Newcastle United had to scrap their way to victory on Saturday. After a reasonably controversial red card was shown to Fabian Schar in the first-half, Newcastle had to dig deep on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. Ultimately, Joelinton’s goal just before half-time proved enough to claim a vital three points at St James’ Park but it does not tell the whole story. Indeed, Eddie Howe was full of praise for his players and their defending. Despite losing a man early, they managed to keep a clean sheet, something they struggled to do for a lot of last season. Emil Krafth drew big pr…