WAYNE WONDER
Red-hot Rooney has Big Sam smiling again
HOW Newcastle United must wish they had pulled off that audacious bid for Wayne Rooney in the summer of 2004. He has been scoring goals against them ever since.
This was his 15th against the club who, at one point, met Rooney’s agent as they tried to rival Manchester United’s offer some 13 years ago. That tally is more than he has versus any other team.
Home supporters ventured to St James’ Park last night dreaming of ambitious transfer moves. News of progress on Amanda Staveley’s proposed £300million takeover earlier in the day had lifted the mood made miserable by six defeats in the previous seven.
But they are going to need that deal agreed soon and January funds released for Rafa Benitez, for without significant investment this side is going down.
They actually played well here and still lost. Benitez, though, has long since blamed individual errors for his team’s slump, and so it was that another blunder cost them dear. The manager chose to drop goalkeeper Rob Elliot last month in favour of Karl Darlow. He, however, has conceded eight times in four games since and Benitez must be wondering why he ever made the change, especially after seeing Darlow gift the winner to Rooney on 27 minutes.
For Everton and former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce, this took their return to seven points from nine under his charge and it was a first away win since January.
This was classic Allardyce, something they never fully appreciated in these parts — winning ugly. The Magpies were on top from the off. Matt Ritchie had clearly been watching Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho — who scored with a free-kick under the Brighton wall last week — and the Newcastle winger was unlucky when his low, deadball drill after just 90 seconds was deflected wide.
Ritchie had another shot snaffled by Jordan Pickford and, when he finally did beat the England goalkeeper with a vicious blast from 18 yards, he was thwarted by the woodwork. What a pivotal moment that proved, for within 60 seconds Everton were in front.
Rooney showed that when given the chance to pounce he can still be quicker than everyone else.
The skipper was involved in the build-up, freeing Dominic CalvertLewin down the right. He crossed and, somehow, Newcastle allowed Aaron Lennon, the smallest man on the park, to head at goal.
What should have been a routine save for Darlow turned into a horrible spill and Rooney stole in to score. Allardyce enjoyed it, celebrating arms aloft on the same touchline where Toon supporters had hurled season tickets towards him in the final weeks of his troubled Newcastle tenure. NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-2-3-1): Darlow 4; Yedlin 6, Lascelles 6, Lejeune 6, Manquillo 6; Shelvey 5, Merino 7 (Perez 86min); Atsu 6.5, Diame 6 (Joselu 67), Ritchie 7 (Aarons 74, 6); Gayle 6. Booked: Shelvey, Merino. Sent off: Shelvey. Manager: Rafa Benitez 6. EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford 7; Kenny 6, Holgate 6.5, Williams 6.5, Martina 6.5; Gueye 6, Schneiderlin 6; Lennon 6 (Vlasic 61), ROONEY 7.5 (Davies 77), Sigurdsson 6 (Jagielka 85); Calvert-Lewin 6.5. Scorer: Rooney 27. Booked: Holgate, Calvert-Lewin. Manager: Sam Allardyce 7. Referee: Martin Atkinson 7. Attendance: 51,042.