Everton squandered a 2-0 lead against Newcastle United at Saint James’ Park on Saturday, eventually succumbing to a 3-2 defeat that left manager Marco Silva raging at the officials after the final whistle.

Ayoze Perez’s winning strike for the hosts should have been ruled out for offside, and while Lee Mason and his assistants missed it, the Toffees can count themselves lucky that Jordan Pickford wasn’t sent off after a foul on Salomon Rondon.

The English keeper was only punished with a penalty awarded to Newcastle, but he redeemed himself by saving Matt Ritchie’s effort.

Everton headed into half-time with a comfortable 2-0 lead via Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, but were pegged back with goals from Rondon and Perez, and despite agreeing that the officiating cost the visitors, former Toffees boss Sam Allardyce reckons Silva is to blame for the loss.

“Marco Silva will be hugely frustrated to be fair to him because we saw that the third goal is offside, and of course some mistakes by the referee happened on a regular occasion that we prefer not to happen because they can swing the game one way or the other,” the former Everton manager said on beIN SPORTS.

“On this occasion, Everton feel a bit hard done by, but letting Newcastle back into the game having been 2-nil up is his own fault really. Don’t do it! Don’t let that happen and that situation wouldn’t have mattered as it would have made it 2-1.”

Everton boss Marco Silva RAGES at the officials but Sam Allardyce reckons he only has himself to blame for the defeat!#beINPL #NEWEVE #EFC HD11 pic.twitter.com/mGe6sDB8dL

— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 9, 2019

Everton’s chances of finishing as best of the rest were dealt a huge blow as a result of the defeat – their 13th of the campaign – and they are now six points behind seventh-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers who play their own 30th league game on Sunday.

The Goodison Park outfit have only won three league games in 2019, losing six and drawing once, and it’s safe to say Silva has failed to arrest that poor run.

They face Chelsea next weekend while they also still have Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, and it’s just not looking any good for the Merseyside outfit.