As rain fell, incessantly, Eddie Howe wandered around the pitch alone. The final whistle had just gone and, with Everton celebrating a deserved win, Newcastle’s lingering hopes of a top-six finish were also blown.

Newcastle look shattered, mentally as much as physically, by a Champions League campaign that will soon pit them against Barcelona and their Premier League form is suffering accordingly.

• Newcastle v Barça; Liverpool get Galatasaray rematch

• Spurs take on Atlético Madrid; Arsenal meet Leverkusen

The draw for the Champions League last 16 has produced some intriguing, heavyweight clashes featuring the renewal of old rivalries. If Manchester City’s meeting with Real Madrid arguably ranks foremost among them, Chelsea’s engagement with the holders, Paris Saint-Germain, and Newcastle’s duel with Barcelona are certainly not lacking in glamour.

Or, in the case of Chelsea and PSG in particular, edge. The tie is a repeat of last summer’s Club World Cup final in New Jersey, which Chelsea won 3-0 thanks to two goals from Cole Palmer and with a team under the management of Enzo Maresca.

Eddie Howe adores motivational slogans and the Newcastle manager’s current favourite is: “One Brain.” The idea is to inspire his team to play with the sort of synchronicity that stems from a collective mindset and unity of purpose.

For a while here it seemed to be working a treat with Newcastle’s intelligence – joint and individual – threatening to further humiliate Qarabag. But then, with a last-16 tie against either Barcelona or Chelsea assured, home concentration began, understandably, wandering a little. Commendably, the Azerbaijani title holders capitalised by fighting back; Gurban Gurbanov’s side, and, in particular, their Colombian forward Camilo Durán, showing they can play a bit too.

When the Qarabag manager, Gurban Gurbanov, declared before kick-off that Newcastle possess “a style of play that does not suit us”, there were suggestions that he was playing mind games. Long before half-time it was fully apparent that he had rather understated things.

Had this been a boxing match it would surely have been stopped by the 20th minute. Qarabag were utterly overwhelmed by the pace of their guests, and that of Anthony Gordon in particular. Gordon scored four times, boosting his tally in the Champions League this season to 10 goals.

Arne Slot does not believe his job security hinges on Liverpool securing Champions League qualification this spring but the Dutchman would much prefer not to put that particular notion to the test.

On this evidence there seems a decent chance last season’s title winning manager will not have to. In finally ending Sunderland’s proud unbeaten home record in the Premier League, sixth placed Liverpool left themselves only three points adrift Manchester United and two behind Chelsea.

Club’s record signing on adjusting to the north-east, Afcon pride, and learning from Patrick Vieira and Liam Rosenior

Vous or Tu? It says a lot about Habib Diarra that his joy at being promoted from Strasbourg’s Under-17s to the first team was tempered by anxiety over the two French words for “you.”

Would addressing new, senior teammates by using “tu” be regarded as disrespectful? Ultimately, the young midfielder played safe and opted for the more formal “vous”. Cue wholesale laughter from the older players who told him not to be so silly; he was one of them now.

What price Keith Andrews for manager of the season? Thomas Frank’s surprise successor certainly added to his fanclub as he choreographed Brentford’s fourth win in six Premier League games to leave Eddie Howe even gloomier than the unremittingly wet Tyneside weather.

While outstanding performances from Dango Ouattara and Keane Lewis-Potter left Andrews’s seventh-placed side appearing genuine European contenders, Howe’s Newcastle have won only one of their last eight matches in all competitions and lost four of their past five.

• Tonali linked to Arsenal on last day of transfer window

• ‘Almighty challenge’ to reach Carabao Cup final

Eddie Howe has admitted he is “not in control” of Sandro Tonali’s future, but Newcastle’s manager believes the Italy midfielder remains happy on Tyneside. A quiet transfer deadline day at St James’ Park featured swiftly crushed suggestions that Arsenal were poised to bid for Tonali. There were fears it could be a precursor to a possibly agent-led initiative to move the midfielder this summer.

Howe, perhaps fearing a repeat of the debilitating saga that led to Alexander Isak’s departure for Liverpool in the summer, held talks on Monday with his £55m signing.

Some wins are a little bit lucky and others downright fluky or simply ground out, but this Aston Villa victory belonged to a different category entirely.

A triumph secured by goals from the impressive Emiliano Buendía and Ollie Watkins, and illuminated by Morgan Rogers’s skill, was firmly of the sort that can be filed under “thoroughly deserved”.

There are many ways to self-destruct on a football pitch but PSV ­Eindhoven chose one of the more obvious methods.

In opting to play out slowly from the back against high-pressing opponents possessing forwards blessed with the speed and skill of Yoane Wissa and Anthony Gordon, Peter Bosz’s team were always likely to come undone.

Eddie Howe was not exactly overjoyed to learn that, instead of being cup-tied, Antoine Semenyo was free to play for Manchester City. Sure enough the Newcastle manager’s worst fears were realised as Semenyo – who had played in the competition this season for Bournemouth – scored City’s opener and had an another “goal” disallowed before Rayan Cherki’s stoppage-time second left Pep Guardiola smiling broadly.

With a second leg at the Etihad Stadium still to come this semi-final is not quite over but, thanks to not merely Semenyo but some fine goalkeeping from James Trafford, Newcastle’s defence of the Carabao Cup they won last March is looking distinctly fragile.

Former England midfielder needs to avoid the same pitfalls as Ruben Amorim, but he showed a dogmatic streak at Boro

In many ways Michael Carrick is the antithesis of Ruben Amorim but Manchester United’s soon-to-be-appointed interim head coach does have something significant in common with his Portuguese predecessor.

Like Amorim, Carrick has proved remarkably resistant to tactical change. So much so that at Middlesbrough the former United and England midfielder’s determination not to compromise a philosophy constructed around a patient, possession-heavy passing game arguably cost him his job.

• A league champion with Leeds, midfielder won 59 caps

• As Wales manager just missed out on 1994 World Cup

Terry Yorath, the former Wales captain and manager, has died at the age of 75 following a short illness.

As part of Don Revie’s formidable Leeds team in the 1970s, the midfielder whose life would later be deeply affected by personal tragedy became the first Welshman to play in a European Cup final. Although the Yorkshire club lost that final to Bayern Munich, Yorath was an influential, combative, mainstay of the 1974 first division champions.

Tactical anarchy reigned supreme on a night of chaotic, bewildering, thrilling drama played out amid freezing conditions.

Not that the on-pitch temperature ever seemed to drop below boiling point as a renascent Leeds led three times yet departed with their seven‑match unbeaten run at an end and Yorkshire hearts broken by Harvey Barnes’s stoppage -time winner.

• He was admitted to hospital with abdominal symptoms

• Keegan, 74, ‘grateful for intervention and ongoing care’

The former England manager Kevin Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer.

Keegan, who also played for England, Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle before later managing Newcastle (twice) as well as Fulham, Manchester City and the national side, was recently admitted to hospital for evaluation of ongoing abdominal symptoms.

Something had to give and it was not Sunderland’s unbeaten home Premier League record. Instead ­Manchester City’s winning streak came to a juddering halt as Pep ­Guardiola’s side spurned a chance to move within two points of Arsenal at the top of the table.

Hats – or should that be chapeaux – off to Régis Le Bris and his clever and courageous Sunderland team for not merely frustrating City but offering Gianluigi Donnarumma scope to remind everyone precisely why he is a world-class goalkeeper.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s startling metamorphosis from forgotten man to a striker on the verge of an England recall continued as his seventh goal in six games further reinforced Daniel Farke’s job security at Leeds.

A month ago Farke was rumoured to be under severe pressure at Elland Road but a change of formation and, most importantly, Calvert-Lewin’s renaissance have gone a long way towards assuaging relegation fears.

• Manager would like ‘clarity’ on future of facilities

• He wants show of ambition over academy setup

Eddie Howe has challenged Newcastle’s owners to end the club’s “limbo” by declaring whether they intend building a new training ground and stadium and to show their ambition by revamping the academy facilities.

Although Howe is “99.9%” certain he will no longer be Newcastle’s manager by the time any training ground or stadium project is completed, he believes the release of a blueprint could prove “gamechanging”.

Eddie Howe is synonymous with tidiness, efficiency, time management and, above all, control. Given that there is nothing remotely slapdash, careless or wasteful about Newcastle’s manager, his team’s increasing penchant for losing often hard-won authority is proving the most puzzling of paradoxes.

Newcastle have developed a habit of throwing leads away this season and, 2-0 up thanks to a Nick Woltemade double, they were at it again.

Eighty-eight minutes had passed and Newcastle fans were already in party mode when Alejandro Grimaldo collected Ibrahim Maza’s pass and concluded a move he had initiated courtesy of a glorious run and dummy.

As the Spain left wing-back’s shot slid beneath Aaron Ramsdale’s body and his Bayer Leverkusen teammates celebrated an arguably deserved equaliser, North Rhine-Westphalia suddenly felt a much colder place for Eddie Howe’s players.