Newcastle United players faced what was a difficult post-game ritual at Kenilworth Road as they applauded their fans for a few minutes after the 1-0 defeat against the newly promoted side.
Despite how bad the Magpies had been against Luton, the fans who travelled south gave them a warm ovation at the end of a tough day. Toon players then left the field and headed down the tunnel at the ground that feel like it is frozen in time.
But only after Luton fans hurled a barrage of abuse at Newcastle’s stars after they’d been humbled in Bedfordshire while coach Graeme Jones, who managed Luton, was given his own hot reception which he laughed off as he left the pitch. Somehow, in just 80 days after United had wiped the floor with Kylian Mbappe’s Paris St-Germain in a 4-1 win, they only managed two shots on target against a side of veteran former top-flight stars and players that had guided the Hatters up from the EFL.
No wonder some Newcastle players could only look on in disbelief. United have now failed to win in any of their last seven away matches in all competitions.
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Howe has tried a few different options on the road away from home this season in a bid to get Newcastle back on form. With just the 8-0 victory over Sheff United – as handsome as it was – to Newcastle’s name, whatever Howe has tried before and since has failed to pay off.
In the early Champions League games in Milan and Dortmund, Howe tried training at Benton before players boarded their flight and headed straight to their hotel with the head coach stating training overseas was “over-rated”. That was torn up for the trip to PSG as Newcastle trained but ended up with a 1-1 draw.
On Tuesday, Newcastle players made the trip to the capital there and back on the day of the game with a short pitstop at a London hotel, but the flight back resulted in another sombre journey as the Magpies were dumped out of the Carabao Cup. So, Newcastle opted to stay over in a hotel on the eve of the game again at Luton, only to suffer their sixth defeat of the campaign away from home in the Prem.
The first away game of 2024 will be at Liverpool, a venue Newcastle haven’t won at for 30 years in the Premier League.
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Dan Burn was the only player to speak to the media after the game and admitted that Newcastle were “outworked” by the Hatters. The 6ft 7in defender also believed that United were not physical enough and that must be addressed in the next game against Nottingham Forest.
Burn said afterwards: “First and foremost when you come to a team like Luton, you have to outwork them and be a bit more physical. That’s where you have to start and we didn’t do that. It’s something that is going to have to pick up if we want to get in the Champions League.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
