Jamie Carragher slams Newcastle United for ‘not acceptable’ thing they did against Chelsea

Jamie Carragher has labelled Newcastle United’s defending at Stamford Bridge as ‘not acceptable’ as the Magpies conceded three goals in a game for the ninth time in the Premier League this season. Goals from Nicholas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Mykhaylo Mudryk condemned the Magpies to their 12th league defeat of the season.

It has been a difficult few months for Eddie Howe’s side who are now guaranteed to finish with less points than they managed last season, even if they win their next ten league games. Speaking about United’s performance on Monday night, Carragher revealed his disappointment in their defensive work, describing their performance as ‘not acceptable’: "I adored Newcastle last season.” Carragher said post-match. 

“It was their intensity, and it took me back to when Jurgen Klopp first came in at Liverpool where people were running everywhere. They didn't have as many games and they've had injuries this season so what happens is you're using the same players who are fit, then that sort of intensity drops also.

"It looks like a team who are almost ready for the end of the season. If I just looked at that performance and I didn't know this team, that is not acceptable the way they defended. This is an average Chelsea team, let's not forget that."

Newcastle’s slump in form and defensive woes have coincided with Nick Pope’s injury. The former Burnley man dislocated his shoulder during their win over Manchester United back in early-December and Carragher believes his absence is a big reason for Newcastle’s recent struggles defensively.

He said: “Pope is a big part of this team. He's one of the best shot stoppers in the Premier League and he sweeps up behind that high line and press that we've seen. It is a big part, but it's not just about that. There's more to it.

“If you look at shots faced in the game, you go from the fourth-best in the league to 15th. That's not just the goalkeeper, that's to do with the set-up in the team. The save ratio you would expect to be down.

“The one that stands out is conceding three-plus goals, being the worst in the league - eight times in the last 14 games. That is unbelievable. This is for a team who, last season, were fantastic defensively.”