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Newcastle 0-1 West Brom: Four frustrations and one silver lining for Rafa Benitez after defeat to Premier League’s bottom club

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Newcastle left counting the cost of another avoidable defensive lapse

It was Deandre Yedlin’s lack of concentration that cost United at Everton on Monday night and it was Paul Dummett’s turn to cost his side at the weekend.

The Geordie left-back was caught fatally out of position when Jake Livermore lifted a pass over a static United defence for Phillips to run on to and rifle the ball past a helpless Martin Dubravka for the winning goal.

Dummett has been superb since returning from injury in December, bring balance and solidity to the back-four during Newcastle’s resurgence in 2018, but this was an uncharacteristically untidy and inattentive display from him and the United rearguard in general.

Benitez won’t be pleased that his defensive unit is allowing mistakes to creep in now that safety has been guaranteed and may seek to address this malaise by making some unenforced changes for the visit to Watford, with both Dummett and Yedllin firmly in the firing line.

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