The Magpies had struggled to make their superiority count before the interval, but their intensity increased after the restart. Crystal Palace, by contrast, failed to maintain their defensive organisation and paid for a damaging 15-minute spell.
Osula opened the scoring in the 47th minute, converting Jacob Murphy’s cross at the near post shortly after the break. Newcastle then threatened to extend their advantage when Joe Willock found the net, only for VAR to rule out the effort for offside.
Palace survived that scare but could not prevent Barnes from doubling Newcastle’s lead in the 58th minute. The winger finished from inside the penalty area, leaving the hosts with a significant deficit to overcome.
Speaking to Palace TV, Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage identified the period immediately after half-time as the decisive factor.
“We left a lot of things in the dressing room and didn’t come back on the pitch with that, and when you give space, when you give all the aggression to the opponent, at the end you pay for that, and that was the case today,” he said.
Sage believed the problem was primarily psychological rather than tactical, pointing to the difference in his players’ attitude after conceding the second goal.
“I think it’s only mental because after the second goal conceded we started to play again and we pushed to come back without success.”
The defeat increased the pressure on Sage after Palace had suffered a 5-0 loss to Brighton the previous weekend. Their response was particularly disappointing given the importance of restoring confidence in front of their home supporters.
Newcastle United, meanwhile, had arrived under scrutiny of their own after a difficult run of results. Jaissle was pleased that his players had finally combined defensive discipline with a more purposeful attacking approach.
“In the first half we weren't bad out of possession, but we did not have an offensive mindset. We had the handbrake on. In the second half we moved and we deserved to win,” he told Chronicle Live.
The visitors’ improved aggression was reflected in their two goals, while their defensive work restricted Palace to limited opportunities. Dario Osorio’s long-range effort was among the few attempts that seriously troubled Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek.
Jaissle also welcomed the contribution of right-back Amar Dedic, whose forward runs helped create both goals. The Bosnian had returned to the starting line-up after injury problems.
Newcastle moved into seventh place with the win, while Palace were left to reflect on a performance in which a brief loss of concentration proved decisive.