Howe must now ditch 6/10 Newcastle star who lost the ball 20x vs Palace

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Newcastle United conceded a late equalizer to drop more points in the Premier League this afternoon as they drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace.

Eddie Howe’s side had to make do without Alexander Isak for most of the game as he was subbed off with an injury after just 20 minutes.

A Marc Guehi own goal looked like it would be enough for the Magpies to take all three points, but a last-gasp goal by Daniel Munoz, who was teed up by Guehi, meant the game ended in a stalemate.

Newcastle’s best and worst performers vs Palace

Sandro Tonali impressed in midfield, winning 100% of his ground duels during the clash while making three tackles, succeeding with 100% of his dribbles and taking 57 touches.

Elsewhere, a centre-back pairing of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar looked solid, winning four of their six ground duels between them, although they will be disappointed to lose a late goal.

Lewis Hall struggled at left-back, however, losing possession a staggering 22 times during the game while making zero key passes and being dribbled past twice in what was a dismal showing.

One of the worst performers on the day for Newcastle was Joelinton, who was deployed on the left of a three-man attack, yet failed to offer any meaningful contribution.

The Newcastle star who Howe must now drop

Joelinton has played in every single Premier League fixture for the Toon this season, but he has managed to score just two goals. This didn’t change against Palace, despite playing in a more advanced role at Selhurst Park this afternoon.

The Brazilian did play the entire 90 minutes, yet he lost possession on 20 occasions, lost ten of his 15 contested duels and committed two fouls, clearly not having the best showing defensively.

Key stats from Newcastle vs Crystal Palace
Stat	Highest ranked
Accurate passes	Fabian Schar – 52
Shots on target	Daniel Munoz and Ismaila Sarr – 2
Dribble attempts	Eberechi Eze and Joelinton – 5
Ground duels won	Daniel Munoz – 10
Tackles	Daniel Munoz – 9
Via Sofascore

The 28-year-old did try and make a difference, attempting five dribbles throughout the 90 minutes, yet none were successful. The midfielder also failed to register a single shot during the game and made zero key passes as he failed to inspire the club to three points.

He was given a match rating of 6/10 for his display by journalist Dominic Scurr, who said that the former Hoffenheim man was ‘in and out of the match on the left wing and couldn’t deal with the late ball into the box for Palace’s equaliser’.

This performance indicates that Howe must drop Joelinton to the bench for their game against Liverpool on Wednesday evening, especially if he wants his team to perhaps secure a positive result against the runaway leaders of the Premier League.

Howe doesn’t have many options to replace him, however. Harvey Barnes could come in for a start on the left flank, although that depends on whom the manager chooses to unleash as the centre-forward.