Newcastle United were played off the park by Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

It was a dismal display by Eddie Howe‘s side, who were outclassed in every department by the Eagles. They ran out 2-0 winners, with Newcastle United’s woeful performance resulting in a 10th away defeat of the season.

Not much went right for Newcastle on Wednesday. The Magpies were really poor in front of goal, while they could not handle the Crystal Palace press.

Crystal Palace star ran the show against Newcastle United

They could not handle the press, nor could they handle Oliver Glasner’s top stars. Jean-Philippe Mateta continued his great run of form, scoring both goals at Selhurst Park to take his tally to 14 in all competitions.

Fabian Schar and Dan Burn could not deal with the Frenchman’s physicality, but the real star for Crystal Palace was Eberechi Eze.

The 25-year-old went into the game in fine form and was identified as Palace’s dangerman, yet Newcastle had no clue how to stop him other than foul him. While it was hard to watch the Magpies’ performance, it was a joy to watch Eze.

The midfielder was so elegant, and created opportunities time and time again. He was the best player on the pitch by a long way.

And his display served as a reminder of what Newcastle United could have had.

Newcastle United had chances to sign Eberechi Eze

Eze was outstanding on Wednesday night for Crystal Palace, proving yet again that Newcastle should have signed him when they had the chance.

Their best opportunity came in 2020, when he was leaving Queens Park Rangers. Eze had been a star in the Championship, but was clearly destined for bigger things.

He was linked with a move to Newcastle that summer, but ended up joining Palace for £19.5million. When you look at what he has gone on to achieve, that was a real bargain that the Magpies missed out on.

But that was not the only time that Newcastle have been linked with signing Eze. In fact, he was a target for Eddie Howe’s side last summer.

The Magpies reportedly looked into signing him last year, only to opt for Sandro Tonali instead. Given the way that deal has turned out, you could make a strong case that Toon officials signed the wrong player.

And Eze proved exactly why on Wednesday, running rings around Newcastle as his side won 2-0. It massively dented the Magpies’ European aspirations, and Howe definitely needs more quality in his squad if he is to return to the Champions League any time soon.

A player like Eze would certainly fit the bill, but it feels like that opportunity has been and gone.

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