Newcastle United endured a pretty miserable evening at Everton on Thursday.
Just as it looked against Bournemouth and Borussia Dortmund before the international break, Newcastle seemed tired.
Indeed, it appeared to be one game too far for Eddie Howe’s side, who remain beset by injuries.
Everton romped to a 3-0 win in the closing stages, with the Magpies looking like a boxer blown away in the latter rounds.
While no one will be looking for excuses, fatigue has to be an issue. Whether or not it was the sole reason for the reversal is up for debate of course but Kieran Trippier in particular looked tired.
Though this team win and lose together, it was the England international who made two mistakes at Goodison Park, something completely out of character.
Kieran Trippier: BBC Sport pundit says Newcastle star did something ‘unusual’ against Everton
Such was the surprise, BBC Sport pundit and former Toffees star James McFadden could not contain his surprise.
He told their LIVE blog at 21.20: “It’s unusual to see one mistake from Trippier but to see two… Jack Harrison is onto it again.
“He does brilliant to take the ball off him and drive into the box. He squares it for McNeil, who has a fresh air swing at it.
“But when it drops to Doucoure, you know the net is going to bulge.”
Kieran Trippier: Newcastle star struggles vs Everton
As per WhoScored data, it wasn’t only the mistakes that made it such a poor night for Trippier.
He found the mark with only one of his five crosses in a performance to forget.
Still, everybody is human.
At 33 and having starred against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United in recent weeks, being too harsh would be disrespectful to a player to have given so much since a £12m move from Atletico Madrid.
A true leader since joining, surely no one will be hurting more than him.
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