Only this week Eddie Howe warned that even after nine straight wins Newcastle were not “quite fixed”. Bournemouth, a brilliant counterattacking side, duly seized the opportunity to prove their old manager right as Justin Kluivert’s fabulous hat-trick suggested they are credible candidates for European qualification.
While this failure to secure a record-breaking 10th successive victory confirmed Howe’s assertion that the internal problems that derailed the early part of Newcastle’s season are not fully mended, the visitors subdued Alexander Isak. The Sweden striker’s hopes of scoring for a ninth Premier League game in a row were extinguished on an afternoon when he managed one, anodyne, shot on target.
