Howe Defends Osula Start As Woltemade And Wissa Miss Out For Newcastle

Newcastle United surrendered another lead in the Premier League, losing 2-1 at Crystal Palace after a late comeback, yet Eddie Howe still defended the choice to start William Osula instead of Nick Woltemade or Yoane Wissa, pointing to training levels rather than transfer fees when explaining the controversial selection call.

Osula rewarded that faith with the opening goal in the first half at Selhurst Park, but substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta struck twice in the closing stages, turning the match around and leaving Newcastle United with more questions over game management and defensive resilience in the final minutes.

The defeat fits a wider pattern for Newcastle United this season, with the team now having dropped 25 points from winning positions in the league, a total that stands five more than any other club, underlining ongoing struggles to control matches once ahead and to see out favourable scorelines.

Recent collapses highlight those concerns further, as this is the second straight match where Newcastle United led at half-time but still lost to a goal in the 90th minute or later, following the bruising Tyne-Wear derby defeat last month that also saw a late reversal of fortune after a strong start.

Newcastle United’s defensive record late in games has been costly, with 18 goals conceded in the final 15 minutes of second halves during the 2025-26 campaign, more than any other top-flight side, exposing a persistent vulnerability once pressure increases and legs tire in the closing stages.

Despite that broader context, Howe stayed firm on the decision to elevate Osula ahead of higher-profile forwards Woltemade and Wissa, even though Woltemade has scored seven Premier League goals this season and both players cost a combined 124m in the summer window, with Wissa sidelined for a long spell through injury.

Howe waited until the 84th minute to bring on Woltemade and did not introduce Wissa until the 95th minute, after Mateta had already scored the deciding goal, while Newcastle United produced just seven shots all match, with only two efforts arriving after the interval as their attacking threat faded significantly.

Questions focused on that selection, yet Howe stressed that financial outlay would never dictate his line-up choices or substitutions, and that performances during the week shaped the decision to trust Osula from the start in a key away fixture where Newcastle United were trying to stabilise their league form.

"I don't pick the team based on transfer fees," Howe said. "I have to pick the team based on what I see. I thought Will Osula was training well and deserved to start. I thought he played well. He took his goal well. He's got the physical attributes, the determination to do really well."

Howe also addressed the wider pattern behind Newcastle United’s dropped points, reflecting on the inability to turn strong spells into secure victories and on the tendency for the team’s mentality to shift towards protecting slender leads rather than continuing to impose attacking pressure once ahead on the scoreboard.

"Those numbers [25 points lost from winning positions] are incredible. It's blighted our season," Howe said. "The fact we haven't been able to consolidate really good passages of the game, but also to go on and score more goals and continue to attack. That's not the tactical instruction we give the players. We don't want to go 1-0 up and change to a mentality of defending, but we've done it, so I can't say it hasn't happened. But then, if you are going to defend, we have to defend better than we did. We gave them few chances, but we still look vulnerable towards the end of the game, and that's hugely disappointing."

The latest defeat leaves Newcastle United dealing with familiar concerns about game control, late defending and selection scrutiny, with Osula’s improved scoring form, Woltemade’s season tally and Wissa’s return from injury giving Howe options in attack, but the team’s season narrative continues to be shaped by lost leads and late setbacks.