Newcastle United have maintained their unbeaten run in the Europa League thanks to a 1-0 win over Club Brugge at St James' Park.
Gabriel Obertan's goal three minutes after half-time was enough to secure the victory that keep them top of the table with seven points from three games.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look to see if the Magpies were worthy winners.
Match statistics
Newcastle
Shots: 12
On Target: 4
Possession: 50%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 7
Club Brugge
Shots: 12
On Target: 6
Possession: 50%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 6
Was the result fair?
Yes. Newcastle should probably have won by more, but Brugge were not without their chances. It could have been a cricket score had Papiss Cisse had his shooting boots on.
Newcastle's performance
7/10. They never got out of second gear. For a team packed with youngsters, they were unbelievably composed against a team who are top of their domestic league. Gabriel Obertan played well and it was another promising performance by Shane Ferguson. Sammy Ameobi was another standout performer for the Magpies.
Brugge's performance
5/10. They just didn't have enough to trouble Newcastle, but still had a gilt-edged opportunity to score. If Carlos Bacca had of rightly buried Maxime Lestienne's cross then Newcastle may have been robbed of a deserved victory. Their one shining light was the 20-year-old Lestienne. He was the only player that looked capable of hurting Newcastle and he's only enhanced his reputation tonight.
Referee's performance
The referee had an early decision to make when Papiss Cisse felt that he had been barged in the back when trying to get on the end of Sammy Ameobi's cross. You've seen them given, although it looked like the Senegalese striker was waiting for the challenge rather than making an attempt to win the ball.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Gabriel Obertan: The Frenchman cops for a lot of stick around Tyneside, but he had a good game tonight. He also scored the winner, so there's not many more deserving.
Biggest gaffe
Cisse missed a header from point-blank range in the first half. He should have burst the net. It just wasn't his night in front of goal tonight, but as they say: he kept getting in the positions.
What's next?
Newcastle: The Magpies travel to Belgium for the return leg in two weeks time, but must deal with West Bromwich Albion at home on Sunday.
Brugge: The Jupiler League leaders take on mid-table Lokeren on Sunday.
Michael Penkman
