Hard-earned point keeps the Magpies moving in the right direction
NEWCASTLE HANG ON FOR DRAW DESPITE AN ONSLAUGHT BY EAGLES
CRYSTAL PALACE 1 NEWCASTLE UNITED 1
NEWCASTLE United continue to stagger away from the relegation zone in the Premier League after a draw at Selhurst Park.
A hard-earned point against Crystal Palace allowed them to nudge up to 16th place and keep a slight distance between themselves and the bottom three.
However, it could have been different against the Eagles after Roy Hodgson’s side threw everything at United in the second half - and only some desperate defending kept the scores level.
Newcastle had created enough chances in the first half to arguably net a crucial away win but the brilliance of Wayne Hennessy kept Palace in the game and United looked like a different side in the second half.
With the majority of the team which finished that second period resembling the team which fought for promotion in the Championship, a clear lack of experience is beginning to show for Rafa Benitez’s side.
Benitez is still motivating his side to churn out points here and there, though, but does so with a backdrop of discontent from United’s faithful.
Remember, Newcastle have not won at home in the Premier League since October and results like this are proving to be the difference for the Magpies.
There were chants against Mike Ashley’s running of the club at Selhurst Park - but support for the team and Benitez himself was in equal measure.
By the end, the Newcastle supporters were probably grateful just to see their side hold on to what could prove to be a vital point.
Palace probed Newcastle in the first couple of minutes when Zaha sprinted forward with the ball but Karl Darlow came off his line and did enough to stop him.
With five minutes gone, United won a free-kick with the ball eventually falling for Gayle but he struck a shot on the turn which went kindly into the arms of Wayne Hennessey. Four minutes later, Christian Benteke made a forward run and fired at Darlow but the former Nottingham Forest man raced out again to make a fine block and Newcastle then dealt with the corner from Yohan Cabaye. United responded after Kenedy made a good run down the left to win a throwin before the ball was worked back to the Brazilian under-23 international who picked out Matt Ritchie, only for a tame shot to be gathered by Hennessey. With 16 minutes gone, De Andre Yedlin crossed the ball from the right for Ayoze Perez but his side-footed firsttime shot was easy for the goalkeeper.
Newcastle found the net just after the midway point of the first half after pressure down the right-hand side paid off when Yedlin won a corner.
Kenedy then swirled the ball into the six-yard box with Perez helping the ball on to the back post before the in-form Mo Diame smashed it home to grab his second goal of the campaign.
Palace had the chance to level after half an hour when Timothy Fosu-Mensah charged forward to cross for Zaha - but Yedlin managed to get in a crucial block.
Moments later, Kenedy found his way into the Palace box before a lovely turn left his marker trailing behind with Hennessy making a fine save.
Perez followed up but the goalkeeper was equal to it yet again.
Darlow made a fine save just before the break to deny Zaha and even though the ball then fell for Benteke he turned it wide.
Former United midfielder Yohan Cabaye then went down in the area after Ritchie’s challenge but reef Andre Marriner waved away the protests.
Cabaye had another chance to level in the last minute of the half but he struck the ball straight at Darlow.
Yet it was the Magpies who went in at the break with the lead thanks to Diame’s strike.
The second half started with a glorious opportunity for Newcastle after a Palace corner broke down and Kenedy sprinted down the left but Perez did not time his run and was called offside.
Ex-Newcastle winger Andros Townsend then had a chance on 52 minutes after Patrick van Aanholt’s left-wing cross but he headed high over the bar.
Two minutes later, though, Palace were handed a route back into the game when Zaha’s cross for Benteke resulted in Ciaran Clark needlessly tugging the former Liverpool man’s shirt.
Luka Milivojevic stepped up and struck the ball to the right-hand side of the goal and while Darlow got some good contact on the ball it was not enough to prevent Palace levelling the game.
Newcastle then made their first change, Christian Atsu replacing Kenedy on 57 minutes.
Another change on 65 minutes resulted in Diame coming off for Isaac Hayden as Newcastle tried to shore things up.
Palace kept coming forward and Cabaye sent a shot over the top midway through the second half with the home side rejuvenated following their equaliser.
Yedlin won a corner with 20 minutes left but Ritchie’s set-play was cleared by James Tomkins after Jamaal Lascelles tried to flick the ball on.
There was a slight delay after a Palace fan got on the pitch before being escorted away by stewards.
Newcastle spent the latter stages of the game defending frantically and the strain was showing on the players as Lascelles and Darlow got in a mix-up from a Cabaye cross.
James McArthur then sent a shot just over the bar as Palace pushed to find the winning goal.
Mikel Merino replaced Perez with 10 minutes to go as the Magpies looked to protect at least a point.
Another chance for Palace with five minutes left resulted in Zaha clipping the ball over the top as United clung on.
With two minutes to go, Clark made a crucial double block to deny Mamadou Sakho then Benteke during an intense goalmouth scramble.
Clark was injured in the process but returned to the field after treatment.
United held on to the point – and even though Atsu had a late chance the Magpies will be the happier of the two teams with this result.