Newcastle 1-4 Bournemouth: Match report & talking points as Magpies stumble to woeful defeat | OneFootball

Newcastle United missed the opportunity to win a club-record tenth consecutive match as they stumbled to a dismal 4-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Goals from Justin Kluivert at either end of the first half saw Bournemouth take a one-goal cushion into the break, with Bruno Guimaraes having equalised midway through the opening period for the hosts.

Newcastle struggled to create many clear-cut openings after the break and were eventually punished by Kluivert as he netted his hat-trick in stoppage-time, with Milos Kerkez adding a fourth in the 96th minute.

How the game unfolded

Newcastle sought to make history at St James' Park but they made a surprisingly sluggish start and were swiftly punished by Bournemouth. Having already seen Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo spurn opportunities, Kluivert - whose father Patrick briefly played for Newcastle - fired an excellent low drive beyond Martin Dubravka to send the Cherries in front after just six minutes.

Newcastle started to hit their stride at the midway point of the first half and took advantage of some sustained pressure to find their equaliser. Lewis Hall's whipped corner landed on the head of the unmarked Guimaraes, whose effort squirmed beyond the weak outstretched palm of Kepa Arrizabalaga.

An utterly enthralling first half continued to set pulses racing inside St James' Park as both sides traded blows. Bournemouth's Ouattara saw several half-chances come and go, while Anthony Gordon's deflected strike whistled past Kepa's near post at the other end.

Guimaraes had produced Newcastle's leveller but turned to villain on the cusp of half-time. The Brazilian surrendered possession deep in his own half and Bournemouth took full advantage, Ouattara feeding Kluivert and the Dutch forward slotting his second shot of the afternoon beyond Dubravka.

Several feisty challenges sparked a melee moments before the break as referee Stuart Attwell brandished three yellow cards, with Sandro Tonali almost producing a second Newcastle equaliser with the half's final kick. The Italian's volleyed effort was rebuffed by Kepa to conclude a captivating first half.

Bournemouth continued to play with impressive intensity after the half-time whistle and thought they had extended their advantage on the hour mark. Ouattara converted David Brooks' cross from close range but the strike was rightly ruled out by VAR after the ball had gone out of play earlier in the attack.

Newcastle couldn't handle Bournemouth's speed and direct approach on the counter-attack and the Cherries almost scored a clinching third in the 69th minute. Brooks' near-post flick forced Dubravka to scramble towards his far post as he scooped the ball off the goal line to keep the hosts in contention.

However, Dubravka was left helpless as the sensational Kluivert wrapped up the points in the 92nd minute. Bournemouth retrieved possession high up the pitch and Tyler Adams' interception fell kindly for the Dutchman, who lasered an exquisite effort beyond the Slovakian goalkeeper.

Bournemouth weren't done there, though. Just to humiliate Newcastle further, Kerkez decided to add his name to the scoresheet, thundering an effort beyond Dubravka on his favoured left foot to ice an emphatic win.

Newcastle struggle to overcome Bournemouth press

Newcastle were pushed hard by Bournemouth / OLI SCARFF/GettyImages

Newcastle looked undercooked from the first kick at St James' and swiftly found themselves behind. The Magpies couldn't handle Bournemouth's man-to-man, intense pressing approach as they regularly surrendered possession in their own half trying to play through their visitors.

Despite being decimated by injuries, Bournemouth didn't let their energy levels drop for one second on Tyneside. Pressure forced an error from Guimaraes as they scored before the break and their third came with a similar possession retrieval in stoppage time, harrying Newcastle by the Magpies' corner flag despite the clock ticking down.

The Magpies are usually the team overrunning their opponents with a powerful midfield, stubborn defence and speedy forwards, but they were outfought by Andoni Iraola's relentless Cherries on Saturday.

Alexander Isak blanks to end scoring streak

Alexander Isak struggled against Bournemouth / Stu Forster/GettyImages

Alexander Isak has been the form player in the Premier League over the past six weeks and entered Saturday's affair having scored in his previous eight league outings on the spin. However, he barely had a sniff against Bournemouth's imposing centre-halves.

Illia Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen both produced exceptional displays to keep Newcastle's formidable forward line quiet, with Isak managing just a single shot and an expected goals total of a mere 0.06 on Saturday lunchtime.

Few defences have been able to stifle the Swede but Bournemouth did exactly that, forcing him out wide and snapping into tackles when needed. With Jamie Vardy's 11-game scoring streak in view, Isak will have to start from scratch if he wants to set a new Premier League record.

Bournemouth's devastating counter-attacks

Bournemouth were superb in the final third / Stu Forster/GettyImages

Bournemouth were incessant in pressurising Newcastle across the pitch but their tactic only worked due to their ruthlessness on the break. The likes of Brooks, Ouattara and Semenyo all shone with their pace as the Cherries swiftly moved up the pitch on turnovers, even if it was Kluivert who will hog the headlines following an expertly taken hat-trick and incredible display.

The Cherries proved far too devastating for a surprisingly disjointed Newcastle defence, who struggled to cope with direct runners and raw pace. Their clinical edge fired them to victory and earned them a deserved win in a difficult venue.

Bournemouth's midfield must take enormous credit, too, winning the ball back with regularity, but it was the forward quartet that decided the match with their bravery and ingenuity in the final third.