Newcastle United were humiliated on Monday evening as they were thrashed 4-1 by newly promoted Coventry City at the CBS Arena.
Despite enjoying the lion's share of possession and creating the majority of chances, United found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-1 scoreline away from home for the second successive match and that should be ringing major alarm bells inside St James' Park.
Goals from Jack Rudoni, Sidiki Cherif, Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni rendered Sven Botman's second half screamer meaningless as the Magpies now need to dust themselves down and offer a serious response in Saturday's home clash against Aston Villa.
Best midfielder did not get a minute
It is not unfair to say that teenage midfielder Sean Steur has been Newcastle's best midfielder this season. He has consistently performed well since his move from Ajax and always shows character in possession that belies his tender years.
But he found himself out of the side on Monday evening as Nico Gonzalez replaced him in the side in the only change from the 2-1 win over Hull City last time out.
That felt harsh although it can possibly be attributed to the fact he played three times for the Netherlands' under-21s side over the international break and Newcastle will look to manage his load.
Nonetheless, it felt like a huge surprise for him not to get on the pitch at all, with Joelinton the preferred midfield change for Joe Willock in the second half.
Given his positive start to the season and the clear need to inject positive energy into the side for the visit of Aston Villa on Saturday, it feels like a no-brainer to bring him back into the side.
Quartet return from injury as pressure grows on two players
If there was any positive to cling to on Monday evening then the return of four senior players to the squad after injury was probably it. Captain and vice-captain Dan Burn and Joelinton made their first appearances of the season, while Amar Dedic and Will Osula also made their return to action.
Botman has looked shaky all season while Matias Fernandez-Pardo was so wasteful in front of goal. He missed two gilt-edged chances and he looks like he lacks the killer instinct in front of goal needed to be a top class number nine and while it is still early days this season, Osula and Burn coming back into the side on Saturday, if they are ready, feel like two natural changes.
Rudoni haunts Newcastle
Newcastle were monitoring the Coventry midfielder last summer over a potential move with Eddie Howe believed to have been a fan of his talents.
Instead, the Magpies moved to sign Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa and Rudoni remained at Coventry as he helped to spearhead their promotion to the Premier League.
And he showed his class on Monday evening, not only opening the scoring from the penalty spot, but offering a constant threat with his direct running and ability on the ball.
If Coventry are to remain in the Premier League this season, Rudoni will be central to their success. Newcastle were dealt a harsh reminder of why they were considering signing him in the first place.
Battle of the worst xGs
Heading into Monday's game, Coventry and Newcastle had the worst xG stats in the Premier League and, as a rule of thumb, that is unsustainable.
The stats match the eye test when it comes to Newcastle who create loads of chances but concede too many as well. When they don't take their chances and the opposition are ruthless with theirs, brutal nights like Monday happen. If Newcastle don't regain control of that then the underlying numbers will suggest they can only outrun the stats for so long.
Premier League picture
Newcastle knew a win tonight would have lifted them into the top four, while a draw would have lifted them in the top half. As it is, they remain in the bottom half of the table with a goal difference of -3.
Coventry lifted themselves up to 14th in the table and they are now within two points of the Magpies heading into next weekend.
