Newcastle United were once again second best all over the pitch on Sunday, as they lost to Brentford.
Eddie Howe’s horrendous record away from home in the Premier League continued, with Newcastle United losing 3-1 to Brentford.
The Magpies had been given hope when Harvey Barnes gave them the lead, but it was very much a false dawn. In fact, it was barely even that.
Despite going into half-time with a lead, Brentford were very much the better team at the Gtech Community Stadium.
That was the view of Bees boss Keith Andrews, who thought his side were ‘outstanding’ against a woeful Toon side.
Keith Andrews gestures while Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall watch on during Brentford vs Newcastle United.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Keith Andrews under no illusions over Brentford vs Newcastle United
Following Brentford’s win over Newcastle United, Andrews spoke to the Bees’ official website.
He explained why his team undoubtedly deserved the three points on what was another embarrassing afternoon for Newcastle United.
“It was thoroughly deserved, it was an outstanding performance,” Andrews said.
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“We maybe edged the first half without creating too many clear-cut opportunities. I would say we looked the more likely.
“Half-time, going a goal down, I just wanted us to remain calm and focus on what we talked about before the game.
“There were a couple of tweaks on how we could improve things… I thought we were outstanding in the second half, and our performance levels went through the roof.”
Another dreary attacking performance from Newcastle United on the road
When Barnes gave Newcastle the lead in the 27th minute, it was not the culmination of intense attacking pressure.
It was the only genuine chance they had created, having spent most of the half defending. While they had defended well, they were lucky to go into the break with a one-goal advantage.
The trajectory did not change in the second half. Brentford remained the better team and the only side that looked capable of scoring. They did just that, hitting the net three times to turn the game around.
As for Newcastle, they did not have a single shot on target in the second half. During the whole 90 minutes, Barnes’ goal was their only shot on target. In total, they had just five shots.
It is a worrying statistic for Eddie Howe, one week after his side’s limp attacking display against West Ham. Newcastle had four shots on target at the London Stadium, but only one of them went in. While they created more against the Hammers than they did against Brentford, that must be caveated by how poor West Ham have been defensively this season.
Whether it is because of confidence or quality, Newcastle United are falling well short of expectations offensively. Their inability to create chances is proving to be fatal, with the Magpies now just two points above the relegation zone.