It was a decision which raised a few eyebrows among Newcastle United fans, but one that was justified given the horror 25 minutes which had preceded it. Eddie Howe made his final change in the 70th minute of Sunday's thrashing at Tottenham, replacing Chris Wood with captain Jamaal Lascelles.
Time and time again in the second half, Antonio Conte's side were able to slice through the Magpies' defence and midfield to score four times. The 5-1 scoreline somewhat flattered Newcastle by the full-time whistle, with the hosts spurning several glorious openings to pile on further misery.
The Magpies were three goals adrift by the time Howe opted to withdraw his only recognised striker, and revert to a back five. Substitute Jacob Murphy seemed to join Allan Saint-Maximin in attack, although Newcastle's shape in the closing stages was hard to discern.
