‘Nightmare’: Keown slams Newcastle star for failing to ‘do the basics’ against Brentford

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Martin Keown criticised Karl Darlow on BBC’s Final Score (20/11, 15:12) for the Newcastle United goalkeeper’s role in Ivan Toney scoring for Brentford at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Toney returned to Tyneside to haunt the Magpies three-years after the Toon sold the 25-year-old to Peterborough for just £650k.

The forward arrived in the North East without a goal in his last six Premier League games.

But Toney found his scoring boots to pull Brentford level, after Jamaal Lascelles opened the scoring in Newcastle’s first match since hiring Eddie Howe as Steve Bruce’s replacement.

Toney scored just 67-seconds after Lascelles had broken the deadlock to instantly end the Toon’s chances of establishing control.

Keown took a lot of issue with Darlow’s role in Toney scoring on his return to Newcastle.

The Arsenal icon firmly felt the Magpies shot-stopper should have done more to keep the Bees’ frontman from scoring.

Toney could only direct his shot straight at Darlow, yet – despite getting his hands on the ball – the Newcastle goalie failed to stop the Brentford ace netting his third of the term.

“Darlow, the goalkeeper, had a nightmare,” Keown said. “It goes through him, it’s really poor. You want everyone to do everything right in those first few minutes when you score.

“I think everyone just got carried away in the euphoria of the goal. You just need that period to settle. You want your goalkeeper to do the basics, and he didn’t do that.”

Will Darlow be an early casualty of Howe era at Newcastle?

New Newcastle boss Howe will likely have shared Keown’s anguish at Darlow conceding to Brentford’s Toney in such a manner.

Darlow may now find he is an early casualty of the former Bournemouth coach’s tenure at St James’ Park.

The £25k-a-week shot-stopper has failed to keep a clean sheet in any of his eight Premier League appearances this season.

Martin Dubravka also returned from a foot injury to feature for Slovakia during the recent international break.

Howe may now turn to the 32-year-old when Newcastle travel to Arsenal next week, given the poor early impression that Darlow will have left when conceding to Brentford’s Toney.