Newcastle United suffered their first setback of the Premier League season with a 3-1 defeat to Fulham, marked by a combination of lackluster team performance and costly individual mistakes.
Fulham wasted no time, taking an early lead through Raul Jimenez just five minutes into the match. Things went from bad to worse for Newcastle when Nick Pope misjudged a straightforward shot from Emile Smith Rowe, gifting Fulham a second goal.
At the interval, Eddie Howe made tactical switches, introducing Jacob Murphy and Lewis Hall in place of Joe Willock and Lloyd Kelly. The substitutions sparked a brief resurgence, with Murphy setting up Harvey Barnes to cut Fulham’s lead to 2-1.
Newcastle’s chances of a comeback were dashed when Fulham keeper Bernd Leno mistakenly passed the ball to Fabian Schar, but the defender squandered the opportunity, striking the side netting from close range. Fulham put the game to bed in stoppage time when Reiss Nelson capitalized on a wayward pass from Bruno Guimaraes, scoring their third goal.
Following the final whistle, Guimaraes was seen offering an apology to the traveling fans. Addressing this, Eddie Howe said, “I didn’t catch that moment, but we all share responsibility. No single player is to blame; it’s a collective loss, and it’s tough for all of us to accept.”
Several standout players, including Schar, Joelinton, Anthony Gordon, and Alexander Isak, struggled to make an impact. Howe acknowledged the challenges, stating, “We need to assess each player’s performance individually. Some have had disrupted pre-seasons, and it’s clearly affecting their form.”
Howe stressed the importance of getting these players back to peak condition quickly, as they are critical to the team’s success. Newcastle will look to regroup and put this defeat behind them as they prepare for their upcoming Carabao Cup third-round fixture against AFC Wimbledon.
