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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.

EXPERT ANALYSIS: EDDIE HOWE IDENTIFIES "CONFIDENCE" AS THE KEY TO FIXING NEWCASTLE’S AWAY FORM

Despite a nervy second half, Eddie Howe’s side clinched their second away win of the season. Read the full Turf Moor match report.

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Eddie Howe says Newcastle are still not "super confident"

Eddie Howe’s team barely scraped by Burnley, grabbing only their second Premier League away win this season.

The Magpies jumped ahead quickly with a goal from Joelinton at Turf Moor. Soon after, Yoane Wissa, in his debut Premier League start for the club, made it 2-0. Josh Laurent then scored an awesome volley, cutting the lead in half. Newcastle clung to their lead until Bruno Guimaraes scored a third goal during stoppage time.

It wasn't a pretty game for Newcastle United on that cold night in Lancashire. They needed those three points, especially after that tough loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Friday.

This win nudged Howe’s team into the top half of the Premier League, with Crystal Palace and Leeds United up next. But, let's be real, their play didn't exactly inspire confidence that they've turned things around away from home.

Eddie Howe shared his thoughts on Newcastle United’s win over Burnley. What’s the answer to their away game struggles? Howe thinks it boils down to ‘confidence.’

“I think we've been close before. I feel we're headed in the right direction when you look at how we’re playing, Howe said as he talked about his team’s showing.

“If you keep playing well, you’ll win. Manchester United is a good example. I don’t think we played badly, and we had chances to get more from the game. We didn't score, but we played well overall.

“I think we will win games because of the kind of play that we have, and that’s what happened. We're not feeling super confident right now, which is clear.

“But, I think it’s mostly a confidence thing. And the only way to fix that is to win the next game.”

Howe said this: “It was a huge win for us. I don't think it matters how we got it. We just needed to get it.

“We started really strong, knowing how crucial this game was. I can’t say enough about how the players fought through it.

“That second half was significant for us. We had to make it.

“I give the players credit for finishing the game and showing the team's character.”

Newcastle United now has a few days to chill after the win at Turf Moor before heading back to Tyneside for four home games in a row. First up is Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. After that, they’re up against Daniel Farke’s Leeds United at St. James’ Park on Wednesday, January 7.

Then, they’ve got two cup games against Premier League teams. They’re hosting Bournemouth in the FA Cup and then playing the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

EDDIE HOWE ADDRESSES ALAN SHEARER’S COMMENTS BEFORE TONIGHT’S MAJOR KICKOFF AT BURNLEY

Alan Shearer sets a massive challenge for Newcastle United: win the next four games to ignite their 2026 Premier League campaign.

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Alan Shearer Wants Eddie Howe To Stay Until The Summer.

Before tonight's game against Burnley, Alan Shearer told Newcastle United what he wants to see in the next month.

Newcastle is currently 14th in the Premier League, which isn't good enough, but there's still a lot of the season left.

Even though Eddie Howe isn't in danger of losing his job, people are still worried about how the team is playing.

Another loss at Burnley on Tuesday would really increase the pressure. Alan Shearer thinks this game could be the start of something better.

Newcastle United Needs to Win Their Next Four Games

On Match of the Day, the Newcastle United legend sounded positive about the team's next few games and & thinks this could turn their season around.

He said, Yes, this could change things. A few weeks ago, everyone thought Fulham would get demoted, but they've won three straight games, and & now they're in the top half.

Newcastle needs to do that. Their next four games are against Burnley, Palace, Leeds, and Wolves. They have a good chance to win some.

These four league games are part of a busy January for Newcastle, with important Champions League matches against PSV Eindhoven and PSG and an FA Cup game against Bournemouth, as well as the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final versus Man City.

This period of games could really make or break Newcastle's season.

He should stay until the end of the season so everyone can make a better decision instead of rushing into anything. Hopefully, there will be more choices to replace him by the summer.

Where Newcastle Could Be If They Win

Let's say Newcastle wins all four of their games. It might happen, but those 12 points might just push Newcastle to just outside the top five or six in the league.

Aston Villa could get no points during that time and still be ahead of Newcastle before they play each other at the end of January. That shows how far apart Newcastle and Aston Villa are this season.

Still, getting to 35 points before the end of next month would really help Newcastle. The teams above them will probably also get points, so Newcastle might not move up the table much, but it's important for them to catch up to their rivals soon.

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