It’s getting boring now. Not just the results, but the excuses. Howe’s lament of how the lads “faded”. Or the “needs time to bed in” defence of yet another anonymous Anthony Elanga performance. The “Dan Burn can do a job at left back” line that surely no one, not even Eddie Howe, really believe anymore. Same mistakes, same passengers, same story.
First half: started bright, ended brainless
To be fair, Newcastle didn’t start badly. There was a spark to the opening exchanges, a bit of intent, and for ten minutes the press actually looked coordinated. Bruno Guimarães should have opened the scoring, a glorious chance just inside the Brighton box that he somehow curled wide of Verbruggen’s right post. It was the sort of miss that summed up our midfield in recent weeks: technically gifted but completely devoid of killer instinct.
That moment aside, the energy evaporated almost immediately – of course it did. The decision to start both Bruno and Joelinton after 12,000 miles of midweek travel was an utterly daft gamble from Howe that backfired within half an hour. They looked heavy-legged, a yard slow to every loose ball. Elanga, meanwhile, continues to redefine the word “ineffective.” Fans keep saying he “needs to bed in.” At this rate, he’ll be buried in.
The concern around Elanga’s performance is compounded by the fact that down the left, Burn’s afternoon turned into a personal horror show. Brighton’s RW, Yankuba Minteh, the same lad we sold for PSR reasons, absolutely rinsed him every time he got the ball. It wasn’t even a contest. When Botman and Thiaw gave Welbeck the freedom of the Amex to dink Pope on 41 minutes, it felt like the inevitable punishment for a half of laziness and tactical stubbornness.
Second half: Howe reacts, Woltemade delivers, but the rot remains
Credit where it’s due: Howe saw it. Joelinton and Elanga were both hooked at half-time, and the difference was instant. Lewis Miley added calmness and purpose in midfield, while Jacob Murphy gave us something we’d lacked all game: movement off the ball, and some end product on it. For the first time, Newcastle began to play forward rather than sideways. And it was a slick combination between Murphy, Bruno and Miley that opened the door for Woltemade’s equaliser. A stunning flicked backheel from the German – sheer class and instinct – finally (undeservedly) got us back into the game. For a fleeting moment, the belief returned.
But like clockwork, we switched off again. Brighton played through the lines for what felt like the 1000th time in the afternoon, A crunching tackle from Burn saw the ball pop up to Welbeck on the edge of the box, who couldn’t believe his luck that not a single Newcastle United player was within 5 yards of him as he curled home his second of the day with acres of space around him. Two simple goals, both preventable, both symptomatic of a team that lacked the ability to defend transitions.
On paper this one looked like a narrow defeat, but in reality we were never in it. Save for short spells in either half, Brighton were the dominant side and deserved the win. For Newcastle United, the lads need to quickly dust themselves down for a Champions League night under the lights against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica as they travel to St James’ Park on Tuesday.
The game at a glance
Player ratings
Nick Pope – 6
Couldn’t do much about either goal. One solid stop from De Cuyper, distribution still shaky.
Kieran Trippier – 5
Crossing was erratic. Looked weary by the hour mark.
Sven Botman – 5
Could have parked a bus in the gap afforded to Welbeck for Brighton’s opener.
Malick Thiaw – 7
Didn’t make any real errors, is outstanding on the ball, made several clever passes into midfield.
Dan Burn – 4
Outpaced, outsmarted, and out of position. Skinned alive by Minteh. This experiment has to end.
Bruno Guimarães – 4
Should have scored early. Looked spent after 20 minutes. Sloppy in transition.
Sandro Tonali – 5
Tidy but toothless. Kept it moving but never grabbed the game.
Joelinton – 3
Completely off the pace. Should never have started given his travel schedule.
Anthony Elanga – 2
Invisible again. “Needs time to bed in”? Needs time on the bench.
Anthony Gordon – 5
Worked hard but isolated. Final ball continues to frustrate.
Nick Woltemade – 7
Brilliant backheel finish. Did everything he could with scraps of service. Arguably should do better with a few other half chances.
Subs:
Miley – 7
Transformed midfield tempo. Mature beyond his years.
Murphy – 6
Energy and directness made a difference.
Barnes – 6
Positive cameo.
Ramsey – 5
Kept play ticking, gave us structure.
Osula – N/A
Eddie Howe – 5
Got it badly wrong from the start but at least reacted. Credit for the half-time changes, they improved the balance, but persisting with Burn at LB and overplaying tired internationals is asking for trouble.
