Newcastle United ready to battle for £34m-rated international, Magpies eager to sign Serie A ace

Despite dominating possession and having 17 shots to the hosts' nine, the Magpies were unable to convert their dominance into more points, and were sucker punched in the ninth minute of stoppage time by ex-Arsenal man Alex Iwobi.

All the more frustrating for Eddie Howe's side was the fact that their opponents had been down to ten men from the 83rd minute onward, after Allan received a red card.

Speaking after the frustrating defeat, the Magpies boss said: "“Not a great second half from our perspective,” said head coach Howe. “I think that’s what’s cost us the game. First half, we were good, controlled the game.

"The only thing that was missing was a goal, being really clinical in the final third, and I think that was missing the entire game. We got into some good positions, but the normal rhythm wasn’t there. But the second half was a big disappointment.

"It (the red card) obviously gives you a big advantage, and we didn’t capitalise on that. I thought, tactically, we didn’t deliver the plans we should have done at that moment.

"The game was there for us. We made some poor decisions by our standards with the ball. You’re always liable for counter-attacks, and moments that could still cost you the game. You have to be very alert. We made a bad mistake for the goal, and it cost us.”

Next up, after the international break, Newcastle face a tricky trio of matches against Spurs, Wolves and Leicester City.

Take a look at the latest news and transfer stories from the Premier League, as the reaction to last night's action continues: