Newcastle United suffered a 2-1 defeat at Premier League rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Despite neither side creating any meaningful opportunities during a lacklustre opening 45 minutes, Eddie Howe’s side took a narrow lead into half-time thanks to a Will Osula goal. However, familiar failings came back to haunt the Magpies as two late goals from Jean-Phillippe Mateta turned the game on its head during the last ten minutes and ensured Newcastle have now dropped 25 points from winning positions during an increasingly frustrating and disappointing campaign.
Despite supporters bemoaning a lack of intensity and control from their side, Ramsdale felt the Magpies showed plenty of both of those qualities in abundance and described the defeat as ‘probably the story of the season’.
He told the club website: “For 85 minutes, 86 minutes we dominated, passed the ball around, great intensity, mixed our game up and on another day we get two or three more goals. It’s probably the story of our season at the minute – dropping way too many points from winning positions and it’s hard for me to say straight after the game, not being able to digest it or see videos.”
Momentum
Newcastle United's English head coach Eddie Howe arrives to lead a team training session at the Darsley Park training centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, on March 9, 2026, the eve of their UEFA Champions League Last 16 football match against Barcelona. (Photo by SCOTT HEPPELL / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Newcastle United's English head coach Eddie Howe arrives to lead a team training session at the Darsley Park training centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, on March 9, 2026, the eve of their UEFA Champions League Last 16 football match against Barcelona. (Photo by SCOTT HEPPELL / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
There was understandable frustration for the impressive travelling support at Selhurst Park as their side failed to show any reaction to the Tyne-Wear derby defeat they suffered prior to the international break. Ramsdale insisted the Magpies had worked hard on the training pitch during the break and had shown ‘real intensity’ - but stressed he is puzzled by Sunday’s defeat.
He said: “We’ve had a great two-and-a-half weeks of working, real intensity on and off the ball, trying to hone the way we pay and the way we press.
“I think you saw that for 85 minutes, it’s just something we can’t put our finger on at the moment and it’s a tough one to swallow. Again, dropping points from winning positions. We’ve got six massive games, 18 points to play for and you never know what could happen but we need to get a win, we need to pick some momentum up for the rest of the season.”
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