NEWCASTLE UNITED 2 CHELTENHAM TOWN 0

CHELTENHAM is a place best known for its racecourse, but on Tuesday night it was the town’s footballers that Newcastle United brushed aside as they successfully negotiated their first hurdle in the EFL Cup.

It wasn’t quite a thoroughbred performance from the Magpies, who relied on two Ayoze Perez goals either side of the interval to claim a third win in the space of seven days. But faced with a succession of handicaps, the hosts came through.

Those handicaps came in the shape of a series of injury setbacks, with Newcastle seeing three of their players suffer head wounds. Never mind winning by a head; for much of the night, Newcastle’s medical staff found themselves having to treat one.

Aleksandar Mitrovic and his replacement, Dwight Gayle, were both unable to continue because of head wounds, while Perez was sporting some extensive bandaging around his forehead as he scored both of his goals.

Newcastle also lost Rolando Aarons, who was forced to leave on a stretcher after pulling up in the first half, and by the end of the evening, it felt more like an episode of Casualty than a football game. With that in mind, the Magpies deserve some credit for their ultimately-comfortable win.

Their dominance was much less pronounced in the first half, when it looked as though Benitez’s gamble in making eight changes from the side that won at Bristol City last weekend might backfire. By the end, though, a team containing the likes of Jamaal Lascelles, Jonjo Shelvey, Jack Colback and Perez was much too strong for League Two opposition.

Mitrovic had been and gone by the time of the final whistle, clearly frustrated by both his head problem and his failure to break down an initially obdurate Cheltenham defence as he made his first appearance of the season following the end of a four-match ban.

His return should provide Benitez with a more physical attacking option than Gayle has been able to provide in the opening four matches, although it is to be hoped he enjoys more luck in the future than was the case last night.

His comeback appearance lasted just 38 minutes before he was forced off the field after sustaining a cut above the eye in a tussle in his own penalty area. Despite receiving treatment, he was unable to continue as he signalled to the bench that his vision was impaired.

Mitrovic was one of three Newcastle players to suffer injuries before the break, with the constant stoppages in play hardly helping the hosts as they attempted to generate some momentum.

Aarons suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury, and was carried around the pitch on a stretcher before heading down the tunnel, clearly distraught. Keeping the winger fit is proving a major problem for a succession of Newcastle bosses.

Perez was also forced off the field a minute before the interval after injuring himself in a clash of heads. He had done nothing of note prior to that point, but his first touch after returning with his head bandaged resulted in the Magpies breaking the deadlock.

The ball was deflected into his path close to the left-hand corner of the penalty area, and without breaking stride, Perez swept a first-time effort into the bottom right-hand corner.

It was a wonderful finish, completely out of keeping with an otherwise lacklustre first-half display from the hosts.

Mo Diame was well off the pace in the ‘number ten’ role, Colback and Shelvey found themselves outplayed by Cheltenham midfielder Harry Pell, and the League Two visitors would have been ahead had Danny Wright not shanked a wretched effort across the face of the penalty area when he found himself completely unmarked midway through the first half.

Had that gone in, Newcastle would have found themselves under pressure, but while Cheltenham were the more cohesive side for much of the opening period, their hopes of an upset effectively disappeared when they conceded a second goal within 80 seconds of the restart.

This time, the damage was self-inflicted, with Cheltenham defender Easah Suliman attempting a reckless back-pass that was easily intercepted by Gayle. The substitute, who boasted four goals in his previous three games, might well have gone on himself, but he unselfishly squared across the penalty area for Perez to slot home.

Gayle was only on the field for 20 minutes before he too was forced off with a head injury, having briefly formed an all-bandaged forward line with Perez. For once, a collection of sore heads in Newcastle had nothing to do with the consumption of too much alcohol on the Bigg Market.

Perez’s departure meant Diame had to play the final half-hour up front, and the Senegal international almost added a third goal with a shot that squirmed under Cheltenham goalkeeper Russell Griffiths, only for Daniel O’Shaughnessy to hook clear ahead of Yoan Gouffran.

Vurnon Anita headed Gamez’s cross wide as Newcastle’s second-half dominance became more pronounced, and Perez wasted a glorious opportunity for his hat-trick with nine minutes left.

Played into the area by Shelvey, the Spaniard side-footed wastefully over the top when he should really have scored.

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