Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe is perplexed by one facet of his team’s performance versus Crystal Palace.
The Magpies were defeated 2-0 on Wednesday night, with a truly dismal effort leading to an equally terrible outcome.
Eddie Howe’s squad struggled at Selhurst Park, despite coming into the game with plenty of rest and confidence from their previous triumph against Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Newcastle United appeared to be a different team as Oliver Glasner’s side won three Premier League games in a row. They have already collected nine points after facing Liverpool, West Ham United, and Newcastle United, which is really good.
The setback drops the Magpies to seventh place in the Premier League table, as Manchester United has surpassed them. Their victory over Sheffield United made a bad night even more troubling, as the two teams compete for a spot in Europe next season.
Newcastle were dominated by Crystal Palace, but had openings
To be fair to Newcastle, they started well at Selhurst Park. They loved the early stages and were rather dominant – for approximately two minutes.
Following that, Crystal Palace grabbed control. They were the far superior squad and deserved the three points.
Newcastle were quite poor, however they did frequently find themselves in advantageous positions. However, the Magpies were unable to hit the net, marking the first time Howe’s team has failed to score in the Premier League since a 1-0 loss to Luton Town on December 23rd.
Newcastle have been the Premier League’s most entertaining team this season, but that was not the case on Wednesday night.
What baffled Eddie Howe about his Newcastle United players against Crystal Palace
This has disturbed Eddie Howe, who spoke to the Daily Mail about his team’s use of the ball in the final third.
“It’s very disappointing, from the high of Spurs to the low of tonight,” he was quoted as saying.
“We had a good start for two minutes, but then it turned into an uneasy feeling.
“We gave the ball away too frequently and were hesitant to shoot around their goal, which puzzled me. Neither of our games were going well.”
There were opportunities on a bad night for Eddie Howe’s side
Overall, Newcastle deserved nothing. However, they were able to create some excellent opportunities that ultimately failed.
Harvey Barnes rushed towards goal in the first few minutes, creating a golden opportunity. He deftly switched inside, making room for Anthony Gordon to sprint in. The 23-year-old obliged, only for Barnes to fumble the pass.
It would have been a different game if the opportunity had resulted in an early goal, but it ultimately summed up Newcastle’s night.
There have been many issues this season, but goals have not been one of them. Newcastle United failed to score for the fifth time in the Premier League this season, and they must not make it six against Sheffield United on Saturday.
