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BRENTFORD DEFEAT HIGHLIGHTS NEWCASTLE’S STRUGGLE BALANCING EUROPE AND LEAGUE

Newcastle's away woes continue as Dan Burn's red card contributed to a 3-1 defeat at Brentford. Despite Harvey Barnes' opener, defensive errors and a penalty cost the Magpies, leaving them without a Premier League away win.

Brentford defeat highlights Newcastle’s struggle balancing Europe and league
Newcastle’s form dips - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Dan Burn was sent off during Newcastle's 3-1 loss at Brentford, prolonging their wait for their first away Premier League victory of the season.

Following the terrible away loss to West Ham at the London Stadium last week, where manager Eddie Howe acknowledged his team were "unrecognisable," a response was required. He received that midweek when they defeated Athletic Club in the Champions League, but at the Gtech Community Stadium, things went back to normal.

In the early going, they appeared to still be suffering from the effects of their meeting against the Bees, finding it difficult to match their intensity and giving the ball away cheaply with some sloppy passing. Additionally, they lost Joelinton, who was arguably their most vivacious player, to a hard knock early on.

However, the away team took the lead thanks to a superb goal from Harvey Barnes, who started in place of the injured Anthony Gordon. Barnes chopped in and then out before hitting low into the back of the net. Newcastle led by one goal at halftime, and the goal appeared to shake Brentford's confidence.

But after the interval, their opponents were energised, obviously seeing their opponents' fatigue, and equalised when Kevin Schade headed in from close range after Newcastle defender Sven Botman had unintentionally flicked on Michael Kayode's long ball.

Kayode's long throw-in is one of the most deadly attacking weapons in the Premier League, and you would be hard-pressed to find a finer one in all of football. Throughout the first half, its speed and flatness caused issues for Newcastle's defence and goalie Nick Pope, and the visitors were ultimately penalised for their inability to handle it.

Then, when the defender seemed to trip the dangerous Dango Ouattara in the penalty area, Newcastle and Dan Burn got away with it. Although Burn's response seemed to indicate that he believed he had handed away a spot-kick, referee Stuart Attwell chose to book Ouattara for diving instead.

And the replays undoubtedly demonstrated how brutal that was. Burn obviously made contact with the striker, and even though the Brentford player tumbled theatrically to the ground, which might have worked against him, the touch was mild. It was also far more of a penalty than a yellow card for diving.

However, the Bees would soon forget their emotions of unfair treatment when Burn brought down Ouatarra in the box once more and was disciplined this time. The Burkina Faso international's speed gave the England defence a nightmare, and he was caught off guard once more when he failed to make a clearance effort and instead made contact with his opponent. Even worse, he was sent off after receiving his second yellow card of the match.

After a lengthy VAR review and Howe's decision to make four changes, including replacing Nick Pope with Aaron Ramsdale in goal, Igor Thiago had to wait a long time to attempt the penalty kick. Ramsdale's first assignment was to try to save Thiago's penalty kick, but the Brazilian handled it coolly, sending the former Arsenal goalie in the wrong direction and sliding the ball into the net.

After racing through and neatly slotting past Ramsdale to make it 3-1, the outstanding Brazilian had time to score another goal. The Brentford striker has scored more Premier League goals this season than anyone else save Erling Haaland, and he has undoubtedly contributed to the fact that the losses of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa—who did not play for Newcastle against his old team because he is still recovering from a knee injury—have not been felt as much as many had expected.

Losing against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium is hardly a cause for embarrassment. This season, many teams have done so and will undoubtedly continue to do so. After a challenging summer that saw the loss of important players Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard, and Wissa, as well as manager Thomas Frank, Keith Andrews and the club's management handled the situation admirably, bringing in more than enough replacements for the departing players, including the head coach.

However, there are serious concerns at Newcastle. Their Champions League campaign may be their saving grace, but if their recent league results are any indication, they have little chance of returning there the following season. They also appear to be having difficulty adjusting to the demands of playing midweek and weekend games against elite opponents.

BRUNO GUIMARAES ONE YELLOW CARD AWAY FROM SUSPENSION FOR NEWCASTLE FESTIVE AWAY GAMES

Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes is one booking away from missing crucial holiday fixtures against Burnley today.

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Bruno must avoid booking against Manchester United

Newcastle United is set to play Manchester United and Burnley away during the holidays.

Their captain, Bruno Guimaraes, needs to be careful in the next two games to avoid a ban.

The Magpies have two away Premier League matches coming up: first, they're at Manchester United on Boxing Day, then at Burnley on December 30.

If Eddie Howe’s team wants to move up in the standings, their away record needs work. Right now, they're in 12th place, five points from the top five. Their only away win was at Everton last month.

Last time, United threw away a 2-0 lead and drew 2-2 with Chelsea at St. James’ Park. Before that, they lost 1-0 to Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby.

Bruno Guimaraes is in danger of a Premier League ban.

Guimaraes got a yellow card in the Sunderland game, so he's close to a one-game suspension.

He already has four yellow cards this season. The Premier League rules say that if a player gets five yellow cards in their team's first 19 matches, they get a one-match ban.

Guimaraes got through the Chelsea game without another card and needs to do the same against Man United and Burnley to avoid missing a game.

If he gets a yellow card at Old Trafford, he'll miss the Burnley game. If he gets booked at Turf Moor, he'll miss the Crystal Palace game on January 4.

After that, the limit goes up to 10 yellow cards in 32 matches, which means a two-match ban.

Manchester United will be without their own Bruno against Newcastle United.

Newcastle will have Bruno Guimaraes for Boxing Day, but Man United won't have Bruno Fernandes. He hurt his hamstring in their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim said after the game, "I think it's soft tissue," the United boss told Sky Sports. So, it's going to take some time. We'll see.

It's really weird. We're having so many problems this year, especially now, but we have to deal with them.

"I don't know; I think he's going to miss a few games, but I'm not sure," the head coach said. I don't want to get into it too much, but he's usually always fit and recovers fast.

JUST IN: NEWCASTLE BOXING DAY SQUAD NEWS—NICK WOLTEMADE AND TONALI SET TO FACE MAN UTD

One week after a derby own-goal, £69m Nick Woltemade scores twice against Chelsea! Is the record signing back?

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Woltemade’s Brace vs Chelsea Silences Critics

Newcastle totally crushed Chelsea for about 45 minutes, which had to be the Christmas gift Eddie Howe wanted most.

Three of his main guys—Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Nick Woltemade—suddenly looked like they had their mojo back after seeming tired when the team was struggling.

Things were getting worrying, but these three showed some real hunger.

Now, the question is, are they really back? Or will they just relax after that win, thinking they've done enough to make up for that embarrassing loss in the derby?

We'll see soon enough, as Newcastle wraps up a crazy 2025 with trips to Manchester United and Burnley. We'll be watching closely.

People were asking questions, like why did we even sign Woltemade? Yeah, he's a nice, eager young guy with lots going for him—great feet, a smart football mind, a good attitude, and he's tall.

But everyone agrees he's not super fast, doesn't have the strength to hold off defenders, and doesn't always push into the opponent's territory. Those are pretty important things for a striker.

Two of our legends, Alan Shearer and SuperMac, have pointed out these weaknesses. Some even wondered if he'd be better in another position.

So, a lot of people were surprised to see him tearing it up against Chelsea, just a week after that awful own goal against Sunderland.

This blond kid was always running into the box and really trying to press the Chelsea defense. And he got two goals after not scoring for a while.

Did Howe work his magic again, like he did with Joelinton, turning him from a bad striker into a great midfielder? Or like he did with Gordon, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, and Alexander Isak?

Or maybe Yoane Wissa scoring against Fulham made him realize that even though he's working hard, it's better than sitting on the bench all the time.

Either way, it doesn't matter. Howe or Wissa, a fairy godmother, or just luck—all the Newcastle fans who were singing his name just want Nick to keep playing well. And Wissa, get inspired too, and maybe we can save this wild season.

Eddie promised Woltemade, after spending a record £69m on him, that he'd build the team around him. That seemed like a bad idea, but maybe there's some hope now.

The fans really like Big Nick, and I get it. He's the kind of player you want to see succeed, and he's giving it his all.

But what about Gordon and Tonali? Gordon's been inconsistent, and Tonali's form had dropped off a cliff. Form is temporary, but class is permanent—so what was wrong? It was confusing, but he seems to be back. Anthony needs to play like that more often, though.

I know one good game isn't proof that things have changed. We need to see it against Manchester United on Boxing Day and then against Burnley to really put 2025 behind us.

Like the whole team, these star players are still trying to prove themselves. It's not easy to win back the fans after letting them down. If they can stay unbeaten in the next couple of away games, things might be different.

If we're wondering if Howe can turn Woltemade into a natural striker, can he please do the same with Anthony Elanga? He's been awful. He's fast but out of control. He doesn't produce anything, so he's lost all his confidence.

It's surprising that Elanga and Jacob Ramsey, who came from other Premier League clubs, have had a harder time fitting in than Woltemade and Malick Thiaw, who came from other countries.

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