Again-to-back defeats at St James’ Park as an out of kinds Newcastle United had been overwhelmed by Fulham.
Jacob Murphy handed us a 1-0 lead in a usually unconvincing first half show, however the second 45 was a complete mess as Fulham turned it round, capitalising on a turgid Toon show missing in vitality, concepts, organisation or high quality.
The outcome leaves us six factors behind Nottingham Forest after they thumped Brighton 7-0 within the early kick off and is an undesirable setback forward of Wednesday’s semi-final at dwelling to Arsenal. With Man Metropolis, Forest and Liverpool additionally to come back in our subsequent three league video games, it’s a setback in our push for a top-four spot.
Howe named and unchanged aspect and it was such an odd first half. We took a lead halfway by way of it as Gordon broke down the left and arrange Murphy to smash dwelling on the again put up, and we may’ve had others.
Tonali smashed the bar from vary with what would’ve been a aim of the season contender, Schar went shut from Bruno’s by way of ball and Livramento additionally had a good likelihood smothered. However, regardless of our lead and sporadic openings in entrance of aim, we had been so sloppy on the ball and too stand-off-ish for a lot of the primary 45.
Joelinton had a stinker – he was both making a gift of the ball or unnecessary fouls – and each full backs didn’t get shut sufficient to Iwobi, Robinson and Traore, who had moments of pleasure out large with out a lot remaining ball to punish us.
In the end, we went into the break forward and in a robust place, however there have been shades of Bournemouth in the best way we misplaced the ball in dangerous positions far too typically.
If we thought the primary half was a bit sloppy, the second half was abysmal. We invited Fulham again into it by sitting off them, we weren’t profitable our duels, there was a worrying lack of depth to our play – on and off the ball – and we had no management of the sport.
There was a interval the place we got here again into it after Jimenez’s equaliser, which had been coming, with Willock lacking a giant likelihood from Isak’s low cross and the Swede clipping the bar with a beautiful effort that had overwhelmed Leno. However that was about it in a second half Fulham dominated.
They deserved the win and, like Bournemouth, outplayed and outworked us in that second 45 particularly. Their winner was a nasty one to concede – Murphy’s foolish foul, a weak wall and Dubravka overwhelmed at his close to put up – but it surely was what our weak, torpid and sloppy show warranted.
Defensively we regarded open and struggled to play out from the again – Schar was so wayward at occasions – our midfield trio couldn’t seize management of the sport and our assault was largely missing in concepts. Our lack of choices on the bench was a frustration and provides to the frustration that PSR received’t enable us to strengthen, however that’s no excuse for the show we put out in the present day.
Subsequent up, Wednesday’s enormous cup semi remaining second leg at dwelling to Arsenal, the place we’ll must buck our concepts up after back-to-back defeats at St James’ Park.