LONDON , Feb 26 (AP) — Newcastle climbed four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone and moved above Brentford by winning their encounter 2-0 on a day when Christian Eriksen made his long-awaited return to action after a cardiac arrest.
Newcastle gained a man advantage in Saturday’s game when Josh Dasilva was sent off for a reckless challenge on Matt Target in the 11th minute.
Joelinton then headed in Ryan Fraser’s cross in the 33rd minute and Joe Willock completed a swift counterattack just before halftime.
Eriksen came on to make his Brentford debut seven minutes into the second half to applause in the stadium, 259 days after collapsing while playing for Denmark at the European Championship, but he could not change the course of the match.