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Chasing a DLS-revised target of 125 in 12 overs, Heat were undone by two-wicket bursts from Molly Strano, Heather Graham and Nicola Carey

AAP15-Nov-2025Lizelle Lee kept Hobart Hurricanes rolling, and Brisbane Heat winless thanks to a power-packed knock in their rain-impacted 16-run WBBL win in Sydney on Saturday.Lee hit an unbeaten 59 off 45 balls, striking six fours and three sixes either side of a rain delay on Saturday. Hurricanes were flying before their innings was reduced to 12 overs and they purred to 114 for 1, with Heat’s target increased to 125 based on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system.Jess Jonassen (1 for 12 from three overs) and Lucy Hamilton (0 for 26 off three) were the only Heat bowlers to escape punishment.Danni Wyatt-Hodge (44 in 26 balls) combined with Lee in a 106-run opening stand, which only ended in the final over.Grace Harris (28 in 21) hung in as Heat lost regular wickets attempting to maintain the scoring rate and finished at 108 for 9 thanks to a last-ball six from Sianna Ginger.Molly Strano (2 for 17), Heather Graham (2 for 25) and Nicola Carey (2 for 10) proved too clever for the Heat batters.The loss was Heat’s third straight to begin the season while Hurricanes sit on top of the table with three wins.

Aston Villa have now made contact to sign Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia on loan in the January transfer window, but there could be competition from a plethora of rival Premier League clubs.

Villa’s interest in signing Garcia is nothing new, with claims they had even submitted an offer and wanted to get a deal over the line as quickly as possible, amid a lack of game time for the forward at Real Madrid.

The 21-year-old has appeared for just 96 minutes in La Liga this season, which will be a concern, given that he is now at an age where receiving consistent game time is important, otherwise his development could be hampered.

The Villans’ interest in signing a new forward also comes amid Evann Guessand making a slow start to life in the Premier League, having failed to register a goal or an assist, meaning Unai Emery may need a fresh injection of quality this winter if his side are going to push for the European places.

Aston Villa make contact to sign Gonzalo Garcia on loan

According to a report from Football Insider, Aston Villa have now made contact to sign Real Madrid forward Garcia on loan in the January transfer window, having registered their interest, but the Spanish heavyweights are yet to come to a final decision on his future.

Xabi Alonso’s side have concerns about a lack of depth in attack, meaning it could be worth keeping the Madrid-born starlet as a back-up option, especially considering Endrick is also set to go out on loan this winter.

Should the La Liga side sanction a departure, there may be stiff competition for the youngster’s signature, with Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers also being named as potential suitors by journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Although the young Spaniard has been unable to force his way into Alonso’s plans in La Liga, he certainly made a name for himself at the Club World Cup in the summer, receiving high praise from scout Jacek Kulig.

Not only that, but the centre-forward has also impressed at international level for Spain U21s, scoring in each of his last three matches, while also captaining his side during two of his five international caps.

With Ollie Watkins arguably not the player he once was, having scored just one Premier League goal this term, Aston Villa could do with bringing in a young striker with high potential, and Garcia has proven he could be a future star.

Aston Villa looking to sign "world-class" goalkeeper to replace Martinez Related Aston Villa make Emiliano Martinez sale decision amid Unai Emery comments

There has been a key update on Martinez’s future, following the goalkeeper pushing for a move during the summer.

Posts ByDominic Lund Nov 19, 2025

Newcastle United have claimed their fans were "indiscriminately assaulted by the police" and are set to launch a complaint over how they were treated in Marseille. Following the 2-1 Champions League defeat on Tuesday at Stade Velodrome, the Magpies say officers utilised "unnecessary and disproportionate force" against their supporters, as well as using pepper spray, batons, and shields.

• Newcastle to complain to UEFA

  In a statement on the club's website, Newcastle said they will lodge a complaint with UEFA, Marseille, and French police off the back of the "unacceptable" fan treatment. The Toon added that many supporters were "visibly distressed" by how they were looked after when the game drew to a close. 

  The post reads: "We will be formally raising our concerns with UEFA, Olympique de Marseille and French police in relation to the unacceptable treatment of our supporters by police at Stade Vélodrome following Tuesday's UEFA Champions League fixture. Following the final whistle, our supporters were required to remain in the stadium for a period of up to one hour on the instruction of local authorities to ensure their safety when leaving the stadium. 

  "Plans were in place to move 500 supporters at a time, with a police escort to the Metro station for onward travel to Place de la Joliette. Our supporters were in good spirits despite the disappointing result and waited patiently and without incident during the holdback period. The post-match operation was observed at close quarters by our stewards and senior staff. 

  "Once the first group of supporters was released, the police began using unnecessary and disproportionate force to stop the remainder of our fans from moving any further. This was actioned through a combination of pepper spray, batons, and shields, with numerous supporters being indiscriminately assaulted by the police. Many supporters were visibly distressed, particularly in the upper concourse area of the away sector, where crushing became apparent." 

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  Newcastle call for investigation

  Newcastle have also called for an investigation into this matter to ensure "lessons are learned" and this behaviour is not repeated. The Magpies added that there was a lot of "frustration and anger" amongst the club's staff for how this was handled.

  The post adds: "Our staff immediately addressed the matter with the police, however this had limited impact on their excessive tactics. Fans leaving the stadium rightly shared their distress, frustration and anger with our staff, and we have subsequently received deeply concerning witness reports from supporters who were in attendance. Supporter safety and welfare should always be of paramount importance, and we strongly condemn the treatment of our supporters by the police during this incident. 

  "We will be calling on UEFA, Olympique de Marseille and local authorities to formally investigate this matter to ensure lessons are learned and this behaviour is not repeated. We are continuing to liaise with the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) as we gather evidence on behalf of our supporters."

• Newcastle fans angry about treatment

  Newcastle season ticket holder, Liam Phillips, vowed never to return to Marseille after what he witnessed on Tuesday. He added that the locals were "very friendly" but the police "whacked people indiscriminately". 

  "To be cooped up from 4pm – and I didn't get back to my hotel until nearly 2am – that's almost 10 hours to watch 90 minutes of football," he told BBC Sport. "It just felt inhumane and felt to me like we were being treated like criminals when actually the vast majority if not everybody were just there to watch their team. There was no aggro. It was all good-natured. We just wanted to watch a game of football. There was no need for it."

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  Newcastle need fans' help

  Ahead of Newcastle's trip to Everton in the Premier League this weekend, the club called on supporters to provide any information they had on the unsavoury scenes in Marseille this week. 

  The club finished by saying: "We would like to hear from supporters affected by this incident as we collate as much supporting information as possible. This will also be shared with UEFA, UKFPU and the Football Supporters Europe organisation. Supporters who wish to share their witness report should email [email protected]."

The PCB has suspended all no-objection certificates for players who want to participate in T20 leagues outside Pakistan.Sumair Ahmad Syed, the board’s chief operating officer, sent a notice on September 29, informing players and agents of the decision.”With the approval of Chairman PCB, all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for players with respect to participation in leagues and other out of country tournaments are hereby put on hold until further orders,” the notice, seen by ESPNcricinfo, read.No reason has been given as to why this action was taken. Reports have suggested the PCB aims to tie NOCs to a performance based system, the criteria for which has not been made public. The goal, from the board’s perspective, is for players to incentivise national and domestic performances. However, there is no information on how long such an evaluation will take before the current suspension on NOCs is lifted.The move came a day after Pakistan’s tight loss in the Asia Cup final to India in the UAE, but from a tour in which they also won a T20I tri-series. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier domestic first-class competition, is also due to start in October, having been delayed from its original start date of September 22.The details around the NOCs and any possible exemptions, or how long they last, are not yet known.Seven Pakistanis, including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, are due to play in the BBL this season, which begins in December. There are also 16 Pakistan players in the shortlist for the ILT20 auction, which is due to take place on October 1 in the UAE. Three of those include Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman.

Ahead of the Ashes, Australia offspinner says Shoaib Bashir, England’s current No. 1 spinner, “has been okay”

Alex Malcolm31-Jul-2025Australia’s greatest ever offspinner Nathan Lyon believes that left-arm spinner Jack Leach is still England’s best spinner, and says offspinner Shoaib Bashir, England’s currently injured No.1 spinner and likely Ashes tourist for 2025-26, “has been okay”.Speaking at a Cricket Australia sponsorship announcement in Sydney on Thursday, Lyon said former England seamer James Anderson had revealed to him that Bashir had been selected to try and replicate what Lyon does in Australia. But Lyon believes Leach is still the best spinner England has.”I obviously played with Jimmy Anderson last year at Lancashire, and they basically said that they’re picking Bashir to do what I do,” Lyon said. “So I took a little bit of pride out of Jimmy respecting a little bit of what I’ve been able to do in my career. But Bashir has been okay.Related

• Lyon 'disappointed' after being left out of Jamaica Test

• England to play Ashes warm-up match against England Lions

• Two-day pink-ball PM's XI match ahead of Ashes day-night Test

“Jacob Bethell is playing this Test match [at The Oval against India], and he looks like he’ll take up the spin bowling from Liam Dawson. But in my eyes, Jack Leach is still their best spinner.”Leach, 34, has not played for England since last year’s tour of Pakistan, where he had a modest series compared Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who spun Pakistan to victory in the final two Tests. Leach’s return of 16 wickets at an average of 31.43 and a strike rate of 50.75 in three Tests in that series were still well ahead of Bashir’s nine wickets at 49.55 and 79.44, respectively.England have since committed to Bashir as the No.1 spinner across their last three series – against New Zealand, Zimbabwe and India. When he suffered a series-ending finger injury in the Lord’s Test of the ongoing series against India, Liam Dawson returned as England’s sole spinner for the fourth Test in Manchester after eight years in the Test wilderness. Dawson has since been left out for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, with England picking four fast bowlers as well as Jacob Bethell as a part-time left-arm spin option in place of Dawson.Leach took 6 for 63 in his most recent outing, for Somerset against Durham at Taunton, in what turned out to be a two-day game on a pitch that was described as “appalling” by Ian Botham. Leach is currently the fourth-leading wicket-taker, and the leading spinner, in division one of the County Championship this season, with 39 wickets at 24.76, including two six-wicket hauls.Jack Leach played three Tests on the last Australia tour in 2021-22•Getty Images

Leach played three Tests in Australia on the 2021-22 Ashes tour, taking just six wickets at 53.50, and was left out of the final Test in Hobart. Instead, England picked four seamers in a pink-ball game where Lyon did not bowl a single delivery as Australia won inside three days.Bashir, meanwhile, was sent on the England Lions tour of Australia earlier this year to play three four-day games against Cricket Australia (CA) XI and Australia A, although none of them was played at Test venues.He returned match figures of 2 for 91 and 1 for 109 in the two fixtures against the CA XI in Brisbane. Against Australia A in the unofficial Test at Cricket Central in Sydney, which the Lions lost by an innings, Bashir got 1 for 74 in the only innings he bowled.Lyon himself was left out of Australia’s most recent Test match, against West Indies in Jamaica, as the selectors opted for four quicks in a pink-ball game that ended inside two-and-a-half days. But he believes spinners will have their share of role to play in the Ashes in Australia despite the pitches being very seam-friendly in recent years.”It is a massive role, and it can be a massive challenge for people who haven’t done it in the past in these conditions,” Lyon said. “But I’m not going to let my secrets out so they come out and perform well out here. Our guys know how to play spin really well in this country. That’s probably what helped me produce my skill to where it is at the moment. I know I’ll keep trying getting better, and we’ll see how their spinners go.”

Tottenham have been tipped to sign a Man City star for around £50 million in January, with Spurs named as the perfect destination for him.

Spurs scour for new attackers to fix Frank's creativity problem

As per multiple reports, co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange could be about to raid the winter transfer market for attacking reinforcements to solve a key Thomas Frank problem.

The Dane has been heavily criticised for weeks amid Spurs’ real struggles for creativity in the final third, and this was on full display in their recent London derby defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Lilywhites barely laid a glove on their cross-town rivals in both encounters, and Tottenham currently boast the second-lowest total of shots on goal out of every Premier League side so far.

xG

11.0

17th

Non-penalty xG

11.0

16th

Progressive passes

413

12th

Shots

110

19th

Shots on target

40

15th

Average shot distance

15.6 yards

17th

Injuries haven’t helped Spurs either, with club-record signing and first-choice striker Dominic Solanke missing for most of this early season and hasn’t played at all since their 2-0 win away to City at Eastlands.

Talismanic creators Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are also out with long-term problems of their own, leaving the north Londoners desperately short of attacking impetus in certain areas.

Randal Kolo Muani provided real encouragement on Wednesday that, once Solanke returns, Spurs could be well stocked for quality centre-forwards.

Tottenham plan record-shattering January transfer swoop after "clear" Frank message

Spurs want to back their under-fire manager.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 26, 2025

Kolo Muani’s put in a man of the match performance against parent club PSG in the Champions League, scoring a brace and providing an assist for Richarlison, so Frank will be hoping he can build upon that against Fulham.

If so, Tottenham’s search for a striker could well be put on hold until the summer, with the club reported to be massive admirers of FC Porto sensation Samu Aghehowa after his electric 2025.

Spurs are however believed to be in the market for a winger at the very least, and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is attracting real admiration from N17 amid news of his £65 million release clause.

The Ghanaian’s clause will be active for an early period in January as well, but Spurs face overwhelming competition from the Premier League’s biggest hitters for Semenyo’s signature.

If a move for the 25-year-old proves too complicated, perhaps revisiting a deal for Savinho could be an option.

Ex-club chief tips Tottenham to sign Savinho in January

The Brazil international was a top target for Spurs towards the end of the summer window, but City repeatedly blocked a move down south and eventually convinced him to sign a new deal.

However, since then, Savinho has attracted mixed reviews, and with the 2026 World Cup looming, January represents an opportunity to pack his bags and shine elsewhere.

Amid Tottenham’s search for another winger, ex-Everton CEO Keith Wyness has tipped Spurs to sign Savinho in January, and is convinced that the Sky Blues will let him go for around £50 million.

Savinho was actually keen on joining Spurs in the summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, meaning they might not run into much trouble on the player side of things.

The 21-year-old bagged 11 goals and 10 assists in his final season at Girona before joining City, spearheading them to a brief but surprising La Liga title challenge.

Savinho can also play on both the right and left-hand side, with the prospect of Mohammed Kudus and the South American on either flank coming as pretty tantalising.

Arsenal are now the last team with a perfect Champions League record this season after they beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Gunners have recorded five wins from five and kept up their 100 percent start by ending that of the Germans' in the process. Jurrien Timber put Arsenal ahead in the first half, while Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to score.

Midway through the first half, Arsenal broke the deadlock. Bayern's terrible record on set pieces was emphasised before the game, and the hosts took full advantage from a corner, with Timber getting in front of Manuel Neuer to nod in a Bukayo Saka corner.

That lead should have been doubled soon after when Eberechi Eze played a neat one-two with Mikel Merino to set himself in on goal, but Joshua Kimmich made a brilliant recovery challenge to deny the derby-day hero. And that missed opportunity came back to haunt Arsenal as Bayern levelled the score seconds later. Kimmich's delectable ball over the head of Myles Lewis-Skelly found Serge Gnabry, whose first-time cross picked out teenager Lennart Karl to thunder in at close range.

After the break, Mikel Merino spurned a free header after an excellent cross from Saka to the back post, while Karl went down the other end in search of his second but his tame shot was held by David Raya. Merino then headed wide from a wicked Declan Rice corner and Neuer kept out Cristhian Mosquera from a few yards out shortly afterwards in a manic 15 minutes following the interval.

An almighty scramble saw Rice force Neuer into a low save with his foot, and the rebound didn't fall kindly for Saka to be able to convert, with the Bayern goalkeeper able to sweep up the loose ball, much to the frustration of a brooding home crowd.

With 20 minutes remaining, Arsenal went back in front. Riccardo Calafiori, just on as a substitute, drilled in a low cross right through the Bayern box, and Madueke arrived ahead of Konrad Laimer to tap in his first goal for the Gunners.

Bayern nearly pulled level again when another straight ball over the defence found former Gunner Gnabry, but he couldn't make contact with his acrobatic effort and Arsenal were let off the hook.

The hosts wrapped up the points in the final quarter of an hour after another howler from Neuer. Eze's dink over the top found Martinelli, who still had 50 yards to go to goal, only for the German keeper to try and meet him halfway, fluffing his clearance and allowing the winger to roll the ball into an empty net.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Emirates Stadium…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  David Raya (6/10):

  As has been the case for much of the season, the Spaniard had very little to do.

  Jurrien Timber (8/10):

  Got Arsenal off the mark with his third goal of the season, heading in Saka's corner. Scarcely troubled with his defensive duties despite Gnabry's fine performance, with the German winger having to vacate that flank to get most of his joy. Afforded a rest with White taking his place.

  William Saliba (7/10):

  Nearly cost his side when a clearance hit Zubimendi straight in the backside, but Raya was on hand to clear up the mess. Otherwise dealt well with Kane, who offered very little.

  Cristhian Mosquera (7/10):

  Similarly didn't allow Kane to have a sniff, allowing home fans to gleefully chant, 'Harry, what's the score?'.

  Myles Lewis-Skelly (4/10):

  A testing night for the teenager, who was continually targeted by Bayern's attackers, including in the build up to Karl's equaliser. Mercifully taken off for Calafiori.

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  Midfield

  Martin Zubimendi (7/10):

  Positionally and technically fine again, though his contributions paled in comparison to the scorers and midfield partner.

  Declan Rice (8/10):

  Ran through Bayern in the second half like they weren't even there. Unfortunate not to have grabbed an assist for himself with his tremendous set-piece deliveries.

  Eberechi Eze (7/10):

  Technically set up Martinelli though you could probably chalk that one down as a Neuer assist instead. Didn't look out of place on this Champions League stage. Subbed for the returning Odegaard.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Bukayo Saka (7/10):

  For the most part a thorn in Bayern's side, coming up with the assist for Timber from a corner, but Arsenal fans may be worried about his rusty physicality. Taken off for Martinelli.

  Mikel Merino (6/10):

  Led the line well and had some opportunities to get on the scoresheet with a couple of headers, but lacked that scoring touch this time out.

  Leandro Trossard (5/10):

  Was set through on goal in the opening exchanges but completely fluffed his lines when faced with the onrushing Neuer. Substituted before half-time with an injury.

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  Subs & Manager

  Noni Madueke (8/10):

  Replaced the injured Trossard before the break. Took it upon himself to constantly get at the Bayern defenders and was eventually rewarded with a goal.

  Gabriel Martinelli (8/10):

  Similarly got what he deserved for showing enthusiasm and personality, racing beyond Neuer to add Arsenal's third goal of the evening.

  Riccardo Calafiori (8/10):

  Made an instant impact in place of Lewis-Skelly, putting in a cross that Madueke couldn't miss.

  Ben White (N/A):

  A late replacement for Timber.

  Martin Odegaard (N/A):

  Made his return from injury in place of Eze.

  Mikel Arteta (8/10):

  Credit to the Arsenal boss again. His side drifted to the end of the first half before they grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, and his substitutions were pivotal to that.

New South Wales batter Nic Maddinson underwent surgery and nine weeks of chemotherapy over the winter after discovering a tumour in March

Alex Malcolm17-Oct-2025New South Wales batter Nic Maddinson has revealed that he has been in a battle with testicular cancer after finding a lump earlier this year.Maddinson, 33, has played three Tests and six T20Is for Australia, but had been absent from the New South Wales set-up in the early part of the season. He revealed he had been diagnosed in April and has only just resumed full training after undergoing surgery and nine weeks of chemotherapy.The left-hand batter played his last match for New South Wales in early March but was dropped for the final Sheffield Shield match of the 2024-25 season. Having felt rundown with what he thought was a virus, he mentioned to New South Wales doctor John Orchard in his post-season review that he had felt a lump.Scans revealed a tumour and he had surgery immediately to remove it. But further tests seven weeks later showed the cancer had spread.”Once I found out I had to have chemo, that was pretty hard to deal with,” Maddinson told the . “It had spread to parts of my abdominal lymph nodes and lung. That was a bit where it was pretty daunting.”Maddinson’s wife Bianca was also pregnant with their second child when he began chemotherapy and had to quit her job as a dentist to look after their toddler son while Maddinson underwent treatment.”By the second or third week, I lost all my hair. I was feeling pretty average,” Maddinson said. “I was taking types of steroids to manage side effects, but they would keep me up at night. I’d be at the hospital from about 11am to 4pm. Then a sleep. Then I’d force myself to have dinner. I’d sleep until about 1am, but sometimes I’d then be awake until 6am. I found that difficult. I was super drained and felt like I had to sleep 24/7.”I felt guilty. I couldn’t do anything around the house.”Maddinson told very few of his team-mates, with his close friend Adam Zampa being one exception.He completed his chemotherapy on July 14. Ten days later, he had his first hit in the nets. He had to wait another two months before he was cleared to resume full training.”Eight weeks after my last chemo round, I got good news. The treatment had worked,” Maddinson said. “My recent tests were all good, and I can go about getting back into cricket, which I love.”He is continuing to build up his fitness but is likely to be available to play Sydney premier cricket and possibly second XI for New South Wales in the coming weeks with an eye to possibly returning to the Shield team in November.”I would still love to play Test cricket again, but I’m more realistic,” Maddinson said. “The older you get, the less likely it is to happen.”I had a really good opportunity last year and I just didn’t really grab it. I’m just really excited to try and play cricket again. I was dropped at the end of last year, so I’m not expecting to be straight back in the side.”The most important thing would be to say I am available. That would be a nice day.”Nic Maddinson has played three Tests for Australia•Getty Images

Following the birth of his second son Wilder, he is grateful to be healthy again and has urged others to get checked it they feel something abnormal.”When I found out I needed chemo, it hit me hard because I almost didn’t go,” Maddinson said. “I thought it would go away. To know that I caught it probably as early as I could have, and it still spread into other parts of my body, that was scary.”I just think it’s so important if you have anything you’re worried about, get it checked out.”It feels silly to not tell my story. If one person reads it and gets checked, I’ll be happy. I grew up in the country and a lot of people fob it off. It’s a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude. Get the stuff checked out, it can make all the difference.”

Newcastle United’s topsy-turvy campaign continued away at Brentford on Sunday afternoon.

Fresh off collecting another Champions League victory versus Athletic Club at St James’ Park in mid-week, the hope would have been that Eddie Howe’s Magpies would travel to the Bees and start to turn around their stuttering domestic campaign.

Unfortunately for the travelling masses at the Gtech Community Stadium, Newcastle would, instead, crash to their fifth defeat of the Premier League season already, as an Igor Thiago-inspired comeback clinched a 3-1 win for Keith Andrews’ hosts.

Eddie Howe has nowhere to hide after “another awful away day” as journalist Craig Hope brutally put it, with Dan Burn’s sending off late on starting the demise, which saw Brentford sneak home two quickfire efforts inside the final 12 minutes.

The 6-foot-7 warrior wasn’t on his own, though, in putting in another disastrous defensive display, as one of his partners on the day in Sven Botman, was also exposed as a weak link throughout the 3-1 loss.

Botman's poor performance in numbers

This is the second Sunday in a row where Newcastle have travelled to London and surrendered a one-goal lead, with West Ham United also getting the better of them by the exact same scoreline to start November.

In both defeats, the Dutchman has looked shaky and susceptible, with Botman even managing to score an own goal against the Hammers.

While he was spared his blushes in this regard against the Bees, he was still a liability in the centre-back positions throughout, as Thiago’s late 95th-minute game-clinching strike saw the below-par number 4 fail to keep a close eye on the action.

Away from being run ragged by the 24-year-old hotshot, Botman also trudged off at the end with only two of his six duels being won, alongside failing to win a single tackle to try and stop a Brentford side who only grew in confidence, the more the game went on.

Howe might well be tempted to throw Fabian Schar back into his starting XI if Botman keeps up these shoddy performances, with the 25-year-old only managing to collect a slim two clean sheets in league action this season when featuring for the up-and-down Magpies.

With Burn now suspended for Newcastle’s next league tie after the international break against Manchester City, and Nick Pope taken off towards the latter stages of the 3-1 loss, it could be a new-look defence that takes to the field against the revitalised Citizens, as another underperformer at the back fears Howe’s selection wrath.

Newcastle star was just as bad as Botman

Howe is now being stung for being too loyal towards long-standing St James’ Park servants, with Burn very visibly not at the required level anymore to be a starting left-back.

Kieran Trippier also struggled throughout on the right flank against Andrews’ hosts, with the return of Tino Livramento from injury – who Howe stated could be back for the clash against Pep Guardiola’s men – only troubling the 35-year-old’s starting position going forward even more.

Trippier’s performance in numbers
Stat	Trippier
Minutes played	90
Goals scored	0
Assists	0
Touches	81
Accurate passes	47/60 (78%)
Accurate long balls	2/5 (40%)
Accurate crosses	0/5
Possession lost	20x
Dribbled past	2x
Total duels won	4/11
Stats by Sofascore

Often, the ex-Atletico Madrid defender’s saving grace is his ability to conjure up an opening from nowhere, with an inch-perfect free-kick delivery getting the ball rolling in the Champions League last Wednesday night, as Burn then headed home the right-back’s inviting delivery.

Against Brentford, though, this split-second creativity was nowhere to be found, with Trippier failing to register a single accurate cross, which led to Nick Woltemade cutting an isolated figure up top, once more.

Trippier also gave up possession a high 20 times, while also looking rusty when Brentford attacked with pace and energy – much like Botman – with only four of his 11 duels being successfully won.

Livramento’s return from injury has possibly come at the perfect time, so Howe doesn’t have to persist with selecting his declining captain, with Burn also fearful he will be removed from the team for good, for Lewis Hall to take over left-back duties.

Howe stated at the full-time whistle that there are “no excuses” after the Toon succumbed to their fifth Premier League defeat of the season to date, with Newcastle needing to return after the international break refreshed and ready to break out of their inconsistent form, with both Trippier and Botman dropping down to the substitutes bench.

Newcastle star dubbed "utterly embarrassing" was just as bad as Burn vs Brentford

An afternoon to forget for the Magpies.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 9, 2025

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