Newcastle Beat Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park as Sage's Pressure Grows

Newcastle United beat Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and the result has left Palace manager Pierre Sage under mounting pressure.

Palace have now gone four Premier League matches without a win. BBC Sport reported that the defeat leaves them one point clear of the relegation zone, the bottom three places that send clubs down at the end of the season.

The game turned in the first few minutes after half-time. William Osula gave Newcastle the lead in the 47th minute. Harvey Barnes doubled their advantage in the 58th, sending a low shot across the goal and into the net. Both goals came within 11 minutes of each other, and Palace did not recover from them.

Newcastle's official match report credits Osula and Barnes with the win. Barnes is a midfielder, and his goal came from a position just outside the penalty box, the area where most of the game's big chances are created.

The scoreline fits a wider problem for Palace. A Yahoo Sports preview published the day before the match found that Palace had conceded at least two goals in 11 of their previous 13 league games. The same preview said they had faced 125 shots, the most of any Premier League side at that point. Shots are the simplest measure of how often a team is under attack, and Palace have been under it a lot.

There was a brighter moment earlier this season. In early October, Palace won at Fulham, coming from behind twice to win at Craven Cottage. It was Sage's first Premier League win in charge.

Sage now has to find a way to stop goals going in at the other end, and to score more himself. Palace have four games of hard evidence to examine, and the table is close enough that a few results could change the mood quickly.