Weather conditions were wild in West London and the game followed suit, as awful defending was Newcastle United’s undoing in another costly away day for Eddie Howe’s Mags.
There were some encouraging signs in the first half, where we created chances, caused problems on the break and responded well to going behind twice, but our defending was awful and that theme continued in a flat second half dominated by Brentford.
After goals from Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes offered immediate replies to Bryan Mbeumo and Yoan Wissa’s first-half strikes, the second 45 was a total mess, starting with Nathan Collins’ strike from a simple set piece and ending with Kevin Schade’s stoppage time finish making it 4-2. Where we offered a threat in the first half and responded well to setbacks, we totally lost our way in the second and barely tested Flekken.
The result makes it four games without a win and sees us fail to build on that brilliant midweek display at home to Liverpool, leaving us 12th in the table, five points from 5th and under pressure to beat Leicester and Ipswich in our next two league games.
Two wins from our last 11 league games isn’t good enough and, unlike this time last season, there can be no excuses. A response will be needed not only in the league, but when we meet Brentford in the Carabao cup quarter-final a week on Wednesday.
Eddie Howe made two changes for this one, seeing Sean Longstaff and Harvey Barnes come in for Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon. Some on social media were shocked to see ‘dropped’, but the manager did hint at rotation in Friday’s press conference and specifically mentioned that both were fatigued from midweek.
(STARTING XI: Pope – Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall – Longstaff, Bruno, Joelinton – Murphy, Isak, Barnes.)
We had to improve on our last away performance – a toothless effort at Palace featuring one shot all afternoon – and we went close within two minutes, as Longstaff’s smashed a thumping strike off the crossbar from just outside the box.
Five minutes later, however, we were 1-0 down and it was Bryan Mbeumo; the right-winger we’ve been linked with ahead of the January window. He latched onto a cross-field pass, ghosted past Lewis Hall far too easily and fired a left-footed strike into the top corner after cutting inside. 1-0 Brentford – but not for long!
Just two minutes after Mbeumo’s opener, it was our talisman at the other end who stepped up in Alexander Isak. It was a rare headed goal for the Swede and a poacher’s finish, as the striker nodded Jacob Murphy’s attempted shot into the et. 1-1 and a much-needed response to a nightmare start.
On 18 minutes, it should’ve been 2-1 Newcastle and a brace for Isak, who made the most of Schar’s long ball after dispossessing Collins and going around the goalkeeper, only for Flekken to claw the ball away just as Isak looked set to slot into an unguarded net.
Bruno was the next to go close midway through the first half, as his first time effort from the edge-of-the-box went just wide after we survived a Brentford attack at the other end from Schar’s careless giveaway.
That giveaway wasn’t punished but the next one was as Newcastle shot themselves in the foot moments later. Barnes’ misplaced pass was shocking and allowed Wissa to drive at our defence and curl brilliantly into the top corner to make it 2-1, but we found and another immediate response through the man at fault for Brentford’s second; Harvey Barnes.
It was another assist for Murphy, who picked out Barnes with a low ball into the box. The former Leicester man still had plenty to do, but shifted the ball onto his right and fired into the far corner to make it 2-2! Four goals already and a game as wild as the weather, but we had to settle down, tighten up defensively and build on this.
We almost did exactly that on 37 minutes. Barnes did brilliantly down the left, bursting past his man in the box and standing up a cross for Murphy, but our right-winger mistimed his jump and couldn’t keep his back-post header down. Still, it was great play from Barnes once again, as our £38m man looked determined to make up for his costly error.
Barnes was involved once again just before the break, as his smart run saw him latch onto a lovely through ball from Hall, only for Pinnock to block the winger’s effort. Two other half chances followed from the corner, as Bruno smashed across goal from Hall’s whipped cross and Murphy forced Flekken into a near-post stop as his low cross almost snuck in.
It was a risk-reward approach and the sort of open game that suited us down to the ground. Brentford’s high line and lack of low block was giving us the sort of space we just didn’t get at Palace last Saturday, giving Isak, Barnes and Murphy space to work in. Livramento then became the latest player to exploit that space, as his superb run down the right was only stopped by a blatant trip from Lewis-Potter, earning the Bees left-back a booking just before the break.
Aside from some really poor defending and individual mistakes both of Brentford’s goals, it had been a really bright first half display. Our midfield looked fluid and interchanged well, Barnes and Murphy were constant outlets out wide and Isak looked sharp and should’ve had two.
The second half almost started with another self-inflicted Brentford goal, as another cheap giveaway allowed Brentford to break clear, with Hall caught up the pitch and Schar taking himself out of the game with a mistimed lunge. Wissa had options as he broke into the box, but his deflected effort was kept out via Pope and the post.
At the other end, Barnes went close again as he drove in from the left, cut in and fired a curling effort wide of the far post. On the other wing, Murphy came inside well but was way off with his left-footed effort after more good work down the right from the marauding Livramento.
But, just before the hour mark we conceded another awful goal. Flekken launched a free-kick from his own half, Schar failed to win the first header and the ball bounced to Collins, who was unchallenged as he guided a left-footed shot across Pope and into the far corner. So, so soft and more terrible defending to gift the home side a lead for the third time. 3-2.
Howe reacted with two changes on the hour mark and it was no surprise to see who was coming on, with Tonali and Gordon replacing Joelinton – who had gone down a few times in discomfort – and Murphy, who had lost his way in the second half after two assists in the first.
Gordon fired over after working some space on the edge of the box but couldn’t keep his shot down, while Wissa wasted a good opportunity at the other end after ghosting in down the left and opting to cut the ball back, rather than shoot.
We hadn’t managed a shot on goal in the second half and two more changes followed with just over 15 minutes to go, with Howe bringing on Callum Wilson and the rarely-seen Miguel Almiron for Sean Longstaff and Harvey Barnes.
With time running out and Tonali heading a good chance over to make it 3-3, Howe’s final throw of the dice saw Kieran Trippier replace Hall, who’d tired and had been given a tough afternoon by Toon target Mbeumo.
Brentford were sitting deep at this point and protecting what they had; and we all know how we struggle to break down a low block. That made life tough as we scrambled to draw level, with Almiron the next to fire over as the Paraguayan got his technique all wrong after latching onto Isak’s blocked effort.
Then, to make matters worse and put the game to bed in added time, Kevin Schade made it 4-2. Schar got done by Mbeumo on the edge of the box and Schade burst in between Burn and Tino before chipping Pope. A grim end to a really poor second half display, where we lacked zip in attack and failed to learn from our first half mistakes.
Next up, back-to-back games at St James’ Park as we face Leicester in the league next Saturday before that cup quarter-final against Brentford a week on Wednesday.
Newcastle XI: Pope – Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall – Longstaff, Bruno, Joelinton – Murphy, Isak, Barnes. SUBS: Dubravka, Trippier, Tonali, Wilson, Gordon, Targett, Osula, Almiron, Kelly.
Brentford XI: Flekken, van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter, Yarmoliuk, Nørgaard, Mbeumo, Carvalho, Wissa, Thiago. SUBS: Valdimarsson, Mee, Ajer, Roerslev, Konak, Trevitt, Maghoma, Schade, Damsgaard
HWTL.
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