Chris Wood had fewer touches than Martin Dubravka vs Everton

Eddie Howe spoke about Newcastle’s struggles in the second half against Everton, after Alex Iwobi’s gutting late winner.

Speaking to NUTV, Howe said that the performance of the side fell away after half-time as the Magpies failed to replicate their first half quality before slipping to a late defeat.

And that was summed up by the fact that starting striker Chris Wood, who played all 90 minutes, had fewer touches than goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, as per WhoScored.

Everton v Newcastle United - Premier League — Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images

“The second half we weren’t the same team. We fell off the levels we have been for the first time in a long time,” he said.

“We struggled to get momentum and rhythm and even when they went down to ten men, it didn’t change.

“We didn’t make good football decisions. Certainly, it wasn’t our best performance. We didn’t move the ball quick enough or play with enough width.”

Those struggles that Howe spoke about mean that Wood was not able to get into the game as much as he would have liked, especially after the break.

He had just the one shot on target, a first half header which he really should have done better with after some good movement.

And he won 11 headers on the night, so only 17 of his touches were on the ground, which must count as living off scraps for a striker in truth.

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Chris Wood had fewer touches than Dubravka vs Everton