Newcastle's European ambitions suffer another setback with defeat to Bournemouth

Newcastle's prospects of securing a European spot have taken a further blow following a late 2-1 loss to Bournemouth, who have now extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 13 matches. The Magpies were in dire need of a win after successive defeats to Sunderland and Crystal Palace, but instead found themselves slipping further away from the European picture. This result only serves to increase the pressure on Eddie Howe, as Newcastle's inability to close out games is once again called into question. Meanwhile, Andoni Iraola's in-form side showed no adverse effects following the Cherries boss's announcement that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season. Bournemouth dominated the first half, with a lackluster Newcastle struggling to cope with their press. The Cherries capitalized on this and took the lead just after the half-hour mark, as Marcus Tavernier tapped in Rayan's pass. The visitors could have doubled their advantage shortly after with a similar move, but Evanilson was unable to convert Alex Scott's delivery. England midfielder Alex Scott almost scored an own goal at the other end, but Djordje Petrovic made a superb stop late in the half. Lewis Hall was replaced by Kieran Trippier at halftime, in what appeared to be an injury-enforced substitution. However, there was more positive news in the 62nd minute when captain Bruno Guimaraes made his return after two months out, receiving a great ovation. His influence was soon felt as Newcastle equalized. Initially, it was thought that Guimaraes' pass had found Will Osula, who held off his defender before scoring. As Osula celebrated, the offside flag was already up, ruling out the goal. However, upon VAR review, it was determined that Evanilson had gotten the final touch ahead of Guimaraes, meaning Osula was onside and the equalizer was given. But there was another injury concern when Tino Livramento appeared to limp off with a groin injury. 'It could be his season over,' Tim Sherwood said on Soccer Saturday, also expressing concern for England's World Cup prospects. Newcastle's afternoon took a turn for the worse when Truffert gave Bournemouth the lead again in the 85th minute. He initiated the move, picking out Tavernier down the left. Tavernier's cross was well met by Evanilson, who was between two defenders, before Truffert stormed in to poke the loose ball past Aaron Ramsdale. This is the third consecutive Premier League game in which Newcastle have conceded match-losing goals after the 80th minute, as their struggle to hold on to points continues. As nine minutes of injury time were shown, Guimaraes drew another fine save from Petrovic, before Burn blazed a header over as Newcastle were beaten once again. They remain in 14th place on 42 points, six points adrift of Bournemouth in eighth, who are level with Brentford and Chelsea on 48 points, as their own European aspirations receive another boost. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, speaking to Sky Sports, said: 'I don't think it was our best performance. I thought it was quite even between the goals. I don't think there was much in it. They are obviously on a good run of form and playing with confidence. We are on the opposite end of that. That probably balanced out a performance where they were more productive in front of goal than we were. Ultimately, that was what decided the game.' 'It is [flat at St James' Park] but it is understandable given our recent run of form. The way we are playing isn't to our normal standard. You have to understand the rough and the smooth and take both sides of that. We are not delivering what we want and we have to accept that.' 'You have to take it to a degree. We are here to win games. We are here to achieve great things. This season could have been different. We are in the position we are in at the moment and that is a frustration for everybody. I don't have any issue with the demands placed upon us. I think that comes with the territory.' 'There is no lack of effort, no lack of hard work or commitment from me or the players. We are not delivering, we know, anywhere near a good enough product at the moment and we are trying to find the answers to that.' Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola, speaking to Sky Sports, said: 'I think we played really well, especially in the first half. The second half was expected to be a reaction from them and they pushed us. At 1-1 the momentum of the game changed but we showed composure and we deserved this.' 'This is a very difficult place to come as an away team and you have to be ready to match the intensity. This is a team that is very good on transition, they are so fast in the last line that you can lose those races. But overall we have defended very well.' 'I think we are in a great place, great run of results. We are arriving at the important part of the season. We have our chances.' 'It is difficult because we have teams ahead of us but we have five games to try to catch these teams, to try to continue playing well and keep this unbeaten run going as long as we can. Because these players have shown they are not taking days off.'