Newcastle United U21s have bowed out of the Premier League Cup with two games to spare with a narrow home defeat to Sheffield United. The Blades earned a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture last week, and made it a double as Leo Gaxha scored the only goal of the game on Monday night.
Elliott Dickman named six changes from the defeat to the same opponents last weekend, with several young Magpies joining Eddie Howe and the first-team squad for a warm weather training camp in Saudi Arabia. Jude Smith and Isaac Westendorf were among those to keep their spots, with recent recruits Amadou Diallo and Jordan Hackett coming into the side.
It was a game of two halves as Sheffield United controlled the opening period, and were rewarded for their dominance as Gaxha beat Smith with a rebound. The Magpies improved after the interval but were unable to find an equaliser, and here are three things we learned from Newcastle U21s sixth straight defeat.
