STEVE McCLAREN admits yesterday’s comprehensive 3-0 home defeat to surprise league leaders Leicester City represented Newcastle United’s “worst performance of the season”.

The Magpies slipped to their seventh league defeat of the campaign as goals from Jamie Vardy, Leonardo Ulloa and Shinji Okazaki sent the Foxes above Manchester City and Arsenal to the top of the table.

Newcastle were second best during a hugely dispiriting afternoon that was reminiscent of a number of their most chastening defeats in the second half of last season.

They recorded just one effort on target all game – a weak header from Georginio Wijnaldum that was hacked off the line – and McClaren accepts it was hard to take any positives from such a disastrous display.

“It was very disappointing,” said the Newcastle head coach. “I think that’s our worst performance of the season. In the last five or six games, we’ve seen progression in the level of performance.

“I said it was slowly, and we’re going to get setbacks along the way still before we get that consistency. This was a perfect example of that

“I thought Leicester were excellent, and they’re an example of a team who were at the bottom of the league a year ago, but who are now at the top of the league.

“That’s how quickly it can change, but it can only change by certain things and certain performances. Consistency is one of things, and at the moment, we haven’t got it.”

Newcastle were outplayed from the word go, with Leicester’s work rate, desire and willingness to close down the opposition standing in marked contrast to the lack of commitment that was evident in the home ranks.

Nevertheless, McClaren feels things might have been different had Cheick Tiote not been forced off with a 19th-minute injury that resulted in a midfield reshuffle that did not work.

“It was too open, and losing Cheick was a big blow,” he said. “We felt we controlled it pretty well with Cheick and Vurnon – once we lost that, we didn’t have a lot of options.

“But that’s no excuse whatsoever – we’ve still got enough ability and talent, but we didn’t show it.”

Vardy’s 45th-minute opener saw him equal Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of scoring in ten consecutive Premier League games, and McClaren paid tribute to both the Leicester striker and his team-mates.

“It’s very difficult to be gracious in defeat, but you have to congratulate him,” he said. “It wasn’t just Jamie Vardy – Leicester were excellent as a team.

“You don’t get to the top of this league unless you are that – it’s not just about one person. He’ll be the first to acknowledge the service and what he’s getting from the rest of the team. They’re giving him the opportunities, and he’s taking them well.”