Newcastle 2-3 Everton: Deja vu for Eddie Howe after another Premier League defeat

Seventy-four seconds.

That was all resilient Everton needed to retake the lead and land a knockout blow as substitute Thierno Barry scored a late winner against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

It felt like deja vu for Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe, given the manner of his side’s 3-2 loss against Brentford at this stadium only a few weeks ago.

«I have a similar feeling,» he said after Saturday’s Premier League defeat by the same scoreline.

Howe admitted this month that he was not doing his job «well enough» as he embarked on a period of soul-searching.

His players rallied – eager to show they were «fighting for the manager» after the Brentford reverse – and Newcastle won four of their next five matches in all competitions.

But this defeat felt like a huge step backwards, and Newcastle are languishing in 12th place in the top flight for a reason.

«In relation to the Premier League, our form has not been good enough for a while,» Howe said.

«We know that. We take responsibility for that. It’s been really frustrating for us – and that’s the perils of Europe, I’m afraid.

«We have tried to be laser-focused on every game and give every attention to every game with the same importance but, with the deluge of games, your focus can be swayed.»

Newcastle still have plenty to look forward to, not least a mouth-watering last-16 tie against Barcelona in the Champions League.

But this was a huge match in its own right.

Newcastle are simply running out of fixtures to finally kick-start their Premier League season once and for all.

After giving a number of key players some form of a rest in the 3-2 win against Qarabag on Tuesday, Howe made six changes to freshen up his side.

But too many square pegs were plugged into round holes as Joelinton started on the left, forward Nick Woltemade was fielded in midfield and winger Anthony Gordon led the line.

There was a lethargy to Newcastle and you do not have to look too far to realise where the issues are for this leaky side.

It was bad enough that Newcastle conceded an opener from a corner kick or that Nick Pope spilled Dwight McNeil’s swerving shot to enable Beto to put away the rebound for Everton’s second.

But Newcastle’s slack defending for Everton’s third was particularly costly after Jacob Murphy made it 2-2.

Rather than fearing a grandstand finish, David Moyes’ team clearly sensed there was still time for one final twist against a side with such defensive vulnerabilities.

Sure enough, Gordon was dispossessed far too easily by Iliman Ndiaye in the build-up to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall picking out Barry at the back post.

«We probably never gave Newcastle a chance to enjoy their moment and get themselves back into the game,» Moyes said.

«We get the goal really quickly after both the goals they scored. Great credit to our players. Their mentality was great. They stuck at it.»

To think Newcastle kept five clean sheets in their opening seven league fixtures.

In fact, it was at the other end of the pitch where Newcastle had issues at the start of the campaign as they began life without Alexander Isak, who went on strike in an effort to force through a £125m move to Liverpool.

By contrast, Newcastle are now carrying a threat – Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to make a superb save to keep out Sandro Tonali’s volley late on – but they look capable of «self-imploding», as Howe recognised.

Newcastle have let in a whopping 23 goals since they kept their most recent clean sheet in a 3-0 win against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last month.

Newcastle will certainly have to tighten up, given the calibre of opposition they are due to face in the coming weeks.

«There’s always a time and place for stern words and now we take a breather,» Murphy said. «Let’s all reflect, look back.

«First and foremost, we know where mistakes happened and we’ve got to go forward and try and iron them out.

«We can’t get hyper-emotional every time something doesn’t go our way. It will just cause panic and that’s something we try to stay away from.»

Newcastle have lost three home league games in a row for the first time since Howe took charge of a relegation-threatened side in 2021.

However, in a strange way, the visit of Manchester United on Wednesday is just the kind of game that could trigger a response.

The players certainly need no added motivation to get up for such occasions under the lights.

The same can be said for home fixtures against Manchester City and Barcelona in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively in March.

But you never quite know what you are going to get from this side – and therein lies the problem.

«We can raise our game when we need to,» Howe said. «I don’t think that’s a sign of a top team, though.

«We have to be at that level all the time. The Premier League is so tough. The games are so difficult regardless of who you play or where you play.

«If you are off, you are going to get punished.»