TOON THUG BOTTLES IT
Wan-Bissaka hit on day of shame
NEWCASTLE owner Mike Ashley finally turned up to watch his team and must now realise what they need to survive.
He also witnessed angry fans returning football back to the gutter when one hurled a beer bottle at Crystal Palace defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
It brushed his chest and to his credit he shrugged it off before Alexander Sorloth removed it from the pitch (right).
But it was another bad day for the club in freefall and Toon fans were furious at seeing Ashley in the directors’ box, watching his first game since May 2017.
His appearance led to fans spewing their anger at his perceived lack of interest and investment in the club.
Why they took it out on Palace and the brilliant Wan-Bissaka is a mystery only the person who hurled the bottle can explain.
The rumour before the game was that Wilfried Zaha might not make the starting line-up. His body is bruised and he looked off the pace.
Zaha looked to be carrying the baggage of his attack on over-the-top defenders and officials for a lack of protection.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: “I have never known him so quiet. This wasn’t the Wilf I know. Was his outburst to blame? I can’t answer that but we never muzzle free speech here.
“He had a back spasm before the game and how that will affect him in the coming weeks is hard to tell. Maybe that also is why he was quiet.
“Wilf is a sensitive person and he was surprised at the outcry from his honest comments.
“He is usually our matchwinner. As the for bottle beeing thrown? I didn’t see it.”
Toon boss Rafa Benitez said: “I know Mike was here but we haven’t spoken yet. He was here to support the team and the only thing missing was he didn’t come on the pitch and score two goals.
“Palace are a hard team to beat. We needed to fight and did just that. Whether Mike noticed where we need to strengthen is another matter.
“I hope he saw a side that fought and had wonderful spirit. We just lack the final quality pass. We can improve.
“As for the bottle thrown, we had almost 3,000 fans here and one made a mistake – but the rest were fantastic.”
James McArthur should have put Palace ahead after just two minutes but he ballooned Andros Townsend’s cross over the bar.
Palace skipper Luka Milivojevic swung over a free-kick in the 39th minute that everyone missed which hit the post and bounced clear.
Newcastle arrived with just one point off lowly Cardiff to their name but their other four matches have been against Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.
What Benitez needs to do now is start driving them in the right direction, starting with winning on a trip to London – where Newcastle have an awful record.
But there was hope here at Selhurst Park when there had seemed to be none.