Steve Bruce reveals why he didn't drop Joelinton from his Newcastle United starting XI

Bruce had Dwight Gayle available for yesterday’s visit to Selhurst Park, but the club’s head coach kept faith with Joelinton, who has only scored one Premier League goal since his £40million move from Hoffenheim last summer.

Newcastle United, however, failed to score for a third successive league game as Crystal Palace won 1-0. The result left the club 14th in the division.

Asked about his team selection, Bruce said: “Dwight’s trained for the last eight or nine days after being out with a hamstring for six weeks. I thought it was only right I didn’t start him.

“I’m not going to talk about individuals. We didn’t cross it enough. We don’t do the basics well enough to give him a chance. We haven’t done it again, which is evident for everyone to see. When it really mattered, the decision making wasn’t good enough.”