Eddie Howe reveals why he took off Jacob Murphy in Newcastle United's FA Cup defeat

Cambridge United yesterday knocked Howe’s side out of the competition at St James’s Park thanks to a second-half goal from Joe Ironside.

Newcastle dominated the third-round tie, but couldn’t find the net, and the performance underlined the need for the club to sign a striker in this month's transfer window with Callum Wilson facing eight weeks on the sidelines.

Jacob Murphy was moved up front by Howe, and the winger was a threat in front of goal up to his surprise 60th-minute withdrawal.

Asked about the decision to take Murphy off, Howe said: “Yeah, Jacob Murphy did well, whether he played wide or up front, I thought he did well.

"I just felt, at that moment in time, we were at a stage in the game where I needed to try something different, look at different options, so we ended up moving Ryan (Fraser) there. He’s played that role for Scotland.

"We ended up moving Joe (Joelinton) up there, Max (Allan Saint-Maximin) again up there. We were just trying to find a solution, and not disrupt the rhythm of the team. I don’t think we disrupted the rhythm, but I don’t think we found the answer.”

Howe – who sent on Joe Willock, Miguel Almiron and Javier Manquillo after his team went behind – could have made two more substitutions under FA Cup rules.

However, Newcastle’s head coach opted to leave 19-year-old midfielder Elliot Anderson – who made his senior debut against Arsenal a year ago – on the bench.

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