Fer, moving behind the front two. Sanches had an indifferent first half.
43 min: Swansea appeal for a penalty after Jamal Lascelles curiously decides to fall on the ball while making a complete hash of an attempted clearing diving header. Handball? Replays suggest he controlled it with his stomach in the end, but that was very nearly a calamitous moment for the Newcastle centre-back.
