Late Barnes brace completes stunning Newcastle fightback
Eddie Howe was torn between elation and relief after one of the games of the season, but the crucial penalty decision against Kalvin Phillips as West Ham lost at Newcastle from 3-1 up left David Moyes lamenting what he called “a poor run” of decisions from referees.
Harvey Barnes was the match winner with two late goals. “It was one of the maddest games I’ve played in,” he said after reviving Newcastle’s hopes of securing European qualification. “It’s one of those days you are going to remember for a long time. We’re all about team spirit and we showed an abundance of it. We never give up.”
Alexander Isak had fired the Magpies into a sixth-minute lead from the penalty spot, but Michail Antonio’s equaliser and a second from the impressive Mohammed Kudus had the visitors 2-1 ahead at the break.
Jarrod Bowen’s strike three minutes after the restart looked to have won the game, but Isak repeated the dose from the spot with 13 minutes remaining after substitute Kalvin Phillips had tripped Anthony Gordon — who was later sent off for a second bookable offence — to set up a chaotic finish.
Barnes levelled with seven minutes remaining, but saved the best for last when he smashed an unstoppable 90th-minute drive past substitute keeper Lukasz Fabianski to complete the comeback.
Howe said: “It was a brilliant advert for the Premier League. At 3-1 down it looked a really difficult point in our season, but the players remained calm. They’re incredible professionals — and that’s an incredible win for us.”
Barnes has spent much of the season sidelined by a foot injury after his £38m move from Leicester last summer, but the winger was finally able to prove his worth.
“Harvey’s a goalscorer,” said Howe. “He’s been struck by injuries and had a really difficult start to his Newcastle career, but the quality is undoubtedly there and he scored two brilliant goals.
“It gives us renewed confidence — and hope. We still feel we have an opportunity to make something of our season.”
Moyes was rather more downbeat. “I’m gutted. This feels like a bad defeat,” said West Ham’s manager. “We did a lot of good things and were a threat, but we didn’t defend well enough.”
He did not enjoy watching Gordon win two penalties and was particularly exercised by the second, when the England winger was caught by the substitute Phillips.
“Gordon restricted Kalvin Phillips from kicking the ball,” said Moyes. “It was the wrong decision. The player actually places his leg to be kicked.
“We’ve had an incredibly poor run of stuff from referees. It was a day when very few decisions went for us.
“Anthony Gordon had planted his leg because obviously Kalvin Phillips is looking forward. He’s just about to clear the ball. He [Gordon] plants his leg in front of it and he [Phillips] kicks the back of his leg. You need to decide what way you want to look at it.
“It’s small margins. We’ve lost a game we should have won. This is a tough place to come and we didn’t see the job through. Newcastle have some very good attacking players and we weren’t tough enough. We have to be harder to play against.”