Injury-hit Newcastle show their mettle to hold the Hull onslaught at bay as brave performance helps banish ghosts of Leeds drubbing, writes CRAIG HOPE

It was starting to feel very England v Argentina for Newcastle and their German manager, but this time the team in retreat held on. Hull did not have Lionel Messi, of course.

At 2-0 up with half an hour to play, the hosts hit reverse. They conceded ground and possession and a barrage of shots. There were 21 in total come the end. Their head coach, Matthias Jaissle, could do little to change the direction in which his players were headed.

And so, during a close that felt as much like attack v defence on a training ground, Newcastle kicked, blocked and hoped, and all of it from the discomfort of their own penalty area.

They deserve some credit for that. When Mohamed-Ali Cho slotted a reply for Hull in the 67th minute, an equaliser felt inevitable. More so, you suspected the visitors would even go on to land a knockout blow.

But home captain Malick Thiaw gloved up and it was he who led the resistance. The centre-back and his team-mates were fortunate to emerge with three points, but amid an injury crisis and ahead of a 23-day break before they next play, there is no under-estimating the magnitude of this victory for Newcastle.

‘I’m overall really proud,’ said Jaissle. ‘We needed to suffer. We defended with heart and commitment and that was exceptional.'

Lewis Hall put Newcastle 2-0 up after 25 minutes against Hull - but the hosts didn't have it all their own way

Matthias Jaissle's side showed their mettle to hold onto a vital victory at St James' Park

On the back of Monday’s 4-1 drubbing at Leeds and fierce criticism for a performance and result many felt was due despite an unbeaten start, Jaissle had demanded a response. He got one – and it was fast, direct and immediate. If Hull were expecting to meet a Newcastle side low on confidence, they found one high on energy. Not just that, they had ideas, too.

Harvey Barnes was the architect behind most of them and, come the seventh minute, Newcastle had two goals and he had two assists. The first was a clever reverse pass that presented Joe Willock with an opening to fire on goal, and that he duly did, lashing into the bottom corner from ten yards.

Lewis Hall’s low finish four minutes later was from a little further out and found the opposite corner, but that goal also owed as much to the endeavour of Barnes. The winger drove through the middle of the pitch and beyond three blue jerseys before slipping left to the scorer just inside the area.

What had threatened to be a nervy stadium, with a fragile home team within it, was suddenly a place of calm reassurance. Sean Steur, still just 18 years old, was running the game from midfield. Willock, alongside him, was doing the more literal running.

Newcastle were in control, and then they weren’t. The drift was just setting in when, on the stroke of half-time, they won a penalty and the chance to kill the game. It looked a soft award, the hand of Sorba Thomas clipping the heel of Jacob Murphy, causing him to stumble.

But it was a gift they could not take. Yoane Wissa’s spot-kick was well placed but lacked the power to beat the dive of Konstantinos Tzolakis and the goalkeeper saved brilliantly.

‘The start was a high level and the right response,’ said Jaissle. ‘We should have killed the game. We totally dominated the first half. The missed penalty gave them hope. We then had tired bodies on the pitch.’

The second half belonged to Hull. Mohamed Belloumi twice slammed over from good positions before Newcastle lost Steur to fatigue in the 66th minute. Within 60 seconds, Belloumi robbed Lewis Miley and set Cho away to score.

From that point on, the home goalmouth became this city’s most densely populated space. It was chaos. For Newcastle, there was certainly no control. Unlike England, however, they survived – even if only just.