Same problem remains for Spurs.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham showed character with two come-from-behind wins against Newcastle, but the same problems remain for Thomas Frank’s struggling side.
They have won only three of their last 14 games, but the pressure would have increased ahead of Saturday’s crucial home game against Brentford were it not for the heroics of Cristian Romero.
Frank took the bold decision to bench centre-back Micky van de Ven, but it is at the other end of the pitch that the absence of Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski becomes a problem.
Romero’s double was the only shot on target for Spurs at St James’ Park, making it the fourth straight league game in which Spurs failed to register a single shot in the first half.
Spurs have scored 23 goals from 132 shots and expected goals of 12.8 in the Premier League this season, with the best shot conversion rate (17.4 per cent) and xG overperformance (+10.2) of any team, but that is unsustainable.
Frank desperately needs a win against his former club Brentford this weekend to take the pressure off and win over some supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
david richardson
Newcastle’s momentum slows down
‘Frustration’ was the buzzword for Newcastle after they twice gave up the lead against Spurs at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe and Bruno Guimarães were left disappointed that Newcastle had squandered the chance to maintain their momentum with a third straight Premier League win.
Newcastle fought hard to put themselves in a winning position despite being far from their best against Spurs. But slipping when hitting the front has been a regular problem for Howe and his team so far this season.
No team has dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Newcastle (11, level with Brentford), and that has proved costly.
Newcastle remain in the bottom half of the table in 13th place, but could have climbed all the way up to seventh if they had kept winning.
Howe will have to fix that if Newcastle want to qualify for Europe again this season.
Oliver Yu
Everton have qualified, but key questions remain – and Moyes knows it
Jack Grealish’s goal and Everton’s third win in their last four games should rightly grab the headlines, but the glaring issues within the squad need to be resolved if they are to progress.
Tierno Barry had two great chances to score from inside the box on Tuesday night, but squandered both of them. In a tight game like this one, you have to take advantage of at least one chance.
Toffees manager David Moyes said after the match: “He’s improving, but as a No. 9 he’ll be judged on goals. He’s got to score goals.” He recognizes the problem.
As it stands, Everton are winning games without the contribution of their central attackers, but a deflected shot doesn’t always guarantee a win.
A striker with Premier League experience should be a target in January.
Patrick Lowe
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Premier League Bournemouth vs Everton highlights
Bournemouth at risk of spiraling out of control
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Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has expressed concern about his side’s recent form following the Cherries’ fourth defeat in their last five games, with a 1-0 defeat at Everton.
Andoni Iraola is right to be concerned about the form of the Bournemouth side.
The winless streak could be further extended to seven games in the blink of an eye.
The Cherries next host Chelsea before facing Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Defeats to Everton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and Man City, as well as a failure to beat 17th-placed West Ham, have left confidence and belief low.
Coach Iraola criticized the lack of quality and courage of the players with the ball during the game. If we don’t address these basics in our games before Saturday’s 3 p.m., this slump could quickly get out of control.
Patrick Lowe
City solved the scoring problem, but the rest remained
Man City went from one extreme to the other, beating Fulham five times in 90 minutes, ending a run in which they had scored just one goal in five consecutive away games.
That wasn’t the only contrast at Craven Cottage. City’s form in the first 60 minutes was so good that Josep Guardiola joked to journalists that he was already preparing: “City are back!” headlines before nearly collapsing in the final half-hour.
It was as much a psychological problem as a personnel one. City were easier to play without Rodri, but they still didn’t have to sit deep enough to invite a goal from Alex Iwobi to make it 5-2, and twice failed to pick out Samuel Chukwueze for a loose ball.
The mentality Josh Gvardiol showed to clear from his own half inches from Josh King’s equalizer could have served Pep and his team much earlier.
Guardiola said his team will and must learn from this result. It’s unlikely they’ll be involved in a nine-goal frenzy again anytime soon, but their admittedly fragile confidence after blowing a two-goal lead against Leeds and now building an almost four-goal advantage feels a world away from the predictably watery City of two years ago.
This is not the same team, but the mentality has to be close to it. Otherwise, their hopes of cornering Arsenal, who display the characteristics City need, will prove impossible to keep up with.
Ron Walker
Fulham need to make the most of Chukwueze’s form before AFCON
Given Samuel Chukwueze’s form, he should start at Fulham. The winger, who is on loan from AC Milan, will be absent for this month’s African Cup of Nations, but his importance in manager Marco Silva’s squad has increased.
With two goals and three assists in three games, all in just one start over 153 minutes of Premier League football, Chukwueze is a force waiting to be fully unleashed at Craven Cottage.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester City
“He has already achieved success,” Marco Silva said of his influence after the match.
“He is showing his quality, he has quality on the right and on the left. He also has the ability to make the right decisions and he is getting better and better.”
“He’s getting better and better. He’s making the right decisions, but we have to manage him.
“Unfortunately, we’re going to lose him in 15 days. That’s the way it is. Until then, we’ll get the best from him and do it again from Sunday.”
William Bitibili
