Newcastle 2-3 Everton: Deja vu for Eddie Howe after another Premier League defeat

Considering Newcastle kept five clean sheets in their first seven league games.

In fact, it was at the other end of the pitch that Newcastle had problems at the start of the season as they began life without Alexander Isak, who went on strike over a £125m move to Liverpool.

By contrast, Newcastle are a threat at the moment – ​​Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to make an excellent save to keep out Sandro Tonali’s volley in the dying minutes – but they appear to have the ability to “implode themselves”, as Howe noted.

Newcastle have scored 23 goals since keeping a clean sheet in a 3-0 Champions League win against PSV Eindhoven last month.

Given the size of the opposition they will face in the coming weeks, Newcastle will certainly need to tighten up.

“There’s always a time and a place for bad words, and now we’re taking a breather,” Murphy said. “Let’s all think, let’s look back.

“First of all, we know where the mistakes are and we have to move forward and try to fix them.”

“We can’t get overly emotional when something doesn’t go right. That just causes panic, and that’s something we try to stay away from.”

Newcastle have lost three consecutive home league games for the first time since Howe took charge of a team facing relegation in 2021.

But oddly enough, Manchester United’s visit on Wednesday is the kind of game that could trigger a reaction.

Players definitely do not need any extra motivation to stand up under the lights in such situations.

The same can be said for home matches against Manchester City and Barcelona in the FA Cup and Champions League respectively in March.

But you never quite know what you’re going to get from this side; And therein lies the problem.

“We can step up our game when we need to,” Howe said. “But I don’t think this is a sign of a top team.

“We always need to be at this level. The Premier League is very tough. Whoever you play, wherever you play, the matches are very difficult.

“If you leave, you will be punished.”