Match Report: Newcastle United 4–3 Norwich
Gayle (24', 71', 90'+6), Gouffran (90'+5) / Dorrans (44' pen), Jerome (52'), Murphy (69')
There was hype for this midweek encounter at St. James’ Park, with two of last season’s relegated sides making a decent start to life in the championship, both favourites to go back up. With some stunning goals, full-blooded challenges and the latest of late drama, this lived up to the billing.
The first half hour of the match was characterised by the best football Newcastle have played at St James’s this season, for the first time recapturing what has been an outlier of their season so far — their demolition of QPR, 6–0, at Loftus Road. Time and again, good chances were created, DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Ritchie combining well down the right to create opportunities for Dwight Gayle, whose movement was good, but a combination of erratic finishing and good saves by Michael McGovern kept him at bay until the 24th minute. Eventually that combination paid dividends when a nicely worked move opened the scoring, Yedlin carving open space for Matt Ritchie to drive into the box and shoot the ball across the six-yard line for Gayle, who couldn’t miss.
Norwich were vulnerable at the back, but either the goal woke them up, or Newcastle were under orders to retreat after taking the lead, as the remainder of the half was played closer to Newcastle’s box. Norwich weren’t penetrative, but a couple of half chances and close offside calls should have provided a stark warning sign for the home team, which wasn’t heeded as Yoan Gouffran brainlessly bundled Robbie Brady over, just before half time. Not one of the 48,000 spectators inside St James’s could have been surprised, or questioned the referee’s decision to point to the spot, from which Graham Dorrans delivered adeptly.
The second half began much in the same way as the first ended, Newcastle having lost their attacking impetus and Norwich having more of the ball. There was also an edge that continued from the first half, in which Ritchie and Jack Colback were fairly booked for unnecessarily robust challenges, before Brady responded in turn on Yedlin, who hobbled for the remainder of the first half, surprising everyone as he re-appeared his sprightly self after the break. Brady was fortunate just to see yellow.
Norwich showed character to equalise after riding Newcastle’s early dominance, and even more to take the lead, and then extend it. Their second was a fantastic strike across the goal by Cameron Jerome, and the third had a touch of fortune, Jacob Murphy’s strike deflecting from Jamaal Lascelles and wrong-footing Karl Darlow. Whilst not putting in a spellbinding performance to take the 3–1 lead, it was this clinical professionalism that demonstrated their five-on-the-bounce winning streak, and their place at the top of the championship table, albeit for all of twenty minutes.
The finest strike of the evening came as a direct response, Gayle latching on to a high through ball, taking it down and finishing with a level of skill usually demonstrated by genuinely top-level forwards. At this moment, Benitez — who’s name is still the most permanent fixture of Tyneside chants this season, even at 3–2 down — made a double change, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Isaac Hayden coming on. Making way were Colback, who on an early booking had lost a vital part of his game, the ability to tactically foul — exhibited in particular by failing to stop Murphy’s run for Norwich’s third — and Diame who offered little and was generally poor.
With a goal back, and a pro-active, attacking change, it looked like Newcastle had a decent shot of making something from it. But the next twenty minutes were a frustration for the home side, Shelvey’s through balls often misplaced or dealt with, Norwich closing down the fullbacks and stifling the centre forwards. The tetchy nature of the game continued, with Mitrovic characteristically causing aggro during a crowded penalty area, and dissent from both sets of players. There were six bookings in the second half alone. That stop-start essence looked to play right into the Canaries’ hands, though that, combined with time wasting would ultimately be their undoing, with six minutes of added time justifiably given.
After a long period of bitty nothingness, a spark from the dying embers of the match emerged as Yedlin received the ball down the right flank, sending in a nicely floated ball for Gouffran to head down, low past McGovern in the 94th minute. There was barely time for the euphoria to die down as Norwich lost their heads, conceding possession shortly after the restart, Shelvey picking the ball up from the centre circle and placing a hopeful punt forwards — Mitrovic’s physicality played a part, winning the ball well before laying it off to Gayle, who’s neat footwork managed to create himself enough space to drive the ball into the bottom corner and send St James’s into total delirium, possibly the loudest it’s been since Tiote scored his screamer to equalise against Arsenal over five years ago.
Those minutes of added time provided one of those once-in-a-season reminders of what football is like at it’s most extreme; euphoric or heartbreaking. Such moments are why you spend hundreds on a season ticket, travel hundreds of miles for a midweek trip away, or sit through game after game after game of dross, and why you always, always stay to the final whistle — a cumulative lifetime of traffic dodged, earlier busses caught and queues beat will never equate to the best feeling in football.
Man of the match; Dwight Gayle
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