Newcastle United’s travel troubles deepened with a 3–1 defeat to Brentford, extending their winless Premier League away run to nine games.
Harvey Barnes gave Eddie Howe’s side an early lead, but defensive
errors and a red card for Dan Burn condemned them to another damaging loss.
Barnes opened the scoring in the 27th minute, twisting past two defenders inside the box before finishing low with his left foot. It was Newcastle’s only shot on target all afternoon and came against the flow of play, with Brentford the sharper and more aggressive side throughout the opening half.
The equalizer arrived already in the second half, and by the 56th minute. A long throw from Michael Kayode caused chaos in the Newcastle box as Nick Pope failed to clear the ball and Kevin Schade headed home from close range.
Moments later, Burn was at the center of controversy. The Newcastle defender appeared to trip Dango Ouattara inside the box, but the winger was booked for simulation after VAR judged the contact “minimal.”
Burn’s reprieve, however, was brief. In the 73rd minute, Ouattara again got clipped by Burn, and referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot. Already on a yellow, Burn was sent off after a VAR check confirmed the foul.
Before the penalty could be taken, Nick Pope was replaced by backup goalie Aaron Ramsdale in a hard-to-believe move by Pope-fanatic Eddie Howe. Igor Thiago had no issue with the change and converted from the spot to put Brentford ahead.
Newcastle pushed late for an equalizer but were undone in stoppage time when Thiago broke free to fire past Ramsdale for his second goal of the day.
Joelinton’s early substitution with an apparent leg issue added to Howe’s concerns, while Jacob Ramsey was the man tasked with manning the midfield in Joelinton’s absence.
Yes, Howe brought silverware to Tyneside last season and celebrated his four-year anniversary at the helm on Saturday, but another defeat has left Newcastle just two points above the relegation zone after three straight away losses to Brighton, West Ham, and Brentford.
The Magpies have failed to score more than once in any of their last nine away fixtures, and the only thing saving Howe from a very dark decision by NUFC is staying alive in the cups—although that means his fate hinges on a coin flip.
Newcastle will be off for a couple of weeks due to another international break, and they won’t have it any easier when they return as the Magpies will host Manchester City at St James’ Park on Nov. 22.
