Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe (Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Brighton, West Ham, Bournemouth, Fulham, and now we can add Everton. Amid all the celebrations on Sunday - richly deserved for Newcastle United's achievements this season - it will not have been lost on Eddie Howe that this was their fifth home defeat of the campaign.
Clearly the bigger picture is hugely positive one. Newcastle qualified for the Champions League and lifted silverware for the first time since 1969, making the past nine months the most successful in living memory for many us.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa were all beaten along the way, not to mention league doubles over the likes of Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. There is so much to congratulate Howe, his coaches and this squad of players for, and every reason to believe that things can get ever better next term, on the back of a positive transfer window.
But if we take a step back - as Howe must and no doubt will - we can see a concerning trend when it comes to the matches where United have fallen short, partiucarly at St James' Park.
Every season is littered with ifs, buts and maybes for each side, but those anxious minutes after the final whistle against Everton could have been avoided with just a few more points here and there.
Newcastle lost five times on home turf in the league in season just gone, and not to sides challenging for at the top end of the table. Even Bournemouth, who were flying high at one stage, finished in ninth.
We know United can mix it against the very best, so what do the 'failures' against so-called lesser lights tell us? Every side has off-days, of course, but there is a theme to these results which will need to be addressed in the summer transfer window.
Those five games saw Newcastle score just two goals, and that in itself paints a picture. Bournemouth apart, when the Andoni Iraola's side swept United aside on a day to forget, the Magpies were not outplayed in any of those games,.
They largely dominated possession but were unable to find their way through the massed ranks of an opposition happy to sit back, contain and look to hit on the break. Brighton, who are better than many, did it perfectly in October, seizing on a rare defensive mistake to score and then soaking up the pressure with barely a big chance falling United's way.
West Ham did likewise, taking the lead against the run of play and then exploiting United's eagerness for an equaliser by breaking away to score their second. Fulham was perhaps different in that United probably should have earned at least a point - Sandro Tonali hit the bar and Joe Willock missed a gilt-edged chance.
But again against Everton last Sunday, United never really looked like breaking down a Toffees side who were without three of their first-choice back line.
Newcastle back in Champions League
Prize money
Draw dates
Full list of qualifiers
New format
Of course to ignore the 5-0 demolition of Crystal Palace, beating Man United 4-1 or the hard-fought home wins against Chelsea and Arsenal would be scandalous. We know United are more than good enough, but when it came to breaking down stubborn resistance, Howe needs more options.
The 'bigger' sides don't look to sit back and stifle, allowing Newcastle to do what they do best - press high and hit opponents with their pace and power.
Against Everton, no one in black-and-white really beat a man to deliver a dangerous cross until Will Osula did just that, only for Fabian Schar to fire narrowly over in the dying minutes.
It underlines just what they need in the summer transfer window. More players who can create something out of nothing, who open up space with a turn of pace or a trick. In Bruno Guimaraes and Tonali they have the men capable of picking out players with a silde-rule pass, but they need to have the runs to pick out.
Too often Alexander Isak is isolated in a crowded penalty box, with little to no space in which to operate. Can United find a strike partner or No 10 to help distract defenders when needed?
Howe has shown so often that he gets his tactics right - the league table tells you that - but he must be given more ammunition with which to crush the resistance of those sides looking to frustrate.
The opposition won't change next season, but there's a good chance Newcastle will if the right players are signed in what should be an exciting summer.