Aaron Mooy fires winner as Huddersfield maintain 100% record with victory over fellow new boys Newcastle

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The anticipation filled a town. It was there when you walked up the steps to the spaceship in the woods. History was meeting the new world and everyone with Huddersfield in their hearts was ready to embrace it.

There was a beat throughout the stadium of a major gig. Music blasted, something special was happening.

The owner Dean Hoyle had his name read out before kick-off, to celebrate his near ten- year ownership. The place nearly took off.

Three times in a week Town broke their transfer record in the summer. Supporters like their owners when they do that.

The dates tumbled out. Forty five years since top flight football. Twenty three years since the ground was built and with heavy hearts Huddersfield moved from Leeds Road, where they had been champions of England, to a new home and a new start.

A quarter of century had almost passed from that date when the goal the home support had implored from their team arrived.

That it was a fine goal added to the sense of occasion. You knew as soon as Aaron Mooy collected the ball back from Elias Kachunga and curled his shot that it was going in to the top corner of Rob Elliot’s goal and that it would be one showed endlessly. Joy filled the ground.

That was in the 50th minute. Huddersfield had dominated the first half. On the quarter hour mark, Tom Ince, one of five home debutants, was denied by Rob Elliot with a fine shot from 20 yards.

Newcastle had come the closest to opening the scoring. Just 16 minutes had gone when Ayoze Perez found Matt Ritchie on the visitors’ left. Ritchie, who scored 11 times last season, went for goal with an angled, right-footed shot and Jonas Lossl had to dive full stretch to his left to tip the effort away, right in front of a Newcastle support awakening to reality. It feels like a club with a hangover. It wasn't supposed to be like this when there were promises of spending after the excitement of winning the division the two teams were both in last season.

Their football club has decided once again under Mike Ashley that momentum is not for them. Newcastle were 13 points and 47 goals better off with their goal difference when last season finished. Rafa Benitez did not get the players he wanted.

Huddersfield kept going, and for that they they finished their afternoon’s work second top of the Premier League, the richest of football’s divisions throughout the world.

Newcastle did finish the game strongly, but the quality Benitez sought is not there.

In the 67th minute, the debutant Joselu, signed for £5 million from Stoke during the week, did a one-two with Christian Atsu, but could not get enough on his shot and the effort was tipped around the post by Lossl, to his right.

There then should have been an equaliser. Ritchie’s corner reached Ciaran Clark, he flicked on and from around six yards out and unmarked, Perez shot wastefully over the crossbar.

With nine minutes remaining the substitute Jacob Murphy, Newcastle’s most expensive summer recruit at £12 million, was played through almost immediately after his introduction but took too long and his shot was blocked by the sliding challenge of Chris Lowe.

The statistics backed up the late flurry from Newcastle. Newcastle had outshot their opponents by then and possession was equalling, but there is still much to be said for passion and when the substitute Kacey Palmer charged down an attempted pass by the impressive Mikel Merino in the 89th minute, three-and-a-half sides of a football stadium roared their approval. The clackers clacked back into life. ‘Stand up if you love the Town’. So everyone did.

Shortly afterwards, Craig Pawson blew for full time. David Wagner shook the hands of Benitez and then hugged and high-fived all his backroom staff and all of his substitutes.

Huddersfield’s dugout became huggsville. Then the speakers started blasting out more music. It felt like the spaceship was taking off.

Huddersfield (4-2-3-1): Lossl; Smith, Zanka, Schindler, Lowe; Mooy, Billing; Kachunga (Palmer 71), Ince (Hefele 90), Van La Parra (Quaner 69); Mounie.

Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Elliot; Manquillo, Lascelles, Clark, Mbemba; Hayden (Diame 76), Merino; Atsu, Perez (Murphy 80), Ritchie; Gayle (Joselu 52).