Newcastle United’s 68-year wait for a major domestic trophy continues as the Magpies bowed out of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night with a disappointing defeat on penalties to Premier League strugglers Chelsea.
Eddie Howe’s side took the lead with a Callum Wilson goal in the 16th minute after a brilliant solo run from the English centre-forward. Newcastle just needed to hold onto their lead and had defended their own box really well.
That was until the second minute of stoppage time when one player failed to deal with a relatively comfortable situation at the back post and handed the Blues a route to victory.
Kieran Trippier’s game in numbers
It’s not been a good few weeks for Newcastle star Kieran Trippier, with journalist Harry De Cosemo describing his displays as "disastrous". Last night, Chelsea defender Malo Gusto whipped a ball to the back-post, which was read by the England international.
However, Trippier inexplicably attempted to head the ball back to his goalkeeper but the pass was short, allowing Mykhailo Mudryk to get a shot away which flew past Martin Dubravka in goal.
This wasn’t Trippier's only mistake over the past few games, having made two errors that led to a goal against Everton at Goodison Park a fortnight ago, as well as conceding several goals down his side away at Tottenham Hotspur a couple of days later.
At Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, Trippier was a substitute, coming on at the start of the second half for Emil Krafth, but Howe may regret his decision considering the end result. The full-back completed just 33% of his total passes during the game which is a worrying number. Additionally, he failed to win a single tackle and won merely 33% of his ground duels.
Touches
30
Passing Accuracy
33%
Passes To Final Third
4
Expected Assists
0
Crosses
0
Tackles Won
0
Errors Leading To A Goal
1
Clearances
4
Interceptions
0
Defensive Actions
5
Ball Recoveries
3
Stats via FotMob
Furthermore, the 33-year-old was handed a 4/10 match rating by The Daily Mail, and that may have even been generous. It was a night to forget for Trippier but perhaps it’s time Howe gives him a place on the bench permanently, with one player ready to take his spot.
Emil Krafth’s stats this season
Krafth is a product of the previous ownership and has fallen out of favour at St.James’ Park ever since the arrival of Trippier two years ago. The Swedish fullback hasn’t started a single game in the Premier League this season but has been collecting £37k-per-week in wages.
Overall, the 29-year-old has seen just 217 minutes of action this season under Howe and fell even further down the pecking order when Newcastle managed to sign Tino Livramento for a whopping £40m.
However, Krafth played quite well in the first half away at Chelsea yesterday and even earned a 6/10 match rating for his performance from The Daily Mail. The full-back was replaced after the interval, having tired out from chasing Raheem Sterling constantly, but this was possibly the wrong decision considering how poor Trippier was.
Krafth boasted a 57% passing accuracy, won 67% of his tackles and 100% of his ground and even completed 100% of his crosses on the night.
Touches
38
Passing Accuracy
57
Passes To Final Third
2
Expected Assists
0.07
Crossing Accuracy
100%
Tackles Won %
67%
Clearances
4
Interceptions
2
Defensive Actions
9
Ball Recoveries
2
Stats via FotMob
Newcastle had kept the Blues out prior to his departure and maybe there is some merit in rewarding Krafth by handing him his first start in the league away at Luton Town on Saturday.