Newcastle United, after a brilliant display against Manchester City and a Carabao win against Wimbledon, couldn't continue the same way as they dropped some valuable points at Goodison Park. Although the track record of the Magpies at the venue, combined with Everton's recent form, did indicate such a result, the way Eddie Howe's unit has performed in the final third raises many questions.
Did shifting 23-year-old wing star to forward front finally catch Newcastle?
It was much evidently clear that, like the last PL outing against Man City, Captain Bruno Guimaraes and ace midfielder Joelinton looked solid; however, the club's finishing on crucial chances looked disappointing. While none of the front three looked good, it was completely a nightmare fixture for star Anthony Gordon. Thus, the question arises: Did shifting the 23-year-old wing star to forward front finally catch Newcastle?
Not to forget, since star forward Alexander Isak's availability has been compromised, Howe put Gordon out of his conventional wing role and to the forward front. While he certainly had a difficult second half, in his 1st appearance in the role against Wolves, he had been good against Manchester City. However, in the fixture against Everton, it seemed as though nothing went the way the player wanted it to.
Firstly, missing on arguably the club's best chance of the game, as Jordan Pickford predicted Gordon's penalty direction pretty calmly and then looking miserable in front of the goal on other opportunities, the 23-year-old had a terrible fixture overall. With this, the player's disastrous form against his former club continued as he hasn't had any goal contributions against Everton, even after leaving them in January 2023.
An alternate option that could have potentially made Newcastle's life much easier would have been to bring in prodigy forward William Osula onto the front; however, his missing the complete game was certainly Howe's choice. Not only has this decision, in a way, cost them a few points but has rather put the manager in front of several questions as to why they had brought him in the first place if he wasn't to get game time in the season.
So far, the 21-year-old has had rare game minutes starting just one fixture, that too against Wimbledon. While the consideration that he is still a raw talent is completely understandable, bringing him into the second half against Everton could have been a decisive boost for him. Given that Guimaraes and Joelinton were not having trouble finding space in the opposition half, a few chances could have been enough for Osula to land his first PL goal.
Overall, it was a frustrating draw for the Magpies, who looked too poor in the final third to deserve enough of the complete 3 points. While it was some on the forward front's part, it was equally on Howe's part who didn't utilize Osula in the fixture. Going forward, the club would hope that their star forward Alexander Isak returns soon after the October international break, ending the club's misery on the front.