Eddie Howe explains the unpopular decision to substitute Sandro Tonali against Brighton

Newcastle United fans made their feelings known inside St James' Park on Saturday as Eddie Howe brought off midfielder Sandro Tonali just after the hour mark.

Sandro Tonali had been one of Newcastle's more useful players as the Magpies dominated the game over Brighton.

Unfortunately a the current shyness in front of goal played a part again for Eddie Howe's men as Newcastle struggled to create any clear-cut chances.

Brighton had only had one real chance in the game and they took it and that was all it took to secure three points for the visitors.

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Eddie Howe was looking at more than the players' performances

In a desperate attempt to shake things up Eddie Howe turned to his bench just after the hour mark and Sandro Tonali along with Jacob Murphy came off the pitch with Joe Willock and Harvey Barnes sent on.

Tonali's substitution was met with a boos from around the stadium with fans confused why Howe would take off one of the team's better players, but as Howe told Newcastle World, it wasn't just about his performance.

“I think he's (Tonali) doing well, I had no issues with his performance today. I think he played well and played his part in a dominant performance today in the heartbeat of the midfield.

“I'm aware of the lads who play internationals and the loads they have in between and we're monitoring closely how fatigued they are. Of course, Bruno was getting cramp at the end and Sandro was a little fatigued when we brought him off.

“I don't think the changes helped us so that's something I'll have to look at.”

We aren't surprised that Tonali was starting to feel fatigued

We have to remember that 10 months without playing regular football is going to take some getting over for Tonali and if we overwork him too soon then we could be risking an injury which is the last thing we need right now.

After playing both games for Italy and then such a high-tempo game for Newcastle it's not really surprising he was flagging a bit - although he did look fine to us.

In fairness, midfield is not the problem right now, it's that misfiring front three. The sooner we address the right wing issue the better.