Newcastle suffer devastating home defeat to Everton to leave Eddie Howe’s side in bottom half
· Yahoo Sports
Substitute Thierno Barry broke Geordie hearts as Newcastle conceded yet another late goal at St. James’ Park to lose at home and miss a chance to climb into the top half of the table.
Newcastle’s Champions League success was quickly forgotten with their return to the Premier League an all too different story.
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With an opening period devoid of quality in the final third, the deadlock being broken in the 19th minute was nothing short of a surprise.
The breakthrough arrived as a result of a set-piece situation. James Garner’s corner delivery was met by the arriving Jarrad Branthwaite who, marked by the smaller Tonali, sent a glancing header goalward to make good on his side’s strong start and give Everton the lead.
But it took just 15 minutes for the Newcastle faithful to the be cheering the England defender, albeit ironically. Newcastle’s equaliser may go down in the books courtesy of Jacob Ramsey, but not without the help of the Everton number 32.
As he received the ball in midfield, Ramsey seemed to have no other idea on his mind than to fire one goalwards. Though the 24-year-old’s strike may not have originally been destined for the back of the net, Branthwaite’s welcome deflection saw Ramsey’s effort loop over Pickford, who had no choice but to stand and watch as the ball nestled in his goal to restore parity.
Rarely can such jubilation from an equaliser turn sour so soon, though Nick Pope’s blunder two minutes after Newcastle’s goal ensured such a moment occurred at St. James’ Park.
Following an impressive stop from McNeil’s outside the box strike, Pope’s ensuing spill proved fatal; with Beto the quickest off the mark to meet the rebound and restore Everton’s lead with the luxury of a tap-in.
Three personnel changes within the opening ten minutes of the second half signalled Eddie Howe’s desire for the energy levels on the pitch to match the level of that in the stands. Although the changes struggled to make the instant impact Howe would have wanted, Jacob Murphy finally made good on the hosts’ second half dominance with less than ten minutes to play.
Everton had, understandably, been content to sit back and soak up the pressure in the hopes of holding on to the three points and leaving Tyneside with all the spoils. But Murphy’s swerving volley in the 82nd minute, which worked its way through an array of blue shirts and past Pickford, restored parity once more and sent St. James’ Park into raptures.
But Newcastle’s earlier failure to build on their equaliser repeated itself again. As Dewsbury-Hall worked his way into the Newcastle penalty area and fired a ball across goal, the collective Geordie heartbeat skipped a beat.
To concede yet another late goal at home to sacrifice all the spoils would have been the final thing Howe wanted. But Dewsbury-Hall’s cross made its way through the black-and-white shirts and to Thierno Barry, as the substitute bundled the ball into Pope’s net to win the game and deliver a devastating blow to Newcastle’s league hopes.