Wilder: VAR ruins game
And the way it is going, the Toon Army may yet be as happy as Bruce was to quit Sheffield Wednesday and manage his boyhood club.
A third away win of the season – taking Newcastle up to 11th, level on points with ninth-place Sheffield United – was satisfying in itself.
The fact a forward scored for the first time since August, with Allan Saint-Maximin netting in the 15th minute, made it a real Brucie bonus.
The Toon manager made the decision to drop £40million Joelinton and hand Andy Carroll the task of leading the line.
Carroll fed off crumbs most of the night, with the visitors content to sit back and soak up the pressure.
But his last act before coming off in the 72nd minute was to create the Magpies’ second goal, condemning Chris Wilder’s men to their first league defeat by more than one goal in 63 games.
Jonjo Shelvey ran on to his headed flick and, with the home defence expecting an offside flag, the midfielder continued unopposed to convert his fourth goal of the
SHEFFIELD UNITED boss ChrisWilder saysVAR is sucking the life out of the game, after Jonjo Shelvey’s contentious second goal.
Wilder said: “I was told at the start of the season that the linesman would not put his flag up. He put season to the bewilderment and fury of the home crowd.
Carroll made his first start for his hometown club in nine years, but it was SaintMaximin who opened his Toon account with an effort the big Geordie would have his flag up and the referee was about to whistle.
“Everyone stopped. The game has changed.
“This game in a heartbeat has changed. I don’t know where it is going and it is sucking the life out of me and the supporters.” been proud of. Isaac Hayden had a shot charged down and the ball reached Carroll, who fed Javier Manquillo.
Saint-Maximin then outjumped Chris Basham to reach Manquillo’s cross and power home his header.
It was Newcastle’s only chance of a half bossed by the Blades. A well-drilled backline dealt with most thrown at it and, when it was breached, Martin Dubravka was in fine form.
Enda Stevens’ shot in the fifth minute struck Manquillo’s foot and arrowed towards the top corner, only for the Slovak to produce a smart reflex save. Then Oli McBurnie’s curling shot from the edge of the box dipped a fraction too late.
A diving Dubravka kept out McBurnie’s bullet header one-handed and he was equally adept in dealing with a meaty John Egan effort.
Ollie Norwood’s free-kick in the 45th minute was well struck but could not beat the inspired keeper, who also foiled McBurnie in the 53rd minute with a fingertip save. SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-5-2): Henderson 6; O’Connell 6, Egan 7, Basham 6 (Freeman 75); Baldock 7, Lundstram 5, Fleck 6, Norwood 7 (McGoldrick 72), Stevens 6; Sharp 5 (Mousset 63, 6), McBurnie 7.
NEWCASTLE (3-4-3): Dubravka 8; Fernandez 7, Clark 6, Dummett 6; Manquillo 7, Shelvey 7, Hayden 6, Willems 6; Almiron 6 (Krafth 88), Carroll 6 (Joelinton 72), Saint-Maximin 7 (Atsu 82). Goals: Saint-Maximin 15, Shelvey 70.