Dan Burn and Fabian Schar’s anger told its own story as the pair punched the air in frustration following Daniel Munoz’s late, late equaliser. Newcastle United may have flown home with a point, but this 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace felt like a defeat. It capped a bruising week.
Newcastle could have moved up to third place with wins against struggling West Ham and Crystal Palace. Instead, the Magpies lie in 10th after picking up just a single point from six on offer. Although the table is remarkably congested at the moment – and it is a long season – this already feels like a massive missed opportunity.
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It is certainly not about to get any easier for Newcastle to rediscover the momentum they had generated before the international break. First up is the visit of league leaders Liverpool on Wednesday night before a trip to high-flying Brentford, who have the best home record in the division.
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Could it be the week Newcastle reignite their campaign? Not if a concerning few days in front of goal continue after Newcastle had just two shots on target combined against Crystal Palace and West Ham.
Newcastle failed to even test Eagles goalkeeper Dean Henderson on Saturday – taking the lead in the second half thanks to an own goal from target Marc Guehi – and the visitors only had 10 touches inside the opposition box at Selhurst Park. It said it all that Newcastle generated an xG of just 0.02.
To think only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool scored more goals last year. In contrast, this season, just five top-flight teams have scored fewer. “In the final third, we are way off what we were last year,” Howe admitted.
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However, having found a way to break the deadlock, Howe lamented how his side failed to get over the line after Munoz headed home in the 93rd minute. Howe even felt the need to say ‘sorry’ to the club’s ‘magnificent’ travelling support.
Anthony Gordon, though, thought this was another instance of Newcastle ‘becoming the nearly men a bit too much’ after failing to seize ‘two massive opportunities’ against Crystal Palace and West Ham. “It’s not good enough because if we want to climb the table, we have to dominate and see games out the way the top teams do,” he added.
In truth, it could have been even worse. It was rather telling that Crystal Palace were ‘disappointed’ not to win the game and Eagles boss Oliver Glanser was hardly speaking out of turn when he said his side would have ‘deserved’ all three points. Newcastle, after all, are only the eighth team on record to avoid defeat in a Premier League game in which they attempted one shot or less.
Alexander Isak leaves the pitch injured for Newcastle United
Alexander Isak leaves the pitch injured for Newcastle United (Image: IAIN BUIST)
Losing Alexander Isak to injury midway through the first half was undoubtedly a huge blow at Selhurst Park but even with the striker in the side, Newcastle only managed a couple of efforts on target against West Ham a few days earlier. The same West Ham outfit who conceded five goals in the first half against Arsenal on Saturday.
Crystal Palace are not exactly prolific, but the hosts looked the likelier scorers and fired an early warning sign when the unmarked Ismaila Sarr was denied by the feet of Nick Pope, before the offside flag belatedly went up, and it was a sign of things to come. Just a few minutes later, from their first corner of the game, Newcastle breathed a sigh of relief.
Jefferson Lerma shrugged Lewis Hall off and the ball eventually found its way to Will Hughes, who sent Sarr racing clear on the break. The Crystal Palace star hit a teasing cross to Munoz at the back post, but the defender, somehow, failed to hit the target.
It was a huge let-off for Newcastle, right before half-time, and the Magpies made Crystal Palace pay shortly after the break with a clever set-piece routine. Lewis Hall shaped up to swing the ball into the box, but instead picked out Sandro Tonali. The Italy international threaded the ball through to Gordon, whose cross was inadvertently turned in by Guehi. Of all people.
However, Guehi’s head did not drop. Quite the opposite. The Crystal Palace captain looked determined to make amends against his suitors and offered a glimpse of the qualities that attracted Newcastle’s attention in the first place.
Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United celebrates with teammate Sandro Tonali
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There was little more than an hour on the clock when Guehi found Sarr inside the box with a superb long ball and Pope produced a big save to deny the Senegal star. The ball then fell to Munoz, whose eyes lit up. but Burn, somehow, made a block to prevent the full-back from equalising.
You wondered whether it was going to be one of those days for Crystal Palace. Guehi headed over in the 70th minute; Pope foiled Sarr at the near post with a quarter of an hour to go; and Jean-Philippe Mateta blazed over on the turn from six yards out late on.
However, Crystal Palace finally drew level in stoppage time when Guehi’s cross was headed in by Munoz at the back post to send Glasner running down the touchline – and leave crestfallen Newcastle players on their knees.
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