SOCCER: Howe shoulders the blame after Newcastle squander another lead

Eddie Howe said responsibility rests entirely with him after Newcastle United conceded two late goals in a 2-1 Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, a result that dropped them to 14th in the table.

Newcastle led through William Osula’s hooked finish shortly before halftime, but Palace turned the match around late on. Substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta scored an 80th-minute equalizer before converting a stoppage-time penalty to seal all three points.

“I always have to look at myself first. I always say that. I’m number one accountable,” Howe said.

“There’s no way we should have lost that game. We had a younger team today, but that’s no excuse. There are enough experienced internationals on the pitch to navigate the defensive aspect well enough.”

The defeat extended Newcastle’s struggles this season, with the club now having dropped 25 points from winning positions. Howe admitted his frustration at his side’s inability to close out matches.

“Those numbers are incredible. It’s blighted our season,” he said.

“The fact we haven’t been able to consolidate really good passages of the game, but also to go on and score more goals and continue to attack. That’s not the tactical instruction we give the players.”

Newcastle will look to bounce back when they host Bournemouth on Saturday. -Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters