TOFFEES BLOW TWO-GOAL LEAD
THE joy was palpable, the ecstasy uncontained…but it was not Moise Kean who was smiling at the end of a ridiculous contest.
The Everton striker had celebrated his first goal for the club at the 22nd time of asking, but a contest which the home side had dominated was turned on its head in a final, frantic four minutes of stoppage time.
With Newcastle seemingly sunk after barely mustering an attempt on target, incredibly, impossibly they scored in the 94th and 95th minutes.
Both times it was a set-piece that undid Everton, both times the ball was thrown into the box, and both times they failed to clear.
Both times the ball fell to supersub Florian Lejeune, who had only emerged in the 70th minute, and he somehow scrambled the ball home from close range to record an astonishing double.
It was incredibly tough luck on Kean, who had departed in the 71st minute to a standing ovation.
He was humiliated last month when substituted as a substitute after just 18 minutes at Old Trafford by an unimpressed caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson, and many thought that was the end of a brief Goodison adventure.
So when he scored, he could be forgiven a delirious dance by the corner flag and a sly glance back down the touchline to where Ferguson was standing. It was a goal that was greeted with not just relief from the Everton fans but with appreciation too, because the Italian put in a real shift.
The fans had visited the training ground to demand more effort after dismal derby defeat, and Kean gave it. He scored a good goal too, a brilliant flick from the impressive Dominic Calvert-Lewin feeding Bernard, who found Kean with a precise pass. He seemed to miscontrol but had the nerve to turn and stroke home.
It was Calvert-Lewin who had given what Everton thought was a winning cushion with the second goal. His was a sublime touch to control Luca Digne’s cross and a wonderful turn and finish.
That seemed to be it, but Newcastle had other ideas
EVERTON (4-4-2): Pickford 6; Sidibe 6, Holgate 7, Mina 7, Digne 6; Walcott 7 (Niasse 88), Schneiderlin 6, Delph 7, Bernard 7 (Davies 83); Kean 8 (Coleman 71), Calvert-Lewin 8. Goals: Kean 30, Calvert-Lewin 54.
NEWCASTLE (5-4-1): Dubravka 7; Hayden 6, Clark 6 (Lejeune 70, 7), Lascelles 6, Fernandez 5, Ritchie 6; Atsu 5 (Krafth 63, 6), S Longstaff 6, M Longstaff 6, Almiron 5; Joelinton 6 (Schar 78).
Goals: Lejeune 90, 90.