Angus is an experienced football journalist at Football FanCast, specialising in Premier League reporting, opinion writing and in-depth football analysis. Since graduating from Southampton Solent University in 2022, he has developed extensive experience covering the English game, producing thousands of articles across a wide range of clubs and competitions.  

Before joining Football FanCast, Angus led VAVEL's Brighton & Hove Albion department, gaining valuable experience in club-specific reporting and editorial leadership. He subsequently joined Football FanCast through Snack Media's academy, now part of Valnet, and has progressed into the publication's Opinions and Features team.
 

As one of Football FanCast's longest-serving writers, Angus has covered numerous major developments across the Premier League, combining breaking news experience with detailed features and considered opinions. His work draws on years of reporting to provide context behind performances, transfer activity and the wider issues shaping English football.

Newcastle United have been dumped out of the Carabao Cup - and disappointingly so at that.

Everton are hardly renowned for their skill in tournament competitions, but they put Matthias Jaissle's side to the sword, and without their creative talisman Jack Grealish, who was suspended for internal disciplinary reasons.

It's a sobering step back for Newcastle after they found form in the Premier League at the weekend, defeating Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park. For sure, this was not a spirited performance from the Magpies.

How Newcastle were beaten by Everton

The 2025 Carabao Cup winners fell to a limp defeat in Liverpool. It's the fourth time Jaissle has tasted defeat at the helm, 11 matches into his tenure as Eddie Howe's successor.

Everton attacked with a physical edge, besting Newcastle at their own game in that regard. In possession, the Toon were sloppy, unable to fashion chances in the right moments. Despite taking 29 shots across the evening, they only created four big chances, whereas clinical Everton created three.

As correspondent Luke Edwards put it, "Newcastle are not a very good team." It's a tough pill to swallow, but he might be onto something, with the Toon lacking steel in defence and struggling to create meaningful patterns of play in the build-up. Everton played with an assuredness that the away side lacked, each hammer blow on the road knocking them deeper into a mental hole which will be difficult to escape from.

However, there are measures that can be taken to mitigate the damage that the St. James' Park side are bound to absorb throughout the season, and one of those would be to stop starting Jacob Murphy on the right wing.

Jacob Murphy's decline at Newcastle

Murphy has been a stalwart for Newcastle, but he's not the same player who was regarded as Howe's unsung hero, and at the start of the Jaissle era, has routinely been criticised for playing with an air of nothingness on the wing.

It was more of the same against Everton. Murphy managed one cross all evening, withdrawn for Bazoumana Toure after 67 minutes. It could have been sooner, and Toure, who is young and fresh on the scene after arriving from Hoffenheim for £43m this summer, will wonder why he is not featuring more prominently, bringing the cutting edge and intensity that Jaissle craves.

Murphy is delivering on none of these fronts. He was trigger-happy in front of goal, but wasteful, taking four shots. He attempted just the one dribble, failing to complete it, and lost the ball 11 times despite only taking 34 touches. In fact, Murphy, 31, didn't create a single chance in spite of the Magpies' many strikes across the evening at the Hill Dickinson.

To think that Nottingham Forest came swinging in with a £15m offer in August. Newcastle turned that one down, with Jaissle determined to keep onto one of the most experienced members of the squad after a concerning summer exodus.

You can see why, but in hindsight, experience is not enough to counter Murphy's woeful form. That said, he's not the only one who's flattering to deceive.

Why Newcastle flop looks like a waste of money

At least Murphy has hauled his weight around over the years at Newcastle. He will leave the club a bit of a cult hero.

However, Jacob Ramsey struggled to impose himself in the centre of the park against Everton, and once again, the 25-year-old has left too much to be desired. In fact, he is beginning to look like a waste of money at Newcastle, with his top showings few and far between after that £40m move from Aston Villa in 2025.

Ramsey was frustrated by injuries and his struggles to bed into a disjointed Newcastle system last year. He only started 15 times in the Premier League, and his new manager has yet to hand him a single starting berth in the top flight this year.

Perhaps what's most annoying is that Ramsey has ability. He can pick out a pass and is intelligent enough to command games. His chances to become a superstar just keep going begging, though, and he failed to impact the game.

Moreover, he lacked awareness in closing down Everton attackers. He was too slow to react in the lead-up to both James Garner and Hayden Hackney's goals, all the more frustrating when considering he won eight duels before Jaissle understandably hooked him at half-time.

Ultimately, Newcastle have flaws at both ends of the field. They are toothless in attack and weak at the back. Jaissle has a lot to sort out over the coming months, but he clearly needs stability in the middle of the park, and Ramsey is not providing the kind of presence required.

For a transfer fee eclipsing £40m, it's hard to say that the former England U21 star is shaping up to be anything other than a flop for the Tynesiders.