Newcastle 1-2 Fulham
by Roger Domeneghetti
at St James' Park

NEWCASTLE’S home form has deserted them at just the wrong time. With the crucial second leg of the League Cup semi-final just round the corner, this was a chance to bury the memory of the 4-1 reverse against Bournemouth a fortnight ago; to show it was just an aberration. Instead, the nightmare scenario is staring them in the face: maybe that two-goal, first-leg advantage won’t be enough.

“There were similarities with the Bournemouth game, that’s not great for us,” said Eddie Howe. “I don’t think we were as bad as we were against Bournemouth. On the ball we were wasteful. The general level of performance individually and collectively left me frustrated. We probably deserved to lose the game.”