Fears of catching coronavirus have prompted Newcastle to ban their players from shaking hands with each other but arguably the biggest danger facing them is the lack of on-field connectivity which has heightened the risk of relegation on Tyneside. Whatever their formation Newcastle struggle to polish off the chances and, mainly, half-chances, created by Almirón and company and Burnley’s goalkeeper Nick Pope – presumably being scrutinised, along with the home side’s Danny Rose, by the watching Gareth Southgate – had limited scope for showing off his reflexes. Bruce looked set to celebrate as Gayle connected with Javier Manquillo’s deep cross but Gayle’s shot was deflected for a corner and Burnley were able to reassert themselves. This frequently involved keeping things scrappy in midfield where Burnley worked extremely hard to restrict the recalled Jonjo Shelvey’s playmaking potential and Newcastle’s Isaac Hayden did not enjoy hisbest game. Disillusion – with the owner, Mike Ashley, and Bruce’s perceived shortcomings – almost certainly also had something to do with a strange torpor which, at least until Chris Wood stepped off the bench, seemed in danger of infecting certain players. Until the New Zealand striker’s arrival, Jamaal Lascelles and Federico Fernández had made the much agonised-over switch to a flat back-four look pretty seamless but Wood’s movement and sheer physical presence provoked the first signs of self-doubt in the home backline.
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