It ended Marseille 2 Newcastle 1.
Before each match, we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives after the match.
An interesting Champions League match in the South of France…
Enough to talk about.
On this occasion it is David Punton:
POSITIVE
The shape of Harvey Barnes
The result was hard to swallow, but there was some comfort in seeing Barnes maintain his goalscoring form.
The boy just has a lot of goals in him and he gave us a deserved lead, building on his match-winning goal against Manchester City.
Keep up the good work Harvey!
Compartmentalize
It sounds stupid, but if you take away the ten minutes of madness in that second half, we didn’t do that badly in the match.
We did have some chances.
On another night we might have gotten away with something.
Let’s not go too deep, we did see Man City this weekend.
Tough place to go
In my humble opinion, Marseille is a difficult away game.
It’s a colossal venue, a big crowd and one of the biggest clubs in France – former European Cup winners no less.
Their manager, formerly of Brighton, also always seemed to have Eddie Howe’s number.
There is no shame in losing at Marseille and it was a narrow defeat in the end.
NEGATIVES
To the manager
As fans we have the right to disagree with the manager’s choices.
I wondered if Bobby Robson would have remained unchanged for this game. He would have chosen the same team as Manchester City.
I understand the point about managing the load, but this match was an opportunity to almost secure a place in the next round of the UEFA Champions League.
At Marseille you should definitely play against Woltemade up front, right?
Joelinton had to start, right?
If there was to be a change in midfield, surely it had to be Ramsey and not Willock?
Are we back to Dan Burn at left-back?
How can Elanga hope to find any form unless a beginning is made?
Lots of questions. The manager will have his reasons.
I respectfully disagreed with the position he chose.
We had to continue unchanged.
Serious conversations
What the hell is going on with Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga?
They urgently need to find a form.
Gordon seems like an eternal fighter, apart from the joy he had in previous CL matches.
His form in the Premier League was poor.
Elanga, the new boy, just can’t seem to get going. No goals and no assists as things stand now.
Serious conversations are needed.
These are really expensive players. They have to do better, much better.
It is a huge frustration, especially when you add the absence of Yoane Wissa.
Goalkeeper conundrum
Nick Pope saved us against Man City, but he cost us here in Marseille.
It was a glaring mistake that blew up the game. He’s human and he’ll feel it.
He has been a great servant to the cause and is a senior player, but there is a question mark.
This cannot keep happening. What if he does this against the mackems?
The manager should obviously back him, but why not take him out of the line of fire and give Ramsdale a chance?
POSITIVE
Marseille 2 Newcastle 1 – Tuesday November 25, 2025 8:00 PM
Match statistics
Goals:
Newcastle United:
Barnes 6
Marseille:
Aubameyang 46, 50
Possess was Newcastle 43% Marseille 57%
Total shots were Newcastle 20 Marseille 18
Shots on target were Newcastle 9 Marseille 7
Corners were Newcastle 5 Marseille 11
Touches in the opposition box Newcastle 31 Marseille 26
Newcastle team in Marseille:
Pope, Livramento (Room 60), Thiaw, Schar (Elanga 61), Burn, Willock (Ramsey 72), Bruno, Tonali, Barnes, Gordon (Woltemade 72), Murphy (Miley 60)
Unused subs:
Thompson, Ramsdale, Botman, Joelinton, Alex Murphy, Alabi
#positive #negative #points #Marseille #Newcastle