Newcastle Star Joe Willock Targeted By Racist Abuse After Fulham Defeat

Newcastle United midfielder Joe Willock has spoken out against the abhorrent racist messages he received on social media following his team’s 2-1 loss to Fulham on Saturday.

The Magpies led 1-0 at halftime but conceded two second-half goals to suffer a damaging defeat that hurt their Champions League aspirations. Willock came on as a substitute in the second half and had a good chance to score, but was unable to convert.

After the match, Willock shared screenshots on his Instagram story showing racist messages and threats he had received from anonymous users. In response, Willock wrote “I hope you find God bro” alongside the offensive messages.

The 23-year-old looked despondent at the final whistle as Newcastle squandered their lead. It was the team’s second consecutive home loss after being thrashed 4-1 by Bournemouth last month.

The defeat leaves Newcastle facing a difficult run of fixtures against Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and league leaders Liverpool in their next three Premier League matches. Manager Eddie Howe now faces the challenge of lifting his squad’s spirits ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal on Tuesday.

Newcastle will be defending a 2-0 first leg advantage as they aim to reach the final at Wembley. However, their recent poor form at home is concerning as they prepare for the crucial cup tie.

Fulham’s comeback victory, sealed by Rodrigo Muniz’s late winner, has reignited their own European ambitions. For Newcastle, it was a bitter blow to their top four hopes as they failed to capitalize on their first half lead.