Not the glamour tie of the round, but a win for Newcastle United – only their second this season – sees them progress to the second round of the Capital One Cup at the expense of Crystal Palace.
Match Report
United were outplayed in the first half, and Crystal Palace went a goal up through a penalty. Daryl Janmaat got caught going backwards in the box and brought down Wilfried Zaha.
However, Emmanuel Riviere got his first goal of the night and his Newcastle career after a lucky break saw him get the ball on his left foot just outside the area. A smart finish saw the goalkeeper stand still and the ball slotted into the left of the net.
Newcastle then went ahead after another penalty. In similar circumstances to the first, Toon won the spot kick and up stood Riviere to bag his second of the night. Perfectly finished into the top of the goal, United looked strong.
It remained that way until into injury time when Palace got yet another last-minute equaliser against Newcastle. Substitute Soloman Kaikai came on and the ball found itself at his feet following a set piece. Smashed home into the bottom left and injury time stood waiting.
Crystal Palace were the beater team in the 30 minutes that followed and things looked bleak for Newcastle United after Mehdi Abeid picked up his second yellow of the match, in somewhat unfair circumstances. Zaha’s fall looked worse than the foul and referee Bobby Madley bought it and swung out the red card.
But, it was Newcastle who would progress after a lovely headed goal from Paul Dummett, and no, not from a set piece. Dummett dived down low and headed the ball into the back of the net to see Newcastle United go through to the next round.
The draw has not been kind to United though as they now face a trip to Manchester City in the fourth round. Many fans were hoping that this would be the year for the Toon to progress into the fifth round of any domestic cup competition during Alan Pardew’s reign, but this now seems out of reach.
Alan Pardew
Although a win for the boys in black and white, the fans could still be heard voicing their displeasure at Pardew who did applaud the following after the match. However, a win in the Capital One Cup will not stop the hatred, but if they carry their second half performance into the league match against Stoke City on Saturday, there will be plenty for the Newcastle faithful to applaud.
It seems as though the ‘two games to fix it’ message didn’t come from Mike Ashley as Pardew seems to be enjoying an extended stay in the dugout. Could Stoke be his last game in charge, I highly doubt it.
My Analysis
From a fans point of view I was disappointed with tonights performance from Newcastle. To let in a last-minute goal from a set piece is a rookie mistake and something that should have been hammered out of the lads time and time again, but for some reason it is a common theme. The fact that we have now played 30 minutes more football than Stoke, and with one less rest day worries me. But I am optimistic and can see us taking three points (please don’t laugh).
Putting my football writer hat on, there were some positives from tonight for sure. Going forward down the wing was very nice to see and Riviere opening his account with two nicely finished goals gives me optimism for the games ahead. I’ve said before, once he gets one or two, the floodgates will open.
Can Newcastle beat Stoke though? I really think so – from a fans perspective. From an analysers point of view, a draw will be the most likely result. What do you think?