Newcastle United will attempt to produce an immediate response to their first defeat of the season when unbeaten Hull City visit St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.

Matthias Jaissle’s side were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by Leeds United on Monday, exposing defensive issues that had been evident even during Newcastle’s five-game unbeaten opening across all competitions. Hull, meanwhile, have emerged as one of the early stories of the Premier League season, collecting eight points from four matches following promotion and coming within a second-half equaliser of beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

Analysis

Newcastle’s underlying defensive problems finally caught up with them

There was little ambiguity about Jaissle’s assessment of Monday night’s defeat at Elland Road. Newcastle were second best physically and struggled to cope with Leeds’ intensity, suffering a 4-1 loss that brought their unbeaten start to an emphatic conclusion. Bazoumana Touré’s goal offered little consolation on an evening when the Magpies were repeatedly exposed.

The concern is that the performance cannot simply be dismissed as one particularly poor night. Newcastle have faced 76 shots across their opening four Premier League fixtures – an average of 19 per game and more than any other team in the division. Allowing opponents that volume of opportunities is unlikely to be sustainable, particularly for a side that has already struggled to keep clean sheets over an extended period.

The Magpies have shut out opponents in only two of their last 20 league games, while 39 Premier League goals conceded during 2026 leaves only Crystal Palace and Chelsea with worse records over the same period.

Jaissle therefore has plenty to address during the early stages of his Newcastle tenure. His team sit 12th, the same position in which they finished last season, and consecutive fixtures against promoted Hull and Coventry represent an opportunity to climb the table before the schedule becomes more demanding.

Hull’s start should ensure there is no complacency. Newcastle have also found this particular opponent awkward at St James’ Park. They failed to win any of their three previous Premier League home meetings with the Tigers, losing twice and drawing the other. The most recent came in September 2014, when Newcastle needed to recover from two goals down to rescue a 2-2 draw.

Jaissle’s selection options have been reduced by another difficult week on the injury front. Anthony Elanga remains unavailable, while Jacob Ramsey suffered a thigh problem during the warm-up at Leeds.

Nico Gonzalez is ruled out following the concussion that forced him off at Elland Road, joining Amar Dedic, Dan Burn, Ewen Jaouen, Joelinton and William Osula on the sidelines.

That could leave Newcastle with an extremely young midfield. Eighteen-year-old Sean Steur and 20-year-old Lewis Miley are candidates to start together, although Joe Willock and Aladji Bamba provide alternatives.

Touré has done his chances of a first Premier League start no harm after scoring against Leeds. One possibility would be to introduce him on the left and move Harvey Barnes across to the right, with Jacob Murphy dropping out.

Changes could also come defensively, where Tino Livramento and Fabian Schär are pushing for recalls as Jaissle searches for a more convincing structure.

Hull’s remarkable start is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss

Four matches into Hull’s return to the Premier League, the novelty of seeing them near the top of the table has not worn off. Nor, more importantly, have the results stopped arriving.

Sergej Jakirovic’s team have already beaten Manchester United 2-0 and fellow promoted side Coventry City 1-0, while a goalless draw with Aston Villa demonstrated their ability to frustrate established top-flight opposition.

Then came Stamford Bridge. Mohamed Belloumi scored twice as Hull threatened to secure their first-ever away victory against Chelsea and, briefly, move to the top of the Premier League. João Pedro eventually rescued a 2-2 draw for the hosts, but another point represented further evidence that the Tigers’ opening weeks should be taken seriously.

Eight points from four games is an exceptional return for a promoted side. Only Nottingham Forest in 1994-95 and Bolton Wanderers in 2001-02 collected more from their opening four Premier League fixtures after promotion.

Avoid defeat on Saturday and Hull would also become the first promoted club since Portsmouth in 2003-04 to remain unbeaten through its opening five Premier League matches.

Their results have not all followed the same pattern, either. Hull have shown they can defend a narrow advantage, absorb pressure for long periods and, as at Chelsea, carry a genuine attacking threat away from home.

Belloumi is becoming particularly important. His two goals at Stamford Bridge provided the clearest demonstration yet that Jakirovic has players capable of punishing Premier League defences rather than simply surviving against them.

The manager has little reason to alter his attacking setup at St James’ Park, although another significant defensive absence must be addressed.

Nobel Mendy suffered a worrying head injury against Chelsea and was taken to hospital, ruling him out of Saturday’s game. Nineteen-year-old Lucas Herrington could consequently come into the back line alongside John Egan and Semi Ajayi.

Ilyas Ansah, Jack Butland, Charlie Hughes and Hidemasa Morita remain unavailable, while Elliot Matazo and Darko Gyabi are also unable to feature.

Jakirovic does at least have alternatives should fatigue become a factor. Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Tim Iroegbunam, Sorba Thomas and Mohamed-Ali Cho are among those competing for greater involvement.

Verdict

Newcastle’s defeat at Leeds makes this an important test of Jaissle’s early work, but the bigger concern is that some of the problems exposed at Elland Road had been visible beforehand.

Facing a league-high 76 shots in four matches is a serious warning sign, and Hull have already demonstrated that they possess enough attacking quality to take advantage.

The Tigers’ unbeaten start is no longer based on one unexpected result. They have taken points from Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea while showing different qualities in each game.

Newcastle should produce a response in front of their own supporters, and Hull’s defensive injuries could provide opportunities for the hosts. Equally, it is difficult to trust the Magpies to suddenly shut down a Hull attack arriving with considerable confidence. Another impressive result for the promoted side would not now qualify as much of a surprise.

Our prediction: Newcastle United 2-2 Hull City.

Tip

Our tip: Both teams to score.