It’s Geordie sure at last
RAFA Benitez’s mission to lead Newcastle back to the Premier League came to fruition on an emotional evening at St James’ Park with two crazy second-half goals that summed up their topsy-turvy season.
With his team holding a nervous 2-1 lead, Matt Ritchie emphatically blasted home a crucial third from a 64thminute penalty after Paul Gallagher had been sent off for making a diving ‘save’ to handle a goalbound Isaac Hayden shot on the line.
And just three minutes later, the celebrations could start in earnest after Jordan Hugill, scorer of Preston’s first-half equaliser, failed to clear a Jonjo Shelvey corner and the ball struck the far post, rebounding against Ayoze Perez – who could have known little about it – and into the goal.
Perez and Christian Atsu had also been on the mark in the first half but, in keeping with so much of this Newcastle season, Benitez’s team did things the hard way.
It had been the perfect start for the home side and their 50,000 fans when a spell of Newcastle pressure ended with Aleksandar Mitrovic controlling Vurnon Anita’s pass superbly on his chest and winning a corner with a deflected shot.
Jamaal Lascelles helped on Ritchie’s corner to the far post, where Ciaran Clark and Perez were both unmarked and the latter bundled the ball over the line. Replays hinted at the possibility of a handball by Perez, but it would have taken a bold official to rule out a goal that sent the home fans wild.
The equaliser for Simon Grayson’s side started in controversial fashion – in Newcastle eyes at least – as Mitrovic went down under a challenge from Paul Huntington. But Preston broke in devastating fashion, with Hugill starting and finishing a textbook counterattack.
Picking the ball up in the centre-circle, the striker passed to the left wing for Tom Barkhuizen, who delivered a perfect cross that Hugill flicked past Rob Elliot acrobatically from 15 yards. It was a development that had been unexpected in the opening 10 minutes, during which the home side dominated and Preston keeper Chris Maxwell looked in for a long evening, especially when he misjudged the bounce of Paul Dummett’s early long ball and saw Mitrovic head just over. But Preston responded after the shaky start and, even before the equaliser, former Toon defender Huntington should have done better than head over from seven yards. Newcastle continued to enjoy the bulk of possession as the half progressed but, with Maxwell growing in stature, the anxiety among home fans grew by the minute.
But on the stroke of halftime, the mood brightened when Atsu restored the lead after Daniel Johnson and Aiden McGeady lost the ball just inside their own half, allowing Hayden to break.
He pushed the ball wide to Mitrovic, whose first-time pass inside a defender allowed Atsu a relatively simple finish.
Newcastle might have wrapped up the win within a minute after the restart when Gallagher twice gifted the ball to opponents and Maxwell was forced to save well from Perez.
Mitrovic almost turned in a Shelvey corner before two goals in three minutes just after the hour guaranteed Newcastle their swift return to the top flight.
NEWCASTLE (4-2-3-1): Elliot; Anita, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett; Shelvey (Colback 76), Hayden; Atsu (Gouffran 68), Perez (Murphy 83), Ritchie; Mitrovic. Booked: Shelvey, Ritchie. Goals: Perez 7, 67, Atsu 45, Ritchie 65 pen. PRESTON (4-5-1): Maxwell; Browning, Huntington, Boyle, Spurr; McGeady (Horgan 72), Browne, Gallagher, Johnson, Barkhuizen; Hugill. Sent off: Gallagher. Booked: Browning. Goal: Hugill 14. Referee: A Madley (West Yorkshire).