Eddie Howe told to offer resignation as Newcastle create unwanted Champions League history 

Newcastle suffered the heaviest Champions League knockout defeat by an English side – leading Eddie Howe to be told to offer his resignation.

The Magpies collapsed in the second half of their last-16 second leg tie at Barcelona on Tuesday night – as they lost 7-2 (8-3 on aggregate).

Getty

PA

New low

Trailing 3-2 at the interval after a breathless first-half, Howe’s side saw their European hopes go up in smoke in ten second-half minutes.

Fermin Lopez made it 4-2 in the 51st minute, before Robert Lewandowski bagged a quick-fire double in the 56th and 61st minute respectively to make it 6-2.

The embarrassment didn’t stop there, as Raphinha rubbed salt in the wounds by adding a seventh ten minutes later – his second of the match.

This marked an historic new low for Newcastle, as they suffered the heaviest defeat by an English side in a single Champions League knockout game.

Arsenal had previously held the unwanted record, having lost 5-1 in each last-16 leg to Bayern Munich in the 2016/17 campaign.

Adding insult to injury, it was the first time that the Toon Army conceded five goals in a European game for the first time.

To make matters worse for Newcastle, key midfielder Sandro Tonali was forced off with an injury amid the flurry of goals.

Just days before their Tyne-Wear derby clash with Sunderland on Sunday, the Italian limped off following a coming together with Fermin Lopez, and had to be replaced by Joe Willock.

But this barely scratched the surface in a nightmare spell for the visitors, who had been well in the tie at half-time.

Following a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park in the first-leg, a breathless start to the second leg saw Newcastle head in at half-time 3-2 down, with Lamine Yamal putting Barca in front for a third time in the match from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time.

Anthony Elanga had twice equalised for Newcastle after Raphinha and Marc Bernal put the hosts in front on two occasions.

But the match quickly turned on its head after the interval, with a flurry of goals condemning the Magpies to a miserable evening.

Howe about that?

Newcastle’s humiliation proved too much for legendary talkSPORT broadcaster Adrian Durham, who claimed Howe must now hand in resignation.

Reacting to the heavy defeat live on air, Durham said: “After that second half showing, a complete capitulation, I wonder what we said at half-time, it was a total mess.

“And I think all talkSPORT listeners know by now, my policy is when you get absolutely hammered, the manager has to at least offer his resignation.

“Now whether that’s accepted by the Newcastle board or not, that’s what Eddie Howe has to do in my opinion.”

Getty

Shutterstock Editorial

Durham was joined by former West Ham striker Dean Ashton in the studio, who reasoned that now is not the time for Howe to bring his five-year tenure to an end.

Ashton chimed in: “It was just bizarre to see how easy they made it for Barcelona.

“Now I wouldn’t go as far as you to say the manager needs to offer his resignation because they’ve got a game at the weekend that could change the mindset completely.”