Newcastle United may be through to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup after beating Fulham, but it came at a cost.
Fans were delighted to see Yoane Wissa grab a first goal for the club, but a nail-biting game went to the wire with Fulham holding Newcastle United right to the death.
In the end, it was a Lewis Miley header that sealed the win for Newcastle in injury time. But, there was concern before that as Tino Livramento left the pitch in pain.
That’s another injury Newcastle really could do without, as the Magpies’ defensive numbers dwindle once more ahead of the hectic festive period.
What Eddie Howe said about Tino Livramento
Speaking after the game, Eddie Howe was asked for an initial assessment of Livramento’s issue. He didn’t offer much in the way of an in-depth look at the injury, but the Newcastle boss did sound concerned.
He said: “No [we don’t know much yet], but it doesn’t look good that he had to come off like that. It’s a worrying sign. We are already so stretched in that area.”
We also saw Lewis Hall ruled out before the game with another hamstring issue. Howe didn’t touch on that matter, but we can safely assume the 21-year-old will also miss at least a handful of games.
January cannot come soon enough for Newcastle
We already knew Howe wanted to sign a new full-back in January, but he must wish he could sign one tonight.
With Livramento and Hall struggling, Dan Burn being out for up to six weeks, and the likes of Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, and Sven Botman also out, it’s safe to say Newcastle are in the midst of an injury crisis right now.
It will be down to Lewis Miley to fill in at right-back once more, it seems. Meanwhile, Howe has no other choice now but to utilise youngster Alex Murphy as well.
It’s not ideal, but with every setback comes fresh opportunities, and it’s exciting to think that these young players could step up and prove themselves now.
Still, by the time the January window opens, we would expect Newcastle to act quickly and bring in some much-needed defensive cover as soon as possible.