Maybe Newcastle were distracted by the prospect of reaching Wembley on Wednesday night or perhaps they have simply hit a mid-winter wall. Whatever the reason, one thing seemed crystal clear: Eddie Howe’s players could not cope with Adama Traoré and his friends from Fulham.
The visiting right-winger excelled on the counterattack as goals from the excellent Raúl Jiménez and Rodrigo Muniz consigned Newcastle to a second successive home defeat. Quite apart from denting hopes of Champions League nights on Tyneside next season, it was hardly an ideal dress rehearsal for the midweek Carabao Cup semi-final second leg date with Arsenal here.
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