Key events
According to Opta, Newcastle have dropped more points from winning positions than any other team in the Premier League this season (19). Ouch.
An email from Kevin Wilson on the player who made the big difference tonight:
Ouattara had a pretty mixed season for Bournemouth last year so it was quite amazing to see Brentford drop £40m plus on him this summer, but fair play he’s been really impressive.
Newcastle’s players look absolutely broken as they slump to the St James’s Park turf after full-time. The club can probably kiss goodbye to top tier European football for next season. Their campaign likely now rests on how far they can progress in the Champions League.
Brentford, on the other hand, may start dreaming of Europe. They’ve done the double over Newcastle this season, putting six goals past them in the process.
FT: Newcastle 2-3 Brentford
That’s it, Brentford get all three points and consign Newcastle to a third straight defeat. Eddie Howe’s side haven’t won in the Premier League since 7 January and have picked up just one victory in their past nine games in all competitions.
It’s a really rotten run which is in complete contrast to Brentford’s brilliant form. The Bees have beaten Aston Villa and Newcastle away from home in successive games. What a job Keith Andrews is doing.
Ouattara gets the broadcasters’ Player of the Match award, deservedly so. He’s had a day out.
90 mins +6: Hall gets a booking for his troubles after being penalised once again. Newcastle really haven’t responded well to the Ouattara goal, they look shellshocked by it.
90 mins +4: Newcastle’s frustration is bubbling over. Hall thinks he should have got a free-kick but instead Andy Madley whistles in Brentford’s favour.
90 mins +2: Hall is now playing right-back and wins a free-kick, which brings about a big chance for Thiaw. Elanga was in space and found the centre-back but the finish was lacking.
NINE minutes of added time. This ain’t over for Newcastle, not by a long chalk.
89 mins: Dan Burn has come on for Newcastle and he may as well stay up front to try and win aerial duels.
We’ll get a fair chunk of added time in this one.
87 mins: “Wissa, what’s the score?” is the ditty from Brentford’s fans.
The rest of the stadium is deathly quiet, reeling from that sucker punch.
Jensen found the former Bournemouth winger in acres of space – Newcastle have been leaving those pockets throughout the game – and Ouattara needed no second invitation to drill low and hard with his left foot into the corner. Superb goal.
GOAL! Newcastle 2-3 Brentford (Ouattara, 86)
It is Ouattara who thunders Brentford back ahead! A rasping low effort that Nick Pope simply couldn’t stop.
If ever a player deserved a goal …
85 mins: Chaos-ball is suddenly working wonders for Newcastle, but that back door is still very much ajar if Brentford fancy a stab at nicking it on the break. Thiago’s linkup play has been sharp and Ouattara is lightning quick.
83 mins: I dare say there is a certain theatre that VAR has brought to football.
Anyway, Newcastle are pushing for a winner here, but Osula is held up by some dogged Brentford defending.
82 mins: What is this game of thrills going to throw up next?
“Naysayers be damned, VAR is brilliant,” says Niall Mullen on email. “Football was barely watchable before the explosion in penalties and people asking for penalties.”
Two penalties, another penalty that might have been, two other goals… and still plenty of time left. What a Saturday night treat this game has been.
80 mins: St James’s Park is thrumming with noise now; the home supporters will believe their side can kick on and nick this.
Romelle Donovan has been introduced by Brentford.
GOAL! Newcastle 2-2 Brentford (Guimarães, 79)
Guimarães dusts himself down and stands over the penalty … he makes no mistake! Kelleher went the wrong way.
There was no card for Kayode, by the way, but he was furious with the awarding of the penalty.
Penalty. It’s another soft one, as Kayode is adjudged to have fouled Guimarães when the Newcastle man was charging to meet Elanga’s cross. Is that the denial of a goalscoring chance too?
The referee took an absolute age to look at the screen, checking and double-checking, eventually announcing “there is a careless trip” by Kayode.
On-field review! Maybe Guimarães was fouled after all. Andy Madley is going to the screen.
75 mins: A fast breakaway from Newcastle sees Osula go left to Elanga, whose cross evades everyone. Guimarães has stayed down after lunging for the ball. I’m not sure it’s a penalty but the Brazilian is definitely hurt.
74 mins: Ouattara does brilliantly for Brentford once again, racing forward to alleviate the pressure on his defenders, winning a corner.
The set-piece is swung in by Jensen but powerfully met by Botman’s head.
71 mins: Some determined defending from Lewis-Potter stops Hall from surging down the Newcastle left, before Woltemade runs into trouble on the edge of the box.
This isn’t quite happening for the home side. Credit to Brentford for their organisation.
69 mins: There’s still 25 minutes (including the likely added time) to go in this one and Eddie Howe has played all his attacking trump cards.
Thiago is going to get booked for thundering into the back of Lewis Hall as they challenged for a header.
67 mins: And just as I type that, Thiaw steps forward out of the backline and thunders a shot that stings the palms of Kelleher. Close.
And the resulting corner is nodded just wide by the goalscorer, Botman. Close again.
There’s just no pattern to Newcastle’s attacks, no discernible plan other than to wallop it forward and hope the pace of Barnes and Elanga means they can create something from the long searching balls. They’ve really lacked cohesion through the middle this afternooon; Guimarães looks a long way off his best.
65 mins: There’s another handball penalty appeal for Andy Madley to deal with, and he responds to the Newcastle shouts that Ajer had handled it… by giving a Brentford free-kick for offside.
Wissa, who has been fairly poor, is removed in place of Osula.
63 mins: Yet another attacking player is being readied by the Newcastle coaching staff. Will Osula is stripped and receiving his instructions.
62 mins: This is a masterclass in game management and defensive organisation from Brentford at the minute.
61 mins: I’ve noticed this a few times lately – officials insisting that throw-ins are taken from the position the ball went out even when the taker is trying to retreat a few yards. It just happened with Trippier there. Odd.
