The Newcastle United star who ‘looks a million miles away’ right now after Chelsea and Everton defeats

Despite all of the mitigating factors, this one felt like a really tough one to take for Newcastle United.

In control, a man to the good and on the offensive against a side out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone. What could possibly go wrong? Well, this is Newcastle United we’re talking about here.

The Magpies contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at Goodison Park as they allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Alex Iwobi to effortlessly glide right through their midfield and backline to seal what was only Frank Lampard’s second win as Toffees’ boss.

But what stood out in the encounter? Here Liam Kennedy takes a look at five key talking points from an ultimately fruitless evening on Merseyside for the Magpies.

A game too far?

Excuses. They only get made when things go south. And things definitely did for NUFC on Thursday night.

Three games in eight days, all of which have come away from home has yielded three points. Not an awful return, but given their form, a sequence of games United rightfully expected more from. It’s four games in 13 days, returning six points.

All that travelling, the lack of ‘proper’ training days, the missing players and frequency of gruelling Premier League encounters. It was always going to be tough, and tough it definitely was.

Two late goals in two games proves the legs may just have gone for United recently.

Anyway, now for a nice easy one... Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Kane, anyone?

The Bruno bright spark

A light in the gloom. The spark that lit every United fire of note. Bruno Guimaraes may have been on the losing side, but in a game devoid of quality, he stood out like a sore thumb.

His clever movement, willingness to find space and pick passes. His progressive thinking, constant jostling for position in the middle and threat going forward make him a sight to behold.

If this is the level of player a takeover by PIF gets you, then I don’t think many Newcastle United fans will be wanting to dig out the receipt.

Two/three/four more like him in the summer and things will definitely be looking up for United in 2022/23.

Callum Wilson’s return can’t come quick enough

I like Chris Wood. I like his down-to-earth demeanour, his work ethic. He’s a self-sacrificing team player. He’s a body up top when one was most needed.

But is he the answer for Newcastle United, this Newcastle United? His lack of goals and finishing - he missed two very scoreable headers at Goodison - leave the door open to criticism.

While Wood’s physicality and his impact in the recent run can’t be understated, it’s hard not to wonder what Callum Wilson would have brought had he been playing in the same team.

Fingers crossed Wilson will be back, breathing down Wood’s neck in the not too distant future. Competition is healthy - and a rivalry to lead the line might just bring out the best in both men.

How close is safety?

In truth, it’s still probably closer than Eddie Howe cares to admit.

While this result was HUGE for Everton and Lampard, it was yet another free hit for United, after doing much of the real legwork towards securing their Premier League status for next season over the course of the last month.

Games get tougher for United, but they have at least three games you’d bank on them winning between now and the end of the season - that’s 40 points, you know, the old magic , if often inaccurately ambitious, relegation marker.

It likely won’t even take that much. If every season in the last 20 years is averaged out - and it’s been a while since I last did the maths on this one - it takes, there or thereabouts, 34/35 points to stay up.

One win and a draw from nine? That would be an awful, but ultimately safety-securing return.

Is what looked like the solution, now becoming a problem?

At his very best he’s simply unplayable. However, when way off his best - which he clearly is at the moment - does Allan Saint-Maximin become a problem in this Newcastle United, one built so much on shape, defensive rigidity and hard work?

Now, before we go deeper on this, I want to make it clear I rate Saint-Maximin A LOT. He has been a gem for United since signing, an absolute joy to watch when on fire.

Thing is, he looks a million miles from fire at present. Coming back from injury, he looks like a player that hasn’t trained a whole lot in the last three weeks.

That sharpness, playing on the edge, as he does, just doesn’t seem to be there. It will return, but for now, Saint-Maximin doesn’t quite look up to speed.

And in the Premier League, speed is everything. In the space of two games he’s been thrown in at the deep end, at crucial points in games - at Chelsea then Everton - and looked a shadow of his best. Newcastle need ASM back to that best ASAP.

However, while many castigate the player for the Everton goal, I’m more inclined to bemoan the service to him rather than the loss of possession, which ultimately led a point dropped.

And let’s not scapegoat a player who has been an excellent one for the Magpies in the last few years, often lighting up the gloom under Steve Bruce and Mike Ashley.