Crystal Palace suffered another damaging Premier League defeat as Newcastle scored twice in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park and increase the pressure on manager Pierre Sage.
The opening 45 minutes offered little quality from either side, with Palace’s best opportunities falling to Daichi Kamada and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Kamada sliced wide after a promising Dwight McNeil run, while Mateta dragged an effort off target. McNeil also sent a low ball across an unoccupied six-yard box after good work from Yéremy Pino.
Newcastle changed the game soon after the interval. Will Osula converted Jacob Murphy’s cross two minutes into the second half, and Joe Willock had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside shortly afterwards. Harvey Barnes then finished a slick Newcastle move to make it 2-0, with the brief burst of attacking quality proving enough to settle the contest.
Palace struggled to respond. Adam Wharton forced a save with a curling effort and Darío Osorio tested Lukas Hornicek from distance, but there was little else in the way of threat or imagination from the hosts. The result leaves Palace with just two wins from their past eight league matches.
Sage is under significant pressure after a difficult run that has also included a heavy defeat by Brighton. Palace had previously beaten Nottingham Forest at home despite being outplayed for much of the first half, while the summer departures of Maxence Lacroix and Daniel Muñoz have added to the sense that the squad is still adjusting.
Newcastle were far from outstanding, but their improvement after the break was sufficient to expose Palace’s lack of confidence and attacking quality. Discontent around Selhurst Park was evident as the visitors completed a win that deepens Palace’s concerns.
