Barney Ronay on Allan Saint-Maximin
Louise Taylor was at St James’ Park tonight to witness fine displays from the “extraordinary” Allan Saint-Maximin and “outstanding” Kieran Trippier. Her report has landed, and you know the pack drill: clickity click! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
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A grim-faced Frank Lampard talks to BT Sport. “It was a difficult game. From a good performance on Saturday, that wasn’t the levels we want. We get in front and concede quickly, inviting pressure. So we have to be balanced about it. I’ve been here a week. They had a player on the pitch in Saint-Maximin who, when he plays like that, is pretty unplayable to be fair. So there were elements of their game that were good, and some of ours that were not so good, but we must keep our heads up for sure, and there’s a long way to go. People made a lot out of this game and I was very aware of the difficulties of this game, coming in fresh, and I learned some bits about the team. When you lose two big players [to injury] you also restrict yourself with subs in the second half. I would have made more changes to try to affect the game, but it was impossible to, apart from Donny who came in at a difficult time. There were circumstances that made it difficult. The confidence issue smacks you in the face. I came into the club when they were on a run that’s left them in a position we’re in, so it’s my job to change that. But there’s no magic wand, this is the Premier League, so the only thing to do is work and focus, and look forward to the games coming up. It puts a real sharp focus on us. I have belief in the squad. We saw confidence go through the roof on Saturday, and saw it go the other way, so that’s work for us to do.”
There were two other Premier League fixtures tonight. Jarrod Bowen’s second-half goal was enough for West Ham to see off Watford 1-0 at the London Stadium, while Jay Rodriguez cancelled out Paul Pogba’s strike as Burnley held Manchester United 1-1 at Turf Moor. All of which means ...
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 23 | 41 | 57 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 22 | 39 | 48 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 24 | 30 | 47 |
| 4 | West Ham | 24 | 11 | 40 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 23 | 6 | 39 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 21 | 8 | 36 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 2 | 36 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 21 | 3 | 34 |
| 9 | Brighton | 22 | 0 | 30 |
| 10 | Leicester | 20 | -3 | 26 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 21 | -4 | 26 |
| 12 | Southampton | 22 | -8 | 25 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 22 | -3 | 24 |
| 14 | Brentford | 23 | -12 | 23 |
| 15 | Leeds | 21 | -16 | 22 |
| 16 | Everton | 21 | -13 | 19 |
| 17 | Newcastle | 22 | -20 | 18 |
| 18 | Norwich | 22 | -32 | 16 |
| 19 | Watford | 22 | -18 | 15 |
| 20 | Burnley | 20 | -11 | 14 |
Eddie Howe is asked by BT what he liked most about tonight’s performance. “Coming back from a goal down. The spirit. The togetherness. And the quality at times. We created a lot of chances. It was a little nervy at the end but we had a two-goal cushion and we haven’t had that for a while. The execution was top-class from the lads. I though Kieran Trippier in particular was excellent today. The atmosphere was just electric, I can’t thank the supporters enough, and I hope they enjoyed what they saw today. A team that was fully committed with heart and quality.”
Kieran Trippier talks to BT Sport. “It shows massive character from the team. We’re going to need everybody. We all know the position we’re in. We had a good result against Leeds, and we didn’t want it to be just one result. We started off very well, from the first minute to the last. We got a great three points, but we’ll take it one game at a time. I feel we controlled the game and dominated it. The character the lads showed to come behind shows the togetherness we have. We’ll need that for the rest of the season.”
Newcastle were superb tonight. Tenacious in the press, resolute at the back, and alert up front. Also, the borderline-unplayable Allan Saint-Maximin is a superstar. A second consecutive victory means the wind really is behind the Toon now as they fight to stay up. Everton were abysmal, mind you, losing the collective head a little towards the end of the game. They didn’t offer a great deal in attack, and could easily have shipped a couple more goals. Not sure whether the result is more worrying than the performance, but either way, it means Frank Lampard has become the first Everton manager to lose his first league fixture since Gordon Lee in 1977.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Everton | 21 | -13 | 19 |
| 17 | Newcastle | 22 | -20 | 18 |
| 18 | Norwich | 22 | -32 | 16 |
| 19 | Watford | 22 | -18 | 15 |
| 20 | Burnley | 20 | -11 | 14 |
FULL TIME: Newcastle United 3-1 Everton
The whistle goes on a huge win for Newcastle, who fully deserved the win! They clamber out of the relegation zone at Norwich City’s expense ... and are now just one point behind Everton, who have now been drawn into the battle to stay in the Premier League.
90 min +4: Alli clanks into Joelinton with needless aggression. It again nearly kicks off, but the final whistle’s about to blow, so everyone calms down again quickly enough.
90 min +3: Nothing comes of the corner, although Guimaraes shows what he can do with a backheel pass between two defenders, finding his team-mate Joelinton. That’s lovely skill.
90 min +2: Saint-Maximin romps past Holgate down the left and races into the box. He reaches the byline, checks back, and shoots for the bottom left. Pickford manages to turn the ball out for a corner.
90 min +1: In the first of four added minutes, Manquillo replaces Trippier.
90 min: Willock, every drop of energy spent, is replaced by new boy Bruno Guimaraes. The home faithful greet the new £40m man with exactly the sort of roar you’d imagine.
88 min: How on earth did the ball stay out here? Saint-Maximin, who has been sensational from the get-go this evening, nicks possession and tears off down the middle. He slips Murphy clear, just to his right. Murphy whistles a low diagonal shot across Pickford and off the base of the left-hand post. The ball breaks back to Willock, who creams a drive straight at Pickford, who only just manages to handle the shot.
87 min: Van de Beek has a shot from distance. It’s blocked. He’s looked reasonably lively since coming on, to be fair.
85 min: “Dele Alli has been way off it tonight,” says BT co-commentator Chris Sutton, who suggests that Everton’s new signings will have to get up to speed quicksmart if the Toffees aren’t going to get drawn into relegation bother.
83 min: There was a huge gap at the right-hand side of the Everton wall, between Dele and last man Gordon. Hats off to Trippier for cleverly taking advantage with a gorgeous free kick, but questions will no doubt be asked.
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82 min: Newcastle make their first change of the evening, replacing Fraser with Murphy.
GOAL! Newcastle United 3-1 Everton (Trippier 80)
Trippier scores his first Newcastle goal with a sensational free kick! He spots a gap in the Everton wall and whips a curler through it, the ball sailing into the bottom right, Pickford given no chance. St James’ Park erupts!
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79 min: Fraser dribbles at speed in from the right, and is cynically brought down by Allan, who goes into the book ... then squares up with Trippier, which doesn’t seem particularly wise given his new punishment status. A free kick just to the right of centre, 25 yards out.
77 min: Newcastle had put the ball out so Saint-Maximin could receive treatment, but don’t get it back, Everton launching long for Richarlison. The visitors nearly get their karmic comeuppance, Newcastle countering through Saint-Maximin, who comes in from the left and shoots fiercely towards Pickford, who can only parry to Wood. The ball clanks off Wood and into the net, but the Toon striker was miles offside. He knew it, and didn’t bother celebrating.
76 min: Gordon, having just exchanged views with Trippier, goes clattering into Saint-Maximin. For a second, it looks as though it’s going to kick off big-style between Trippier, Gordon and Allan, but the referee calms things down quickly enough.
74 min: Some good news for both of these relegation-haunted sides: West Ham have taken the lead against Watford, Jarrod Bowen with the opening goal at the London Stadium on 68 minutes.
72 min: Coleman has a dig from distance. Blocked. Van de Beek then knocks the ball down the inside-right channel and chases after it himself, but Targett is wise to his game and intercepts. A little better from Everton, but the bar’s been set low.
70 min: Townsend makes a little space down the left but there are few options for him in the middle and his cross sails harmlessly out for a goal kick. Everton have achieved very little since the break.
68 min: Everton only half clear the corner. Saint-Maximin whips back in from the left. Willock is inches away from meeting the cross with a header. He was being lightly tugged by the increasingly cheeky Branthwaite, and complains about it, but the referee isn’t interested. The ball sails out for a goal kick.
67 min: Branthwaite knocks Willock to the ground, then stands on his foot when there’s really no need for him to do so. Saucy. Some karma as the resulting free kick leads to a corner for Newcastle on the left.
65 min: Willock chases a long ball down the right. Keane plays backwards to Pickford, who slices wildly. The ball drops to Branthwaite, and he shanks even more spectacularly. The ball squirts behind him and out for a corner. Nothing comes from the set piece, but that mistake by Pickford gives the crowd an opportunity to air some of their most popular Sunderland material.
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63 min: The ever-exciting Saint-Maximin sashays down the inside-left channel again before swivelling and threading a teasing cross through the six-yard box. Wood, back on his heels, can’t get anywhere near it, but that was asking to be slammed home by an on-point striker.
62 min: Trippier makes good down the right. His briskly delivered cross is half cleared. Trippier tries to go down the flank again, only to be clumsily barged over by Alli. Trippier gets up with a view to taking the free kick himself.
61 min: Incidentally, the other Everton debutant, Alli, was partially to blame for Newcastle’s second goal, allowing himself to be stripped of possession at the start of the move by Willock with the greatest of ease.
60 min: Van de Beek comes on for his Everton debut. Gomes, one bad challenge from dismissal, makes way.
59 min: Richarlison takes himself. He tries to slide a shot under the wall, as nobody’s lying behind it. The wall doesn’t jump. The ball deflects to Branthwaite, who sends a fierce pearler straight at Dubravka from 25 yards. That was one hell of a strike. A little bit to either side, and the keeper might have struggled to keep that out.
58 min: Now it’s Everton’s turn to try to bounce back immediately. A long pass down the left is contested by Richarlison and Lascelles, the former positioning himself cleverly to ensure he’s barged over. Free kick, just to the left of the D.
GOAL! Newcastle United 2-1 Everton (Fraser 56)
Joelinton busies himself down the inside-left channel. Saint-Maximin takes over at full speed. He reaches the byline and hooks infield. Keane tries to clear but the ball skims off the top of his head and drops to Fraser, who scuffs a scruffy one into the net from six yards. Townsend tries to hack off the line, but can’t divert the ball. The Toon lead!
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55 min: Branthwaite, after being given a quick once-over, is cleared to continue.
54 min: Trippier curls the free kick into the box. Branthwaite heads clear, and takes a left hook flush in the mush from Pickford. He stays down. Everton have been in the wars tonight.
52 min: Alli is this close to bursting clear down the middle, but can’t quite take the ball with him. Newcastle go up the other end, Saint-Maximin drawing a foul from Gomes, just to the left of the Everton box. Gomes, having already been booked, is walking a fine line here.
51 min: Townsend whips it in. Lascelles and Dubravka confuse each other and the ball deflects out for a corner. From the set piece on the left, Gordon dribbles in and sends a crispy struck curler towards the top right. Dubravka does well to read his intention and claims.
50 min: Saint-Maximin shoots from the left-hand corner of the Everton box. His effort is blocked by Allan’s arm. It should be a free kick, the arm well away from the body, but the referee waves play on. Shelvey’s loose pass is snaffled by Allan, who sends Richarlison tearing off down the right. Just as it looks as though he’ll break free, Schar comes across and cleans him out with a comically late lunge. Just a yellow, but a free kick in a dangerous position.
48 min: The resulting free kick, from the centre circle, is floated into the Everton box. The ball drops to Lascelles and Willock, who get in each other’s way. Had one of them been elsewhere, the other would have surely whistled that into the net from 12 yards.
47 min: Saint-Maximin is cynically checked by Gomes, a silent-movie tug of the old shorts, and it’s an obvious yellow. Into the book he goes.
Newcastle get the second half started. A stat here from BT Sport: the goals were separated by just 107 seconds, the shortest period of time between two own goals in Premier League history. Other top-flight Football League seasons are available.
Half-time entertainment.
HALF TIME: Newcastle United 1-1 Everton
The hosts will be the happier, having equalised and finished the half strongly, while Everton will rue the enforced departures of Gray and Mina. All set up for a rip-roaring second half. No flipping.
45 min +3: One of the most absurd misses of all time. Saint-Maximin, dribbling into the box from the right, twists Keane and Holgate inside and out, before cutting back, past the dazed defenders, and teeing up Joelinton on the penalty spot. Joelinton has to score, but he slips and swings a leg at the ball while falling, managing only to kick it against his own confused head. Back in the day, you could have made a good living in the music hall with that act.
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45 min +2: Nor the second.
45 min +1: Not much happens in the first of them.
45 min: There will be three additional first-half minutes.
44 min: Targett crosses deep from the left. Fraser heads goalwards. Branthwaite blocks with a header of his own, the ball twanging out for another corner. Nothing comes of this one.
42 min: Newcastle should be leading. Trippier’s long corner is only half cleared. Fraser, just to the right of the D, takes a shot. It loops off a defender and drops to Wood, totally free, six yards out. Wood sends a weak header straight at Pickford. Anything steered pretty much anywhere else would have been in. What a chance.
41 min: Joelinton dribbles at pace down the left, skipping past Allan as though he wasn’t there. He enters the box and takes a shot that’s deflected wide left. Corner.
40 min: Two own goals in quick succession, then, though you can’t really blame either man for scoring them. Both the victim of unlucky high-speed ricochets. It’s fair to say St James’ is bouncing as a result.
GOAL! Newcastle United 1-1 Everton (Holgate og 38)
Newcastle respond immediately! Willock forces a corner down the right. The corner’s swung in. Lascelles, minded to make up for his own goal, rises highest and crashes a header past Pickford. The ball clanks off the bar, down, and in off Holgate. What a response!
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GOAL! Newcastle United 0-1 Everton (Lascelles 36)
Gordon, the victim of Shelvey’s tackle, takes the resulting free kick himself, out on the left touchline. He swings it in, and instigates a game of pinball in the six-yard box. The ball breaks to Holgate, just to the left, and he smacks it goalwards. It’s half-cleared off the line by Targett, but cannons off Lascelles and back into the bottom left!
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35 min: Mina can’t continue. Branthwaite comes on in his place.
33 min: Everton try to counter through Gordon down the left. Shelvey comes over and scythes him down. Cue brouhaha, with Richarlison loudest in the middle of it, of course he is. It’s just a yellow, but Shelvey is lucky there, having slid in forcefully and wrapped his legs around Gordon’s standing leg.
32 min: Mina goes down, clutching his groin. Joelinton bustles into the space he vacates down the inside-left, but scuffs a shot while one on one with Pickford. A huge chance, set up by Saint-Maximin’s fine right-to-left dribble and pass.
31 min: Alli cuts in from the left and has a shot. Blocked. He takes up the rebound and scoops a first-time pass into the six-yard box, taking three Newcastle defenders out of the game with one stroke. Great improvisation, and Richarlison’s finish is even better, a graceful backheel past Dubravka. Only problem is, Richarlison was yards offside.
29 min: Coleman romps down the right and reaches the byline before scooping towards Townsend at the far post. Schar clears. Saint-Maximin tries to counter down the left but is hauled back by Mina, who is slightly fortunate to escape a booking. The nearby presence of Lampard, effing and jeffing on the touchline, may have influenced the referee’s leniency, who knows.
27 min: A free kick for Everton out on the right. Everyone lines up just outside the Toon box, waiting for the big swing in. Townsend plays it short instead. Gordon and Gomes exchange passes. Townsend eventually delivers. Newcastle clear easily enough. A textbook study in over-elaboration, all told.
25 min: Gray drops to the floor and slaps the turf in frustration. He’s tweaked something and can’t continue. He trudges off down the tunnel, head hung low. In his place - and making his Everton debut - Dele Alli.
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23 min: There’s space for Willock to run into, down the middle of the pitch, but he gets the ball stuck between his feet and Everton counter. Gray races down the right into space but can’t decide what to do and is eventually forced to turn tail. All a bit scrappy.
21 min: The pace drops considerably. Everton won’t mind that, either, having taken the sting out of Newcastle’s fast start without too much bother.
19 min: Townsend cuts in from the left and has a dig. The shot takes a wild deflection and sails out for a corner on the right. Mina meets the corner but can’t keep his header down. Everton have done a reasonable job of quietening the Newcastle crowd.
18 min: Saint-Maximin is fuming, after being clipped from behind by Coleman. Neither referee nor linesman are interested in his complaints.
17 min: Gray stands on Targett’s foot and it’s another Newcastle free kick, this time on the left. Tripper sends this one into the box to little effect. Fraser is good to continue, by the way.
16 min: The resulting free kick, out on the right, is curled into the Everton mixer by Trippier. The ball clanks off Richarlison’s back and into the arms of Pickford.
14 min: Holgate is the first recipient of a yellow card, for a fairly agricultural slide on Fraser. The Newcastle winger is in some pain as a result of the challenge. On comes the trainer.
12 min: Richarlison is afforded a little too much time to the right of the Newcastle D, and drags a low shot across Dubravka and out for a goal kick.
11 min: Some slapstick fun as Joelinton barges Coleman off the pitch, sending the Everton man crashing into Eddie Howe, who was looking the other way. Whip! Away go those legs. When Howe eventually gets up, he’s all smiles, and we play on.
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10 min: Saint-Maximin drops a shoulder to dribble infield from the right. He tees up Shelvey on the edge of the D. The pass isn’t particularly accurate, mind, and Shelvey has to dig a strange shot out from under his feet. The ball bobbles towards the bottom right, and it’s an easy gather for Pickford.
9 min: Everton have settled a little since that rocky start. Some space for Coleman down the right. The Everton captain rakes a long cross towards Townsend at the far stick. Townsend heads harmlessly down and wide left. The first effort of the evening.
7 min: Gordon spins Shelvey with absurd ease and no little grace. This particular move goes nowhere fast, but the young Evertonian looks a proper player.
6 min: Pickford is getting proper pantomime pelters every time he receives the ball. The home fans are well up for this.
4 min: Some space for Fraser down the right, but he can’t find Wood in the middle with his cross. It’s a fast start by Newcastle, and Everton are struggling to retain any sort of possession.
2 min: One hell of an atmosphere at St James’ Park. First Pickford, formerly of nearby neighbours Sunderland, nearly carries the ball out of his box while sliding to claim. Cue loud chants regarding Mackem onanism. Then Mina gifts Shelvey possession, and the crowd yelp as a long-distance dipper only just clears the bar.
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1 min: Everton ship possession company and Saint-Maximin tears off down the left. He’s eventually forced to turn tail, but what are you gonna do when four opponents have converged around you? There are few better sights in the Premier League than Saint-Maximin in full flight. Pure box office.
Everton get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes the knee. There’s no room for racism.
Here come the teams! Newcastle in their famous black and white stripes, Everton in that familiar royal blue. We’re one blast of Theme from Local Hero away from the action. Off in a minute.
Eddie Howe talks to BT Sport. “It’s been a long break. We’ve utilised it wisely and we’re ready for the game. Matt Targett has trained well and fitted into the group effortlessly. He’s impressed me in his training and is ready to go. It’s in the team’s interests to put Bruno Guimaraes in at the right time, and he’s one major training session [short]. It’ll be a good thing for him to experience the Premier League and see it, and I’m sure he’ll be introduced at some stage.”
Frank Lampard, whose two changes this evening were both enforced, adds: “The message from me is clear. We have a strong bench. But the way we performed at the weekend, them players deserve credit, and we want to go again and to improve. It’s good for them to have another opportunity and build.”
Pre-match Evertonian optimism. “If the later Benitez weeks represented the depths of despair, culminating in a horrific loss at Norwich, then Frank Lampard’s appointment can only be seen as a shining light, a beacon of hope, and a breath of fresh air,” begins Matt Burtz. “Everton easily beat Brentford in the cup while playing with a purpose and direction that was woefully lacking all season, even in the (few) victories. And as I count myself in the ‘amass as many good players as possible and figure out how to use them later’ camp, the new additions can only be seen as a positive. I’m cautiously optimistic about a win today, but even if they don’t take all three points, it’s mostly nice to have hope for the remaining 18 games (plus the cup!) and to be relatively confident that Everton won’t go down this season.”
Wim Roefs adds: “At least Donny van de Beek is no longer the last guy listed among the substitutes, as he always seemed to be in the Guardian’s live reports of Manchester United games. He’s moved up two spots, so that’s progress.”
Newcastle make one change to the side named for the 1-0 victory at Leeds last month. New left-back Matt Targett takes the place of the injured Paul Dummett. Other box-fresh signings Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn are on the bench.
Two changes meanwhile to the Everton XI sent out to thrash Brentford 4-1 in the FA Cup. Yerry Mina replaces the injured Ben Godfrey, while Vitaliy Mykolenko makes way for Andros Townsend. Dele Alli, Donny van de Beek and Anwar El Ghazi are all on the bench, champing at the bit to make their debuts, alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who returns from injury.
The teams
Newcastle United: Dubravka, Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Targett, Willock, Shelvey, Joelinton, Fraser, Wood, Saint-Maximin.
Subs: Burn, Krafth, Manquillo, Murphy, Almiron, Darlow, Gayle, Longstaff, Guimaraes.
Everton: Pickford, Holgate, Keane, Mina, Coleman, Allan, Andre Gomes, Townsend, Gordon, Gray, Richarlison.
Subs: Alli, Kenny, Patterson, Calvert-Lewin, Begovic, Iwobi, van de Beek, Branthwaite, El Ghazi.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Preamble
Eddie Howe. Frank Lampard. Two hot young managers with the world at their feet. Both with reputations to build upon ... or repair, depending on your take. Either way, one, or maybe both, will be in a spot of bother should they lose this one. A relegation six-pointer that could define the rest of the season, and plenty more going forward. Kick off is at 7.45pm GMT. It’s on!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Everton | 20 | -11 | 19 |
| 17 | Norwich | 22 | -32 | 16 |
| 18 | Watford | 21 | -17 | 15 |
| 19 | Newcastle | 21 | -22 | 15 |
| 20 | Burnley | 19 | -11 | 13 |
