Newcastle nightmare as Fulham sink to fourth straight defeat

Two mistakes from Calvin Bassey critical in 2-1 loss at St James' Park

The days are getting darker and so is Fulham’s season, as Newcastle United have given us our fourth defeat in a row with a late 2-1 win at St James’ Park. Despite there being genuine improvements over our game against Arsenal, the same frustrating events plagued this afternoon’s contest, as appalling defensive mistakes and a failure to seize momentum let a far-from-perfect Eddie Howe team kickstart their own season with their win today. Hyperbole is seldom far from a football fan’s post-match expressions, but the basement of the Premier League has never looked quite so close…

First Half

It should be worth highlighting the fact Newcastle started the game a single point and place above us in the league table - things are not in full flow at St James’ Park yet, and for all our misgivings there was an opportunity to test the nerves of our hosts with a quick start. Evidently Newcastle were aware of this as well, because they wasted no time in igniting their own pathways to goal. Anthony Gordon charged along the left wing, getting Tete booked within minutes of kick off for scything him down on the edge of the box, and from the resulting free-kick an accurate Trippier cross deflected to Woltemade, who smacked his effort off the post.

We were shell-shocked, and losing the ball cheaply. Without Andersen at the heart of the team we struggled to maintain composed possession, increasing the danger of Newcastle’s pressing. Iwobi misplaced a pass that almost led to the opener, Bruno Guimaraes receiving the ball from a crafty piece of footwork from Woltemade but steering his effort wide of goal. Their midfield was the active force in the game, with Miley protecting the defence, Joelinton tirelessly storming across the pitch and Bruno orchestrating the team with his passes. They played through us with ease - the post rescued us again after Bruno threaded the ball through to Murphy, bounding ahead of Bassey on our left, and planting a firm effort off the wordwork.

To Fulham’s credit, we did pull through the early storm. The technical competence of the squad let us get a grip on proceedings once Newcastle’s initial burst of energy subsided, Lukic slowly making his way into more advanced positions, moving the focus of the play into Newcastle’s half and relieving some of the pressure on our defence. A Sessegnon run along the left might have yielded a goal if Jimenez, upon receiving the ball, had turned in the box a little smoother, and similarly a collection of unforced errors around the hosts’ backline could have been punished if our own players had reacted quicker to the loose balls offered to us.

And then… disaster. What should have been a routine recycling of the ball turned into a calamity for Calvin Bassey, who attempted a brainless cutback under pressure from Murphy and slapped an attempted pass straight into the forward’s legs. Murphy didn’t need asking twice - he sprinted away from the hapless centre-back into the box and slotted the ball goalwards. Leno’s attempted save was soft, a flimsy hand not enough to push the ball past the post, but it was a situation he never should have faced whatsoever. We have built our success through the confidence with which we build possession from the back, but the dearth of competency Bassey has plunged into cost us once again, and we trailed the hosts just as we were starting to ask questions of them.

Despite the jubilation for the home side, the momentum of the game lay open to both. The fizz Newcastle had from their opener dissipated after Murphy smacked a shot into Smith-Rowe’s head; Fulham continued moving the ball around, shaken by the goal and struggling to crack a tough opponent but still piecing together the odd move. Traore enjoyed his contests with Burn, using his pace to breeze into the final third on the right, but when his touch didn’t take it out of play, his crosses were repelled by Botman and Thiaw.

We needed our other pieces to match his pace - the mercurial talent of Smith-Rowe was seen in flashes, when he was able to nip away from Miley and use his footwork to engineer opportunities, but with Iwobi tamely jogging down the left, Jimenez struggling to touch the ball in the box and Lukic too sluggish to move the ball away from the midfield our chances weren’t being realised to full potential. Smith-Rowe assisted a Berge effort that Pope had to punch, from the rebound Traore dragged his shot wide and later the ex-Arsenal man scuffed an effort along the floor for Pope to pick up. It was actually Newcastle that had the best chance - another horrible lapse in concentration in the backline, with Bassey miles out of position and Sess ambling along his flank, let Gordon play a ball through to Murphy. His eagerness to double the lead perhaps clouded his vision - Leno rushed off his line, closed the angle down and prevented a second concession.

Second Half

Despite trailing yet another game, Fulham had some lifelines available. We only trailed the game by a goal, we’d asked questions of the Newcastle defence and whilst a few players were playing below their best hints of something more were dotted around the afternoon. It was at the restart that Silva made his tactical change - the livewire Kevin introduced to the cauldron for Smith-Rowe, Iwobi moved into the centre to pull the strings. It was clear what Silva was aiming for with his tweak - pace, speed and directness, and a chance to seriously test Trippier’s legs on Newcastle’s right.

He’d have to wait a little while to see it though. Again the hosts started the half strongly, forcing us into giving away cheap free kicks and keeping the action at our end of the pitch. It can’t be understated how slick Newcastle were at times in this match, moving across the field with a poise that signalled a clear intent. Each of their midfield trio offers something unique, and there’s a tenacity in them which made it clear we wouldn’t have an easy time fighting our way back into the game.

However, something was different in this half. Where Iwobi had sauntered, Kevin chose to sprint, exposing Trippier to his raw pace. With Iwobi in the centre his vision could feed the channel - a pass to Jimenez dragged Botman out of position and let the winger burst into the open space. His burst into the box sadly ended in a sloppy cross past his teammates. Not to be deterred, a second attack targeted the weakness - Berge moved it quickly to Iwobi, Iwobi fed it again to Kevin, the Brazilian moved inside away from the trailing right-back, his cross whipped across goal, taking a deflection off a sprawling Thiaw along the way, and Jimenez smacked his shot off the crossbar ahead of a sliding Burn. On another day, it might have been cleared, but Lukic, captivating the energy of the moment, stormed into the box and reacted quicker than Botman to head the ball home, taking a knock to the face in the process.

This was the grit we’d missed in recent weeks! But Howe had realised this also, and reacted quickly to shut down Kevin’s enigmatic actions. Schar arrived for Botman, injured in the collision with Lukic, Tonali swapped for a weary Miley, and Barnes came on to offer more protection for Trippier. It turned the game into a basketball match for a period, as the ball swung from either end of the pitch. Woltemade continued haranguing our centre-backs, taking a quick throw in from Gordon and holding it up to funnel our players towards him - upon returning it to the winger, a cross was headed over by Bruno from a dangerous position. Moments later, Lukic fed Traore a through ball, letting him sprint past Burn and cross the ball into the box - Schar’s clearance fell to Kevin, who set up a beautiful Jimenez overhead kick that Pope had to catch. These were the conditions in which speed ruled, where the frenetic advertising the Premier League gives itself starts to connect to reality.

However, Newcastle are a Champions League side, and Fulham’s last European bout was over a decade ago. They train for an intense schedule, they have a manager that demands elite fitness, and they were certainly not deterred by our attempts to find a winner. Kevin gave Iwobi a shooting chance and won a corner from Thiaw, but then the energy started to drain away, the team slunk back into their own half, and Newcastle became the dominant force in the match, once again using their muscle to push us off the ball in midfield.

Elanga’s arrival for Gordon, made right after Bruno fizzed a shot just wide of goal, came as an exhausted Traore came off for King. It changed the game - Fulham had previously been able to riposte Newcastle’s attacks with moves of their own, but Iwobi’s slower temperament, combined with moving his vision away from the attacking centre, deprived us of this option. Kevin, our sole speedster, was doubled up on and shut down. King couldn’t get on the ball and was swamped by Newcastle’s players, particularly Tonali, a general now running the show for the hosts.

The chances started pouring in. Barnes had moved to the left and was troubling Tete, forcing Iwobi to backtrack even further. One cross sailed through our team to Elanga in the box, who could only plant his effort into Sessegnon, before Tonali whipped a shot of his own into Leno’s palms. Woltemade was a magnet for the ball, keeping it off our defenders and creating havoc amongst a sea of bodies. Such a presence let the midfield have a licence of freedom - the tireless Joelinton almost capitalised on this, storming into the box to latch onto a Trippier cross and head it down towards the goal, narrowly missing as his effort hit the sidenetting.

We were knackered, and our injury crisis meant the bench was a barren place. Silva introduced Cairney to try and get us back on the ball, but this was a mistake - Lukic is taller and stronger, was having a decent game in midfield for us, and crucially pairs well with Berge, with whom he can share defensive duties in situations like the one we found ourselves in. We were being overrun; Woltemade used his link-up play to play Tonali in over the top, and the Italian bent an effort that Leno had to stretch to stop. Tete’s quick thinking took the ball away from Barnes before he could turn in the rebound.

Still, Howe wasn’t finished with his tweaks. The valiant work of Woltemade had challenged us all match, but the final twist would prove fatal. On came William Osula, a maelstrom of pace, and Fulham would have to find another gear to withstand the pressure upon them. It would take significant concentration to pull through the fire, especially given the glut of opportunities Newcastle were enjoying around our box. For a brief moment, it looked like we’d do it - despite the brilliance of the crosses Trippier was engineering, we were just about getting to the balls first, and had a crucial point in our sights.

But this is Fulham, and this season’s Calvin Bassey has become a liability. What should have been a chance to make a move of our own, building the ball up after a Thiaw long shot flew aimlessly wide, turned into a nightmare. Not content with one abysmal decision on the ball, the centre-back played a rancid pass to Sessegnon, which cascaded throughout the team - Sess was too slow to react to the shorter pass, letting Osula snatch the ball off him, the young Dane blasted into the box, cut inside away from Bassey to take on Leno, Leno’s save fell awkwardly in front of the six-yard box and Berge was too slow to grab to ball before Bruno, integral as ever, planted the ball into the open target.

2-1 with minutes to go killed the game. It didn’t need to - we had two substitutes left, put attacking wing-back Castagne and debutant striker Jonah Kusi-Asare (at last!) on and could at least have had one or two attempts at salvaging a point. Yet the confidence of the team was terminated - Newcastle ate away the remaining time with some comfortable possession, our players suddenly forgot how to make a pass and with our final action of a game a long throw opportunity ended in a free-kick for the hosts after a needless shove on Trippier by JKA (his only Fulham action to date). The referee’s whistle put us out of our misery.

Howe’s Tyne to Shine

We’ll start with Newcastle before the misery completely consumes my mind. As stated throughout, I think the skeleton of the team is fantastic - they are athletic, versatile, competent and dangerous, all whilst possessing the quality to turn a game in the blink of an eye. Even with fullbacks on the slower side (one of whom is really a centre-back) they were never truly neutralised at any moment in the game. Bruno is the obvious talent in the centre, and with a lieutenant like Joelinton there’s always bite in the game, but Tonali is a diamond, and changed proceedings upon arrival with his quality on the ball. They make life so much easier for their defence, who are rarely left stranded through the distance covered by their midfield, and the offensive regions of the pitch are only a pass or two away from being unleashed upon an opponent.

Credit has to go to Eddie Howe though - when things started to falter, like when Miley wasn’t quite reading the flow of the game with Iwobi in the middle, Trippier started being targeted by Kevin or even Fulham inching closer to earning a result, he made changes and swung the game Newcastle’s way. There’s a long way to go before Newcastle will reach the heights their owners envision but it’s clear that Howe will play an important part - he’s one of the best coaches in the division and continues to be key to Newcastle’s success on the pitch.

Bad day for Bassey

Silva’s not a bad coach either, but things are not so rosy for Fulham. It feels pointless glossing over the defending - play as carelessly as we did, and you won’t win games in the Premier League. You won’t even draw them. Bassey is not a child, or an eccentric new signing, he’s an international footballer with European experience and was our player of the year last season. His mistakes today were as recurrent as they were harmful, quite literally gifting Newcastle both their goals, and I don’t think Cuenca can be left on the bench whilst Bassey plays like this.

Is it all his fault though? Sessegnon has been generally quite good covering for the injured Robinson, and will always have affinity with Fulham fans, but he is starting to look a tired figure. His exertions against Saka last weekend can’t have been easy, but today Murphy - and later Elanga - had far too easy a task penetrating our left side, and on several occasions Sess needed to be sharper. You might also ask a question of the keeper today - cruel as it is to single out Leno, so often the saver of points in Fulham colours, several of his contemporaries will look at the two goals and feel confident in pushing them elsewhere. On the other hand, Tete fought with determination against Gordon and Barnes on our right all afternoon, a critical part of our defending for essentially the whole match, and Diop had another gritty match wrestling Woltemade around the box, never looking lost in the heat of the moment. It’s tough to single out an individual, but the honest truth is that Bassey has let the side down, and has to hold his hands up for the game-critical errors today.

Are there positives to salvage from another defeat? We saw what can be possible when Silva changes the formula. Iwobi is both too talented to be shoved out wide and not quick enough to trouble fullbacks in the way Kevin and Traore did today - given our personnel problems, we need to seem him integrated into central roles more frequently, as he did to great effect today. Lukic and Berge were much better, and whilst they weren’t on the level of their counterparts there was a marked increase in speed and precision with their attacking contributions today. Traore had a few comedic moments but his effort against Burn, running down the wing and whipping crosses in should be noted, and whilst I don’t think Jimenez has the strength to challenge centre-backs like Thiaw, Botman or Schar any more his contributions around the team at least add to the attacking options for Fulham. Smith-Rowe had a few flashes but still feels a shadow at the moment - when his starts feel like cameos King will not be kept out of the team by him.

The key will surely be from the bench, and the men missing from it. Kevin was a breath of fresh air when he came on, and having direct pace has to be something we have on both wings. This will only be improved when Chukwueze returns from injury, and even further if Sessegnon gets liberated from LB upon Robinson’s revival. Muniz would have sustained a challenge to the CBs more than Jimenez did and might even have made more of the crosses the Mexican received, and Andersen should stabilise our nervy, mistake-laden defence. Things can get better, and right now Silva is the best man to put things back together.

Of course, it feels hollow at the moment, reeling from a fourth straight defeat and nervously waiting to see how close to the relegation zone we’ll be by the end of the weekend. The next two games, even at this stage of the season, are must-wins - falling out of the cup to Wycombe would be a disaster to morale (and a chance to win silverware blown!) whilst anything less than three points against a (currently) winless Wolves really would invite the question of relegation. Silva has worked hard to end the yoyo years at Fulham - we can only hope the players step up over the next few days to ensure they don’t creep back.