Alan Shearer criticised Newcastle United after their defeat to Everton, saying the team offered "nothing at all" in the Premier League match at St James' Park. Thierno Barry's strike shortly after half-time decided the contest in favour of the visitors, with the Magpies managing only two shots on target, both coming after the 75th minute.
Days earlier, Newcastle had been beaten and outplayed by David Moyes' side in the Carabao Cup. In front of the home supporters and under the lights, this was their chance to respond, but the Toffees were again superior in all departments.
Shearer's Verdict on the Display
Matthias Jaissle and his players were booed off at half-time and at the final whistle, with Shearer later making his feelings clear on the performance. He wrote on X: "Well done Everton. Much better than Newcastle. Nothing at all from the Toon. Very very poor [angry face emoji]."
Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall controlled much of the game, while Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock struggled to get involved. Jacob Murphy, Yoane Wissa and Jacob Ramsey were all brought on by Jaissle, with the latter two both going close late on.
Ramsey Sent Off Late On
The game ended disastrously for Ramsey, with two cautions in quick succession resulting in a red card that will see him suspended for the trip to Fulham. Newcastle have won just two of their last seven games in all competitions and have regularly failed to create chances. A lack of creativity in midfield likely did not help, with Nico Gonzalez and Joelinton starting as the pivot.
Jaissle seemingly defended his selection and suggested the players did not adhere to his instructions despite a great week of training. He said: "There is big frustration and disappointment. We could not transfer what we saw in the week, training in a high level. Since the start of the game, not much was seen. That is difficult to understand."
Jaissle on the Game Plan
"We were not brave enough to break the line and play on the ground. We saw it in training, but there was almost nothing to see from these aspects in the game. In possession, this was not the level we wanted to see. We have a clear identity of how we want to play. To bring the opposition in stressful situations high in the pitch. We spoke about creating 1-on-1 situations. The plan was not to shoot the long balls."
When asked what the approach was after the first half was filled with long balls from the back, he said: "Yeah, you're right, that was the frustrating part. We played with a double-six today, we should support our centre-backs and also break the first line, like we had many, many occasions when we were in Everton. We couldn't bring them into the game, we were not brave enough, not courageous enough to break that line. We wanted to play on the ground as well, and then finding our patterns on the pitch. Like I said, we looked really good in the training session, but there was almost nothing to see from these aspects in the game."
