EDDIE HOWE is facing the toughest test of his managerial career at St James’ Park after Dango Ouattara’s 86th-minute winner condemned out-of-sorts Newcastle to their third defeat in a week.
Returning Newcastle skipper Bruno Guimaraes thought he had got his side off the hook with a late penalty.
His cooly-taken spot kick looked to have handed Howe some much-needed respite.
But Ouattara – outstanding throughout – made it another miserable night for the Geordies, racing into the box to beat Nick Pope with a smart finish.
What will be worrying for the Toon chief is that this home game against Brentford was supposed to provide a sense of sanctuary.
Preceded by three away games and with four to follow in quick succession, this looked the most winnable fixture in a testing sequence.
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Instead, the Bees notched up their first double on Tyneside since 1934.
The result does little to offer hope that Howe’s side can qualify for Europe through their league form.
Indeed, this was a game which underlined just where these two sides are right now.
Despite going behind when Sven Botman marked his 100th Toon appearance with the 24th minute opener, Keith Andrew’s impressive side didn’t panic or buckle.
Newcastle in contrast couldn’t build any kind of momentum and were behind by half-time with Vitaly Janelt and Igor Thiago with his 18th goal of a prolific season, putting the Bees into the driving seat.
The make-up of the Newcastle bench at kick-off had offered a telling clue to this season’s rollercoaster fortunes.
Four of the six summer signings – costing a combined £160m – didn’t start, a sure sign that Howe’s recruitment drive hasn’t exactly gone to plan.
Newcastle remain capable of scaling heights – the recent draw against PSG is testimony to that – but such performances are becoming the exception rather than the norm.
And perhaps the biggest problem right now is they are carrying two non-scoring strikers.
Neither Yoane Wissa nor Nick Woltemade has scored a league goal since December and when the former was hooked just after the hour mark, he had to endure taunts of “what a waste of money,” from the travelling fans who once adored him.
Few Geordies will put up a counter-argument on what they saw here.
Newcastle had been fortunate not to concede a penalty in the opening minutes when Kieran Trippier tugged at Keane Lewis-Potter’s shirt as he burst into the box.
It felt like a real let-off for the hosts when VAR ruled it wasn’t a foul and the full-back escaped punishment
Brentford didn’t create a clearcut chance in the opening 20 minutes yet they looked the more fluid and incisive side.
But they went behind when Botman outjumped Rico Henry and met Guimaraes’ corner with a glancing back-header which skimmed off the sodden turf giving Caoimhin Kelleher no chance.
And after Pope pushed away a deflected Ouattara shot, the Magpies almost doubled their lead through Wissa.
The striker thought he had scored his second league goal for the Toon but Janelt denied him with a superb block on the line.
And there was worse to come when Janelt equalised to restore parity for the visitors.
It was a goal of old-fashioned simplicity and none the worse for it.
Ouattara whipped over a stunning cross from the left, and the German rose above Botman to bullet a downward header past Pope, opening his account for the campaign.
Nine minutes later, Brentford were deservedly ahead when Igor Thiago scored from the penalty spot after Mathias Jensen’s goalbound shot had struck Jacob Murphy’s outstretched arm.
Newcastle huffed and puffed for most of the second half with sub Woltemade, just like Wissa, offering minimal goal.
Kelleher kept out a Malick Thiaw drive on 66 minute before that frenzied finish ending in the visitors securing the win their gutsy display deserved.
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