BILIC HIT BY GAYLE
Slaven job on line as Toon win
APPROPRIATELY, it took 19 seconds and the quickest Premier League goal of the e season for Newcastle to remedy edy the recent trauma of theireir Covid-19 outbreak.
More familiar ills then threatened ned to undo their fine start, but they hey won it late on thanks to a goal from rom a player who has used their enforced layoff to build fitness.
And how sharp Dwight Gayle did look when, at 1-1 on 69 minutes, , he emerged from the bench to make ake his first appearance of the season son following a knee injury.
Slaven Bilic’s visitors had looked ked the more likely winners. But fresh legs brought fresh impetus and with eight minutes left, Jacob Murphy, another substitute, loaded an inviting delivery from the right.
Gayle darted across his man and flashed home a header via the angle of post and crossbar. So perfect was the goal in execution it looked borrowed from a video game.
The victory lifted Steve Bruce’s side to 11th and, despite a midgame wobble when they were careless in possession and on the back foot, it was a thoroughly spirited response after a testing fortnight in which more than 10 players and staff had fallen victim to Covid, forcing a match postponement.
Three of the team here had recovered from the virus, including makeshift centre-back Isaac Hayden, and Bruce said: ‘I can’t give enough credit to the players. It has been a challenging 10 days or so.
‘West Brom were in the ascendancy but we made some changes to try and win it. I wanted Dwight on the pitch and we took a risk with our wingers as full-backs. Thankfully, it worked this time.’
For Bilic, meanwhile, failure to beat a team who have trained together only twice in two weeks inevitably led to more questions over his future.
So could this be his last game in charge? ‘That is not a question for me,’ he said after this fifth defeat in six. ‘I am doing my job. I did not have those signals or information or talks (about his job being under threat). I prepared for the game.
‘We showed we are in the game until the end. We show a good mentality and quality to a certain point. This team is very much alive.’
It was a defiant riposte, but his team had not shown nearly enough resistance early on. They have been finding new ways to concede goals all season. But this was novel, to kick off the match and fall behind in 19 seconds.
It looked like they had worked on a kick-off routine, too, at least judging by the seven players who l i ned up on halfway as t hey launched an immediate attack.
But one aimless punt forward left them exposed at the back and, when Newcastle cleared, Callum Wilson bullied Branislav Ivanovic and rolled the ball infield to Joelinton.
The Brazilian is not prone to shows of composure but he kept his head while West Brom were losing theirs and duly slid in Miguel Almiron, who finished swiftly beyond Sam Johnstone. After shipping five against Crystal Palace last week the goalkeeper looked fed up.
Sure enough Almiron was soon in on goal again and Johnstone saved the Paraguayan’s low drill. The goalkeeper was unimpressed. ‘Every f***ing time,’ he roared at those charged with protecting him.
Johnstone made another strong stop from Joelinton on 32 minutes but the first half played out with West Brom on top and Conor Gallagher should have levelled when directing a snapshot narrowly wide from 10 yards.
Darnell Furlong made no such mistake five minutes after halftime. The right wing-back had put through his own net last weekend, but when Matt Phillips crossed from the left and defender Jamal Lewis froze, Furlong stole in to volley into the bottom corner.
West Brom pressed for a second but they needed Phillips to preserve parity when he cleared from the line after Gayle headed Matt Ritchie’s centre beyond Johnstone.
Sadly for West Brom, Phillips was upfield when Gayle repeated the trick moments later. This time, it was enough to win it.
NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Darlow 6; Krafth 5.5 (Murphy 79min, 7), Hayden 7, Clark 7, Lewis 5 (Gayle 69, 7.5); Ritchie 6, Longstaff 6.5, Shelvey 6.5, Almiron 7 ( Yedlin 86); Joelinton 6, Wilson 7. Subs (not used): Langley, M Longstaff, Carroll, Hendrick. WEST BROM (3-4-1-2): Johnstone 6; Ajayi 5, Ivanovic 4, O’Shea 5; Furlong 7, Gallagher 6 (Grosicki 80), Sawyers 6, Phillips 7; Krovinovic 6.5; Robinson 4.5 (Austin 46, 6.5), Grant 4.5 (Gibbs 46, 6.5). Subs (not used): Button, Livermore, Diangana, Kipre. Referee: D England (Merseyside) 6.