Newcastle United made history by becoming the first Premier League team to start a season with three consecutive 0-0 draws in away matches. Their latest stalemate came against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. This result followed previous goalless encounters at Aston Villa and Leeds United, marking a unique start to their campaign.
Bournemouth entered the match with momentum, having secured three straight Premier League victories. A fourth win would have temporarily elevated them to second place in the standings. The closest they came to scoring was in the 16th minute when David Brooks found the net from Evanilson's pass. However, referee Robert Jones ruled it offside after a VAR check showed Brooks' boot slightly ahead of Newcastle's Dan
Burn.
The match saw early action from both goalkeepers. Tyler Adams' shot was blocked by Nick Pope, while Djorde Petrovic denied Jacob Murphy at the opposite end. Despite these early chances, neither team managed a shot on target until stoppage time when Justin Kluivert's free-kick was saved by Pope, ensuring Newcastle's clean sheet.
Bournemouth remains unbeaten in four league games and currently sits third in the table. However, they missed an opportunity to achieve four consecutive top-flight wins for the first time since December 2023. The game produced only 15 shots and an expected goals (xG) total of 0.69, both being the lowest in a Premier League match this season.
Eddie Howe has faced challenges against Bournemouth since leaving them in August 2020. During his tenure, he led them to their first-ever Premier League appearance and maintained their status for five years before relegation in 2019-20. Since joining Newcastle, Howe has not beaten Bournemouth in seven league meetings, recording five draws and two losses.
Bournemouth is one of three teams Howe has yet to defeat in the Premier League, alongside Luton Town and Manchester City. His record includes one draw and one loss against Luton Town and two draws with sixteen losses against Manchester City.
Historical Context: Goalless Draws
This season, Newcastle has experienced three goalless draws out of five matches. This is reminiscent of Burnley's 2014-15 campaign when they also had three scoreless games after five fixtures. Leicester City holds a similar record from the 1976-77 season with three initial away games ending 0-0.
The lacklustre performance on Sunday failed to excite fans as both teams struggled offensively throughout the match. Despite this, Newcastle's defensive resilience continues to be a highlight as they maintain their streak of clean sheets away from home.
