Newcastle United suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season over the weekend as Fulham prevailed 2-1 at Craven Cottage.

The Cottagers were well worth their victory as Eddie Howe’s men delivered arguably their worst performance of the season, although it had been coming.

Several of the starting XI were disappointing during the defeat, most notably Anthony Gordon, who has been excellent in recent weeks.

Anthony Gordon’s game in numbers vs Fulham

The Englishman was deployed on the right wing with Harvey Barnes given a chance to shine on the opposite flank.

While the former Leicester City shone, scoring the Club’s only goal, Gordon largely struggled to create any meaningful opportunities during the clash.

While he made two key passes and succeeded with two of his three dribble attempts, the winger struggled to make inroads into the Fulham defence, looking like a shadow of the player he has been in recent weeks. So poor was the England international that journalist Luke Edwards suggested it was “his worst performance for Newcastle.”

Four crosses were delivered into the opposition penalty area, yet only two were successful. Gordon even managed to lose possession a staggering 16 times while on the pitch, along with winning five of his 11 ground duels, showing that he was beaten more often than not in his one-on-one battles.

He was even given a match rating of just 5/10 by Newcastle World for his display, showcasing how poor he really was.

While the League Cup clash against AFC Wimbledon is postponed, Howe could certainly make a change to his starting XI for the league match against Manchester City, especially to freshen things up.

Might this see a summer signing given his first start for the Club?

The best replacement for Gordon

William Osula is clearly ready to make an impression. The Dane was signed for a fee of £15m during the summer transfer window, joining from Sheffield United with hopes of becoming a first-team regular at St James’ Park.

Primarily a centre-forward, the youngster has operated on the wing numerous times throughout the embryonic stages of his career and this could see Howe make a few tactical tweaks to his team.

Last term, he made 24 appearances for the Blades, scoring three goals and his performances clearly caught the eye of Howe, who wasted no time in bringing him to the north-east.

Previously hailed as a “serious player”, Osula has all the required attributes to be a success at the Magpies, about that there is no doubt.

What he needs now is some minutes in the first team to demonstrate his abilities to the manager.

What better occasion than a match against the four-time reigning Premier League champions this weekend? It might be a big gamble, but considering how poorly they have played recently, it could be one which reinvigorates the team.

It would be a surprise to see the Toon claim anything against City, but stranger things have happened.