Crystal Palace and Pierre Sage were booed after a listless home defeat to Newcastle, with the Frenchman apparently determined to rival Michael Carrick as the top flight’s first sacked manager of the season.

There were signs of hope from Thursday night’s performance in a Europa League draw with Besiktas, but this fifth defeat of the Premier League season had more in common with their 5-0 humbling by Brighton last weekend.

Newcastle came to London with four goals conceded in each of their last two away games but were comfortable winners after an impressive second half. They attacked with purpose and precision against opponents who looked disjointed, dispirited and alarmingly sloppy. Palace were dreadful, losing their way after looking like the more dangerous side initially.

Sage’s team had seemed a competent counter-attacking team against opponents still in search of even that modest hint of identity. At its worst so far Matthias Jaissle’s “vertical football” with Newcastle has looked like an unwanted tribute to the approach once taken by Joe Kinnear’s Wimbledon on this pitch. Here their build-up was more considered and mostly ground-based, although ponderous for much of a first half which would have concerned the Premier League’s marketing department.

Twenty-two elite physical specimens neutralised each other. Shots were blocked, shots were missed, few risks were taken. Stakes are so high in this league that every fibre of some clubs seems dedicated to avoiding mistakes. As such, too often, supporters are served charmless, inert slop like this.

Palace came out for the second half unburned by any such fear of failure. Their defenders were stuck in standby mode for William Osula’s opening goal, when a satisfying body-contorting cross from Jacob Murphy was poked in capably.

There was another snoozed-through alarm five minutes later when Joe Willock punished further sloppiness, but VAR spotted he was offside.

The goal cancellation brought only muted cheers from Palace fans sensing the worst, and their pessimism was well-placed. Amar Dedi&cacute, who spent the first half chasing Palace’s Yeremy Pino fruitlessly, emerged as a different and better player after the break. He was rolled in on the overlap by Murphy who found Harvey Barnes with an intelligent square ball.

Barnes slammed it past Walter Benítez to away end delirium and boos from a home crowd losing patience already with Sage. Pino gives Palace a sparky option in attack, but beyond him there is a fear creeping in where once they seemed a team who could rescue doomed scenarios.

Too much dallying, too little concentration and on this evidence they are a team in trouble.

More to follow...