As Newcastle United exited the Carabao Cup at the hands of Chelsea, all it came down to was two key errors. Just two mistakes that allowed the Blues to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Callum Wilson had put the Magpies ahead in the first half, and they looked on course to reach the two-legged affair for the second time in successive seasons, but then a calamitous error from Kieran Trippier allowed Mykhailo Mudryk to score the equaliser.
It was not the first time the England international has looked out of sorts, his poor run of form started during his side’s defeat to Everton when he was at fault for at least one of the goals, and continued during the 4-1 defeat at Tottenham.
Unfortunately for Trippier, his missed penalty in the shootout handed Chelsea an advantage they never let go of, converting every spot-kick to reach the next stage.
Eddie Howe is never one to criticise his own players, regardless of any on-field action, but he was resolute in his defence of the right-back.
“He is an incredibly strong character as I said many times. He’s a transformative signing, someone who has taken the group on to a totally new level,” the Newcastle manager said. “He’s been the heartbeat of that, so now he’s given us so much, now is our turn to support him and look after him the other way and that’s what we’ll do.”
Trippier is not just another player in Newcastle’s team, he epitomises everything Howe has done at the club.
The right-back was the first signing made by the new owners and it was a sign of things to come. Trippier has taken the armband and led the club not only out of the relegation zone but into the top tier of European football. Now it is almost poetic that as Newcastle struggle amid an injury crisis and the weight of a new-found expectation, it is the right-back who has made the mistakes.
On the face of it, Newcastle have crashed out of two cup competitions, the Carabao Cup and the Champions League in six days, but their injury situation tells a different story.
They had ten injuries at the start of the game, and Chelsea’s free-flowing tackles in the absence of VAR might have added Anthony Gordon and Emil Krafth to that list.
However, despite their woes, Howe has urged his side to keep fighting.
“It (the result) has to make us even more determined to be as consistent as we can in the Premier League,” he said.
“Of course, we still have the FA Cup, but it’s been a tough week for us, the players have to show character now.”
