Newcastle United fell to another worrying defeat away to Brentford on Saturday.
On the back of Newcastle’s 3-3 draw with Liverpool, the hope was that Eddie Howe’s side had turned the corner and could possibly put together a consistent string of performances.
That did not happen, as Newcastle lost 4-2 to Brentford. The Magpies were appalling defensively on Saturday, as they missed out on the chance to move back into the top half.
Alan Shearer was furious with Newcastle’s performance, but it could have been a very different game had one moment played out differently.
What Alexander Isak did when Brentford vs Newcastle was 1-1
Mark Flekken of Brentford makes a save against Alexander Isak of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Newcastl...
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
When the score was level at 1-1, Newcastle United passed up a golden opportunity to take the lead.
Alexander Isak capitalised on Nathan Collins’ mistake, as he snatched possession on the right wing and darted inside towards goal.
The cool and composed Swede took the ball round Mark Flekken, as he prepared to score his second goal of the game and give Newcastle United the lead.
However, Isak was ultimately too cool and composed, as he delayed putting the ball into the net. Just as he was about to strike towards goal, the desperate hand of Flekken saved the Bees and denied Isak what would have been a certain goal.
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Eddie Howe shares his verdict on Isak’s performance
Who knows what would have happened had Isak scored and given Newcastle United a 2-1 lead.
It felt like a pivotal moment, as Brentford went on to win 4-2 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
However, Eddie Howe has told the Shields Gazette that he was very happy with Isak’s performance despite that first-half miss.
“Alex’s moment is a key moment in the game but I thought he had a good game and looked really bright,” he said.
“He scored a good goal but these things happen.
“There were chances but I didn’t think second half we were anywhere near as good, first half I thought we were excellent in phases apart from our defending. I don’t think Brentford had a lot of pressure, we weren’t sunk into our box it was just sporadic moments of disappointing actions that led to their chances.
“Overall, I thought we looked a strong team but the last four games we haven’t been good enough.”
Isak’s form the biggest positive from Brentford defeat
Given the way Newcastle defended, there is no way you could say that Isak’s missed chance changed the game on Saturday.
While it was a seismic error from Newcastle’s most expensive signing ever, Howe was still happy with his striker’s overall performance.
And that is the biggest positive to come from the game, as Isak continued his impressive run of form.
The 25-year-old now has seven goals to his name this season. In fact, Isak has eight goal contributions in his last eight games.
He is playing very well, as he continues to justify why he should start ahead of Callum Wilson, who is yet to score since his return from injury.
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