London, Dec 8: Everton scored three times in the closing stages of a hectic encounter to beat Newcastle and move out of the Premier League’s relegation zone.
The Toffees were sent tumbling into the bottom three by their 10-point deduction for breaking the top flight’s financial rules, but moved back into safety thanks to late goals from Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure and summer signing Beto.
The hosts punished a pair of mistakes from Kieran Trippier, the first coming as McNeil pounced on a poor touch, drove forward and thumped a deflected effort into the net, before Doucoure coolly slotted home seven minutes later.Beto then ran clear during 10 minutes of stoppage time and slid home his first league goal to make sure of the points as the home supporters wildly celebrated a deserved victory.
Before the late flurry, the Blues looked to be heading for a miserable night in front of goal having spurned a number of good chances in the opening period.
The returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin was unable to convert the best of those, controlling Jarrad Branthwaite’s flick on onto his chest and volleying over from four yards out.Newcastle had openings in the first half too but Trippier’s free-kick and Miguel Almiron’s scuffed effort after darting through were both kept out by Jordan Pickford.In the second half the returning Anthony Gordon, who was jeered by the home supporters throughout the game following his January transfer to Newcastle, should have silenced the Goodison crowd when he picked off James Tarkowski’s loose touch on the edge of the area but only stuck a low shot straight at Pickford.Those three late goals mean the Toffees claw themselves out of the drop zone by leapfrogging Luton into 17th place, while Newcastle remain seventh behind Manchester United.
Everton would have moved into 10th place with this result had they not been sanctioned by the Premier League, which would have meant fans were dreaming of European qualification rather than worrying about a relegation battle.
The Toffees’ form at Goodison Park this season had been woeful before the Magpies’ arrival on Merseyside, with Sean Dyche’s men having won just one of their seven previous home league games.But they put that record right in emphatic fashion here.Calvert-Lewin was wasteful in front of goal in the first half, seeing a header and low shot saved by Martin Dubravka before a glorious chance was smashed high into the Park End.
But the hosts kept plugging away in a stop-start contest, hitting three goals late on to secure their fourth win in their past six games.
McNeil’s thumper and Doucoure’s calm finish brought much-needed joy to the home faithful, and the atmosphere had become raucous before Beto’s composed finish added gloss to a well-earned victory.There will be some concern for Seamus Coleman, though, as the Everton skipper hobbled off during the second half on the occasion of his first start since May. (Agencies)
