Bournemouth end Newcastle's hopes with late masterclass from Truffert

The second half began with a spark of hope. Osula levelled matters in the 68th minute, arriving at the right moment to prod home after some sustained pressure finally yielded something tangible. Suddenly Newcastle were back in it. The crowd lifted. You felt it could still go either way. Then Truffert happened. The left-back, subbed on to provide fresh legs and a forward thrust, twisted the knife with a calmly taken finish in the 85th minute after Evanilson picked him out. Game over.

Tavernier opened the floodgates with a clinical finish on the half-hour mark, latching onto Rayan's through ball and slotting past the Newcastle keeper with the kind of composure that suggested he'd been waiting for this moment all season. One nothing at the break and Newcastle had barely had a sniff. They controlled the midfield, peppered Bournemouth with long spells of possession, yet created precious little that actually threatened the away side's goal. The xG told a brutal story: 1.65 for Newcastle against Bournemouth's 3.03. The second half began with a spark of hope. Osula levelled matters in the 68th minute, arriving at the right moment to prod home after some sustained pressure finally yielded something tangible.

What's particularly galling for Newcastle is how little Bournemouth actually had to work for this. They defended with discipline, caught Newcastle on the transition when it mattered, and took their chances with the efficiency of a side genuinely believing they could nick something on the road. Christie and Tavernier both picked up yellows in the second half as they battened down the hatches, yet they never looked rattled. Newcastle, by contrast, grew increasingly desperate. Murphy and Botman were booked trying to rescue the situation. Late substitutions of Tonali and Elanga suggested Howe was chasing shadows.

The refereeing deserves mention. Bramall let the game flow reasonably well but seemed content to let things fray towards the end, with four yellow cards brandished in the final ten minutes alone. Newcastle will feel slightly hard done by in that regard, though they cannot hide behind officiating when they created eleven shots from inside the box and converted just one.

This result leaves Newcastle rooted in 14th, five points adrift of the top six and staring at another season of mediocrity if things don't change fast. Bournemouth, meanwhile, climb to 11th with a fourth away win from their last few visits to St James' Park. The recent head-to-head record against these lot is becoming genuinely embarrassing for Newcastle. This is the Cherries' third win in their last five meetings. Howe has questions to answer about a team that looks technically sound but mentally fragile when the pressure comes on.