Newcastle United: 5 things we learned from the 1-0 loss to Everton

A slow, but hard-fought match between Newcastle United and Everton ended 1-0 in favor of the Toffees at Goodison Park.

Newcastle’s four-game winning streak came to an end after suffering a minimal defeat to Everton on Monday. The Magpies did not play well as a collective unit and the drop in form led to their first loss in five matches. Everton did not have a stellar performance either, but a strike from Theo Walcott was sufficient to earn three points.

Newcastle did not necessarily lack energy, but they did seem unorganized on Monday. Several observations were made during the match and here are five key things that we learned.

A Frustrated Manager

The consolidation of missed calls from the referee and a poor performance from the club left Rafa Benitez upset on the sideline. The Spaniard is usually calm on the bench or motioning actions to players on the field. On Monday, Benitez’s patience was exceeded.

Several missed calls for Newcastle forced Benitez to express his displeasure to the fourth official every few minutes. In addition, his Magpies were having an off day as they did not maintain their recent form. Overall, Benitez seemed more frustrated than pleased in his 100th match as Newcastle’s manager across all competitions.

Careless Passing

Newcastle are not known for maintaining possession, but they are known for their superior passing. The Magpies failed to live up to that reputation against Everton, as they displayed one of their worst passing performances of the season. The only acceptable excuse for some passing miscues was the excessive watering of the pitch at Goodison Park.

Excuses aside, Newcastle failed to develop any sort of passing flow in this match. Even Jonjo Shelvey, the club’s main facilitator, failed in his usual efforts to move the ball forward. Newcastle’s performance was primarily comprised of rushed passes, ill-advised passes and weak passes.

Defend First, Attack Later

Surprisingly, Newcastle showed Everton’s strikers too much respect in the first half. Yes, Everton’s front-line does boast some impressive names, but not enough to emphasize defense over offense. Benitez had his men focused on chasing the ball for most of the first half and then attacking more in the second half.

Had it not been for a quick strike from Walcott, that tactic would have earned Newcastle a point on the road. However, Newcastle won four consecutive matches because they did not shy away from attacking. Against Everton, the different game plan evidently hindered the Magpies’ offensive efficiency.

Islam Slimani as a Starter

The Algerian international got the nod over Dwight Gayle against Everton and was on the field for 63 minutes. In his hour-long debut, Islam Slimani looked good and deserves another chance at starting against West Brom.

The only problem with Slimani on Monday was that Newcastle’s dreadful passing significantly limited his touches on the ball. If the midfielders behind him can thread the ball up top, Slimani will surely have some clean looks on target.

Strong Defensive Performance

The Magpies did concede a goal and lose, but the defensive unit was impressive. Newcastle’s defenders did a solid job of closing passing lanes, intercepting passes in the penalty area and blocking shots in front of Martin Dubravka.

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Walcott’s strike did have some luck involved as he got a goal past Newcastle’s defensive bunker, but the defensive performance was good. If the Magpies can maintain this solidity and aggressiveness against West Brom this coming weekend, three points should be in the bag.