Newcastle United fell to consecutive defeats last night as Everton came out triumphant in a dramatic match at Goodison Park. After a bright start from the home side, the Magpies took a firm control of the game in the first half but they lost their momentum in the second half, with a long stoppage due to a protestor tying himself to a goalpost causing Newcastle to lose their rhythm.
There were then two dramatic moments as Everton's Allan was given a straight red card after a VAR check for a cynical foul to halt an Allan Saint-Maximin break. From that moment, it seemed as if Newcastle were heavy favourites and Everton would be clinging on for a point but during the 14 minutes of added time, Everton struck.
Allan Saint-Maximin gave the ball away on the halfway line and the Magpies were open. Within two passes, Everton were at the edge of the penalty area and Dominic Calvert-Lewin slipped the ball into the path of the arriving Iwobi to finish past Martin Dubravka and deliver the three points Goodison Park craved.
Read more: Alan Shearer's worrying Newcastle United verdict after Everton defeat
Here is what the national media has said about the game:
The Guardian
In the Guardian, the interruption was referenced as a pivotal moment in the game - "Perhaps Newcastle, the better side before the break, lost their momentum then." However, the report focused primarily on the importance of a result for Everton as they bid to escape the relegation battle, saying:
"Down to 10 men, without a league goal, let alone a victory, since early February, on a run of four straight defeats, they required a rescuer and found an improbable hero. Iwobi ranks among the worst buys of the Farhad Moshiri era but if terrible signings account for their plight, one may have changed the course of their season. For once, they could reflect happily on his £28m move from Arsenal."
Telegraph
'A nerve-shredding evening' is how it was described in the Telegraph. The period after the red card, when it seemed Newcastle were by far the most likely to find the winner, was described:
"When Everton midfielder Allan was dismissed for a cynical challenge on Allan Saint-Maximin, the frenzy was such that it felt like Everton’s top flight status was dependent on the 10-man holding out for seven minutes of normal time and what became 14 minutes added."
It was also mentioned that Dubravka 'watched on' for the majority of the evening before the goal, with the Newcastle goalkeeper only really being forced into one save of note before the goal came.
Daily Mail
In the Mail, they wrote that "a side with more gumption than Newcastle would have profited", so bad were Everton in the first half. They continued by saying, "Newcastle are unrecognisable under Eddie Howe. The fans who had travelled to Goodison created a noise outside the stadium as if this was a match on a title run-in, their liberation stemming from knowing their team is practically safe."
However, the freedom wasn't quite there in an attacking sense. Eddie Howe's 'disgruntlement' at the stop-start nature of the second half was highlighted.
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