Adrien Truffert piled the pressure on Newcastle boss Eddie Howe as former club Bournemouth struck late to snatch a 2-1 Premier League victory at St James’ Park.
The full-back’s 85th-minute intervention inflicted an eighth defeat in 11 league fixtures on the Magpies and severely dented their dwindling hopes of securing European football for next season.
Will Osula looked to have at least spared his head coach, who has now failed to lead Newcastle to a league win over his former club in eight attempts, a third successive top-flight defeat when he cancelled out Marcus Tavernier’s first-half opener.
However, another lacklustre display in front of an increasingly militant crowd of 52,109 left him facing an uncomfortable conclusion to the campaign, at the end of which his own future will be reviewed by the club’s owners.
Worryingly for Howe, he could have few complaints about the result with Bournemouth looking the more accomplished outfit on another sobering afternoon on Tyneside.
Anthony Gordon’s name was notable by its absence from the team sheet, a hip flexor injury preventing his participation days after reports emerged that he is open to offers to leave the club.
An impatient home crowd started to voice its frustration early on with goalkeeper Adam Ramsdale relieved to see Tavernier’s 19th-minute effort end up in the side-netting after he had been played in behind Tino Livramento by Ryan Christie.
The Magpies were simply unable to build any momentum, while the visitors were increasingly fluent with Alex Scott and Christie conducting.
It was they who took the lead 13 minutes before the break when, after James Hill had picked out Rayan down the right, he carved his way past Lewis Hall to cross for Tavernier to get ahead of Livramento and bundled the ball home.
Bournemouth should have increased their lead with five minutes of the half remaining when Evanilson was allowed to get to Scott’s cross unmarked in front of goal, but could not stab it into the vacant net at full stretch.
Keeper Dorde Petrovic came to Scott’s rescue with a fine reaction save after the midfielder had deflected Hall’s free-kick towards his own goal, but the boos which greeted the half-time whistle told their own story.
Kieran Trippier’s arrival in place of Hall after the break added leadership, but Eli Junior Kroupi should have done better with a free header from an early Tavernier corner.
Newcastle’s play was more coherent, if not precise enough to create sustained pressure, but they continued to look vulnerable on transition and Howe decided with 62 minutes gone that it was time for skipper Bruno Guimaraes to return after a 12-game absence.
The Brazilian made a swift impact when, in his efforts to dispossess the Magpies’ midfielder, he slid the ball into the path of Osula, who would have been in an offside position had the pass come from Guimaraes, and he ran away to beat Petrovic and level.
But the visitors captured all three points five minutes from time when Evanilson headed down Tavernier’s deft cross and Truffert, who had started the move, scored from close range.
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