Eddie Howe reality check as Newcastle United embarrassed by Sunderland for third time in 2025/26
Fulham 2-0 Newcastle United: Issa Diop and Tom Cairney secured a comfortable final day win for Fulham at Craven Cottage.
As if Newcastle United’s season couldn’t get any worse.
A 1-0 defeat at Fulham capped off a miserable domestic campaign for Eddie Howe’s side. But it was what happened away from Craven Cottage that truly laid bare the Magpies’ shortcomings this season.
Both sides went into the final day playing for nothing more than a top-half finish and a bit of local pride. Newcastle knew that if they won and Sunderland failed to beat Chelsea, then they would finish the season ahead of their rivals, who went into the day competing for the final European places.
Wishful thinking, as it turned out.
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Final day defeat for Newcastle
Eddie Howe initially made two changes from the side that beat West Ham United 3-1 at St James’ Park last weekend with Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy returning in favour of Kieran Trippier and Harvey Barnes. Anthony Gordon remained out of the starting line-up for a sixth successive match amid strong links with an exit from the club this summer.
A third change was then revealed as the teams made their way onto the pitch as Sandro Tonali dropped out in place of Joe Willock. The Italian was an injury doubt ahead of the game but was originally named in the starting line-up before picking up an injury during the pre-match warm-ups.
Fulham went in front after 20 minutes when Kevin’s free-kick crashed back off the crossbar only for Issa Diop to pounce first and nod the ball into a virtually empty net with no defending player picking up the run.
Newcastle had only avoided defeat in one of the Premier League games they had conceded first this season, a 4-3 win over Leeds United back in January.
The Magpies’ response to going behind was a tight-angled effort from Joe Willock saved by the legs of Bernd Leno. Nick Woltemade also almost created an opening with some neat footwork before being dispossessed on the edge of the box as Fulham held their 1-0 lead as the sides went in at half-time in the sweltering London heat.
Tom Cairney’s stunning strike in the closing stages for Fulham saw Newcastle predictably sleepwalk to a 17th league defeat of the season, equalling their loss tally of Steve Bruce’s final campaign in charge.
Sunderland embarrass NUFC once again
Five years into the takeover and over £700million invested into the side, finishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table at a whimper is hard to accept.
But the truly brutal reality check of them all came courtesy of neighbours, Sunderland. When Newcastle were taken over, the Black Cats sat in the third tier of English football.
Now, a side that didn’t know what division they’d be playing in this time 12 months ago, with an entire squad assembled for less than Newcastle paid for Yoane Wissa, Anthony Elanga and Nick Woltemade, have not only taken six points off them and finished above them, but gone and secured a European spot.