**Eddie Howe**had his say about a 2-1 defeat to **Sunderland**in the Tyne-Wear derby.
After a 1-0 loss at the **Stadium of Light**in December, Newcastle Unitedwanted to win the first St.James’ Park edition of the rivalry since the return of the Black Cats in the Premier League.
**Anthony Gordon**grabbed a goal to capitalise on a Luke O’Nien error, but **Chemsdine Talbi**and **Brian Brobbey**turned around the game in the second half to leave the hosts emptyhanded. Days after a 7-2 rout against Barcelona in the Champions League, fans were left frustrated with their team.
“This was very, very painful. But it was most painful for our supporters, and it’s them I think about now. There is no excuse, when you have not performed and have not delivered.
“We have not done our jobs well enough. I’m fully committed, but I’m disappointed in my delivery today and my delivery the last week. The Barcelona game was very tough. Today is even tougher.
“I understand the reaction at the end of the game. My first thought as a leader is to front up and absorb the blame. You can use whatever word you want, I won’t challenge it. The only thing we can do is come back stronger. I won’t be deflecting it to players. This is going to be a painful few days for me. We never want to go through a hostile reception from crowd. I understand the criticism.
*“Our technical delivery was off today. We missed three midfielders [Lewis Miley, Sandro Tonali, **Bruno Guimaraes*] who would have given us control. It left us unbalanced. The game became transitional & we made it too much like they wanted it. We lost control in the second half.
“They were two poor goals to concede but that’s not a one-off for us. We have defended poorly since the turn of the year.”