Agony for Rafa as Newcastle throw it all away
Shelvey’s miss leaves door open for Bournemouth to deny Newcastle vital win
FROM 10th to 15th in a matter of moments. Newcastle United were on the verge of finishing a Saturday in the top half of the table but they threw it all away at the Vitality Stadium.
The visitors were leading 2- 0 when, with 79 minutes on the clock, Jonjo Shelvey missed the simplest of tap-ins to wrap up the win.
Newcastle paid the price as Adam Smith and Dan Gosling scored in the 80th and 89th minutes to snatch a point for Bournemouth.
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez said: ‘We miss a chance, we concede a goal, then we lost the control.
‘ These types of situations, we have to manage better. Everybody is disappointed and especially him [Shelvey].
‘It was a pity because all the hard work, so many minutes, the control we had.’
Dwight Gayle scored both the Newcastle goals — the second one in particular a gift by Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
Newcastle beat Manchester United in their last outing and were searching for their first back-toback Premier League wins since September. Benitez can only hope this collapse will not cost them in May.
As for Eddie Howe, the t op fl i ght’s youngest manager at the age of 40, being Bournemouth boss is taking its toll.
‘My heart this season is being tested to the max despite my age,’ he said. ‘I certainly feel it during the matches. This was tough.
‘We weren’t good for 70 minutes but once again, I have to praise the attitude, the spirit to come back.’
Both these teams came into this game after benefiting from a twoweek break. Bournemouth spent theirs training in Portugal, while Newcastle avoided t he warm weather by staying at home.
Bournemouth’s game plan was obvious — give the ball to Junior Stanislas on the right wing and hope his cross finds a head. The 28year-old did just that in the fourth minute when he found Gosling, whose free header from six yards out was sent into the stands.
Moments later, Stanislas saw another dangerous cross drift through the box.
Though the visitors had barely had a sniff in the opposition half, they struck in the 17th minute and it came courtesy of a killer ball by Shelvey.
The midfielder’s through- ball found Matt Ritchie and the former Bournemouth player produced a low cross. Steve Cook slid but missed it and so did Begovic.
Their mess of a clearance saw the ball fall kindly for Gayle, who calmly back heeled it into the net for his first goal since December.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, there was another gift for Gayle and Newcastle.
Ayoze Perez smacked a cross across the box and it looked like a simple collection was in order from Begovic. Instead, the ball somehow squirmed under his body and fell to Gayle for a tap-in.
The striker — who has scored 28 league goals s since the start of last season, more than twice as many as any other Newcastle player — could not believe his luck.
‘ He is an outstanding goalkeeper,’ Howe said of Begovic. ‘The life of a goalkeeper is a diffi- ficult one and any mistake you make ke is highlighted. I back him to recover ver from that.’
Bournemouth chased the game in the second half and Jermain Defoe, back fit following his ankle injury, was introduced for his first appearance since before the turn of year.
How Newcastle did not take a 3-0 l ead in t he 79th minute, only Shelvey knows.
Substitute Christian Atsu was left with only Begovic to beat, but he selflessly squared to his team-mate. With the goal gaping, Shelvey only had to tap in, but he smacked it way wide and into the stands. Head in hands, this was a game-changer. han dW Within a minute, the score was 2 2-1 and Benitez was fearing t the worst. A well- worked Bournemouth move left Smith with the chance to shoot from just i inside the box. He obliged and s smacked in off the underside of the crossbar. Th Then Shelvey was indeed left with a rotten feeling inside as Bourn Bournemouth got their leveller. How simple it was, too. Nathan Ake poked the ball to Gosling, who made no mistake. A point for Bournemouth but two thrown away by Newcastle.