Newcastle Vs Everton — How a rain-soaked St James' Park collapse exposed Newcastle's defensive cracks and handed Everton a 3-2 road win

Why this matters now: newcastle vs everton arrived hours after a midweek Champions League win that left Newcastle stretched and vulnerable, and the result reshapes short-term expectations for the club’s league ambitions. Everton’s 3-2 victory arrived late and dramatic, and it lifts David Moyes’s hopes of European qualification while leaving Eddie Howe confronting defensive frailties and squad rotation questions.

Newcastle Vs Everton — context before the final whistle

Rain fell incessantly on Tyneside and Eddie Howe wandered the pitch looking dazed after the final whistle. The match followed Newcastle’s 3-2 midweek Champions League knockout-phase win that set up a last-16 tie with Barcelona, and Howe made six changes for the Premier League game, with a 3pm GMT kick-off at St. James' Park, Strawberry Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 4ST. The combination of midweek exertion and rotation framed what happened on the pitch.

How the 3-2 scoreline formed without a step-by-step replay

Everton deserved the win and ended the game 3-2 winners. The opening goal came from a set piece: Jarrad Branthwaite flicked a header from James Garner’s corner that went in off the far post. Newcastle later equalised when Jacob Ramsey’s shot took a hefty deflection off Branthwaite, leaving Jordan Pickford wrongfooted. A later error by Nick Pope — spilling a shot from Dwight McNeil — allowed Beto to score into an empty net and give Everton the lead again. In the second half Jacob Murphy volleyed an equaliser, but Thierno Barry restored Everton’s lead within a minute after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall squared the ball for Barry to bundle it across the line. The score remained 3-2 when a stoppage-time Sandro Tonali volley was tipped over the crossbar by Jordan Pickford, denying Newcastle a last-gasp equaliser.

Personnel moves, substitutions and on-pitch incidents that mattered

• Eddie Howe began with Anthony Gordon at centre-forward and his £69m Germany striker Nick Woltemade in a deeper midfield role; when Gordon struggled Howe moved Woltemade to No 9 and shifted Gordon to the left before later reverting Gordon to centre-forward.
• Early in the second half Jacob Ramsey vomited on the pitch and was replaced by Joe Willock.
• Anthony Elanga and Nick Woltemade were substituted for Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes; Yoane Wissa was left on the bench initially and later came on.
• Beto had a clear chance that hit the crossbar before being replaced by Thierno Barry; Barry then scored Everton’s decisive goal after a turnover created by Anthony Gordon.
• Jordan Pickford, a former Sunderland goalkeeper who is often jeered at St James' Park, produced the stoppage-time save that sealed Everton’s win—an intervention that contrasts with a high-profile error from Nick Pope earlier in the match.

Confirmed starting XI and bench reshuffle heading into the game

Howe made six changes to the side named for the match. The starting eleven was: Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier (c); Lewis Hall; Joelinton; Sandro Tonali; Anthony Gordon; Malick Thiaw; Anthony Elanga; Nick Woltemade; Dan Burn; Jacob Ramsey. Named on the bench were Aaron Ramsdale, Sven Botman, Yoane Wissa, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Joe Willock, Alex Murphy, Will Osula and Leo Shahar. Six of the starters on Tuesday — Aaron Ramsdale, Alex Murphy, Sven Botman, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Will Osula — were on the bench for the clash, and the match kicked off at 3pm GMT.

Mini timeline and immediate implications

• Midweek: Newcastle beat Qarabağ 3-2 to reach a last-16 tie with Barcelona, creating fixture congestion.
• Kick-off (3pm GMT): Heavy rain on Tyneside set a difficult stage for both teams.
• Set-piece opener: Branthwaite header from James Garner corner (off the far post).
• Lead changes followed: Ramsey deflection; Pope spill enabling Beto; Murphy volley; Thierno Barry finish; Pickford stoppage-time save from Tonali.
• Forward signal: Everton’s away result strengthens David Moyes’s push for European qualification; Newcastle now must confront defensive lapses and rotation impact.

Here’s the part that matters: the sequence of errors, the late substitution pattern and the midweek exertion all intersected to hand Everton a dramatic road win. The real question now is how the club manages fitness and defensive form with a Barcelona tie looming.

It’s easy to overlook, but Newcastle’s clean-sheet drought stretches back to a 3-0 win here over PSV Eindhoven on 21 January — the club have not kept a clean sheet in 11 games.

Writer's aside: The mix of Champions League travel, a retooled starting XI and visible mental fatigue on the pitch is a familiar strain — not always decisive on its own, but enough to turn fine margins into a season-defining result when individual mistakes compound.