Newcastle played out a closely fought match against Everton but they just lacked a little quality to prevent another defeat, though the outcome could have been different if Steve Bruce's substitutes made more of an impact.

Off the bench

A familiar theme of Newcastle's season has been lacking quality in the final third, and though they were unlucky not to score more than one goal with Miguel Almiron hitting the post, they didn't pressure the visitors enough late on.

The changes to bring on Dwight Gayle and Christian Atsu should have allowed them to threaten a tired Toffees back four, but their influence was limited, and in hindsight it was perhaps a poor decision to take off Joelinton.

The Brazilian had completed two key passes and five dribbles in his 73 minutes on the pitch. Atsu, by contrast, was barely involved and didn't manage a single pass from his four attempts, so he may as well not have been playing at all.

For Gayle it was a similar story. Bruce made the right call to take off a defender in order to strengthen the numbers up-front, but the 29-year-old made an unacceptable five touches in his 20-minute spell, and likely left his manager feeling exasperated on the touchline.

It is no wonder that the Magpies failed to find a way back into the match, but the pair's lack of contribution should raise an alarm in regard to the rest of the season.

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No strength in depth

Newcastle have struggled recently, losing three of their last four outings, and it is little surprise that the slight dip in form has coincided with the injury to Allan Saint-Maximin.

They have missed his pace and trickery on the left-flank despite Joelinton's best efforts, and in turn that has reduced the options available on the bench.

Bruce was never blessed with a variety of players to call upon when in need of a goal and it is worrying that they are still dependent on the likes of Gayle and Atsu, two players who have struggled since their return to the Premier League in 2017/18.

The duo scored six and two goals respectively that season, with the former cast out on loan last term, which indicates that he wasn't considered to be good enough by Rafael Benitez.

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It is a little strange, therefore, that he is still at the club, particularly when there is a clear need to strengthen, both in terms of the starting line-up and those on the bench.

Until Bruce is allowed to build the strength in depth it's likely that Newcastle will struggle in a similar manner to how they did against Everton, and their inconsistency is likely to persist as a result.

Meanwhile, Andy Carroll has been praised by fans for his performance at the weekend, and rightly so considering he put in a remarkable display of aerial prowess.