By Freddie Jennings at Selhurst Park
ANY progress made with a point away from home against Besiktas in the Europa League disappeared in an eleven-minute spell at the start of the second half as Crystal Palace lost 2-0 to Newcastle United – who won their first match at Selhurst Park since 2020.
Goals from William Osula and Harvey Barnes condemned Palace to a second straight defeat in the Premier League following the previous weekend’s embarrassing 5-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The defeat was greeted by boos at full-time as Palace slipped to seventeenth in the table, just one point above Nottingham Forest in the relegation zone.
Once again, it was the hosts’ defensive frailties that cost them. Osula was left unmarked in the box to prod home a Jacob Murphy cross in the 47th minute before the visitors carved through Palace at ease with some incisive football that led to Barnes’s composed finish.
Despite some promise shown by Yeremy Pino and substitute Dario Osorio, Palace never looked like getting back into the contest, as Newcastle cruised to a comfortable win.
The pressure therefore intensifies on Eagles boss Pierre Sage, as he struggles to turn around the side’s poor form and results.
The manner of the defeat will have hurt Palace fans considering that their opponents weren’t initially firing here after winning only one of their previous five league games. Both sides played out a dull first half with minimal goalmouth action as goalkeepers Walter Benitez and Lukas Hornicek had little to do.
Newcastle weren’t at their best yet caught Palace cold during a period that made it tough for the Eagles to recover from.
Palace have struggled too often in short periods this season, which has cost them points. They conceded three times in the opening ten minutes at Brighton, and although this defeat certainly wasn’t as egregious, it may well prove costly for Sage.
The Frenchman remained defiant after the game when he was questioned about his future.
“There is no noise inside the club,” Sage said. “The boos are normal because we don’t have the result.
“The noise is the consequence of the result of the team, and at the moment we don’t have what we expect.
“Inside, we are just really focused on solutions. How to be better, how to create the conditions to compete, and we will continue our work, and there’s no noise inside.”
At the start of the second half, Palace went from a team that narrowly shaded the first half to a group that didn’t look as if they even knew each other.
“We have to be switched on for all moments,” Sage said. “The first half we had our game plan but after the second goal the energy and freshness was back but we had already been punished.”
Palace have only kept one clean sheet in eight Premier League matches this season and have the worst defensive record in the top flight. That contrasts with Sage’s record at Lens last season, when his team had the second-best defensive record in Ligue 1.
Sage was asked about that contrast after the defeat to Matthias Jaissle’s side.
“It is a good question but the Premier League is a different thing,” Sage said. “I spoke with the Newcastle manager and we said that every mistake at this level could be a goal and for me my best plan is to have the ball more than the opponent to stop them making chances. I just have to find the solution to concede less goals. When we came back from the changing room we gave them too many moments.”
Sage desperately needs a reprieve and it might well come in that tie at Fulham. The Cottagers, though, have found some form after winning their two last games 1-0 against Hull City and Coventry City.
However, the bigger challenge may come in the Premier League when Sage’s side face a rejuvenated Tottenham Hotspur under Roberto De Zerbi at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
It remains to be seen whether Sage will still be in charge for those games.
