Eddie Howe thinks Newcastle United showed a lack of killer instinct in their 1-1 draw at home against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies have specialised in draws at the start of this season and this is their fifth of the new campaign already.
The hosts were without Allan Saint-Maximin for this game and his absence proved vital as Newcastle were unable to make the most of their superiority.
F365’s early loser: Newcastle struggling to meet expectations – whatever they were
They even fell behind around the hour mark as Phillip Billing found the net for Bournemouth.
The Cherries were not ahead for long though as Alexander Isak equalised from the penalty spot just three minutes later.
Newcastle pushed for a winner in the latter stages but they were made to settle for a point.
This result leaves Bournemouth (12th) and Newcastle (10th) level on eight points and they are only separated by goal difference.
Howe admitted post-match that his side “were not clinical enough”:
“Disappointing today. Below the levels, we set ourselves for the first time this season,” Howe said (via Chronicle Live).
“I felt we played in front of them too much. They defended deep and it was our responsibility to deal with that.
“There’s a big sense of frustration in terms of points we have. But the reality is we haven’t won the games we should have. A lot of games with clearcut chances and we weren’t clinical enough.
On Isak: “Our game plan is not to isolate him. We’re playing with several attacking players so we’ll look at why it didn’t work today.”
On his first game as a manager against Bournemouth: “I tried to blank it out and concentrate on the game. I really appreciated Bournemouth’s reaction. It meant a great deal so thank you to them.”
Gary O’Neil is currently Bournemouth’s caretaker manager. Regarding his position, he has revealed that he “will be finding out what’s happening next week”:
“It is a good point for us, it is a tough place to come. The boys stood up. I am a little bit disappointed with the penalty but we would have taken a point before.
“I am pleased the boys got something out of it because they put in a hell of a shift.
“We had a couple of plans prepared so the boys were prepared to flip between them. We changed it a little bit second half and had to give up a little bit of ground but I never really felt under threat. I am relatively pleased.
“They [the players] will show spirit every game….
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