Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been left very confused by one aspect of his team’s performance against Crystal Palace.
The Magpies were beaten 2-0 on Wednesday night, with a really disappointing performance leading to an equally disappointing result.
Eddie Howe‘s side were really poor at Selhurst Park, despite going into the game with a good amount of rest and plenty of confidence following that win against Tottenham Hotspur.
But Newcastle United looked like a different team, as Oliver Glasner’s side secured a hat-trick of Premier League wins. They have now picked up nine points after playing Liverpool, West Ham United and Newcastle United, which is incredibly impressive.
For the Magpies, the defeat means they are now seventh, as Manchester United have leapfrogged them in the Premier League table. Their win over Sheffield United made a disappointing night all the more concerning, as the two sides battle for a place in Europe next season.
Newcastle were dominated by Crystal Palace, but had openings
In fairness to Newcastle, they started pretty well at Selhurst Park. They enjoyed the opening stages and were pretty dominant – for about two minutes.
After that, Crystal Palace took control. They were the much better team, and deserved the three points.
Newcastle were really poor, although they did often find themselves in some great positions. Yet the Magpies were unable to find the net, and this is the first time Howe’s side have failed to score in the Premier League since the 1-0 defeat to Luton Town on December 23rd.
Newcastle have been the Premier League’s entertainers this season, but that was not the case on Wednesday night.
What baffled Eddie Howe about his Newcastle United players against Crystal Palace
And that has concerned Eddie Howe, who has spoke to the Daily Mail about his side’s use of the ball in the final third.
“It’s very disappointing, from the high of Spurs to the low of tonight,” he said.
“We started well for two minutes and then it unravelled into an uncomfortable feeling.
“We gave the ball away too much and seemed reluctant to shoot around their goal – that baffled me. None of our game was in a good place.”
There were opportunities on a bad night for Eddie Howe’s side
Overall, Newcastle deserved nothing. However, they were able to create some great openings that ultimately went nowhere.
There was a fantastic chance in the opening stages, as Harvey Barnes raced towards goal. He cleverly shifted inside, creating space for Anthony Gordon to run into. The 23-year-old obliged, only for Barnes to fluff the pass.
It would have been a different game had that opportunity led to an early goal, but it ended up summing up Newcastle’s night.
There have been plenty of problems this season, but goals have not been one of them. This was just the fifth time in the Premier League that Newcastle United have failed to score, and they absolutely must not make it six against Sheffield United on Saturday.
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