Saturday 6th February 2016,
Barclays Premier League, St James' Park, Kick-Off 3:00pm |
|
Newcastle United |
1 -
0 |
West Bromwich Albion |
|
1 - 0 |
|
Mitrović (32) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Managers |
|
Steve McClaren |
|
Tony Pulis |
|
|
|
|
Starting XI |
|
Rob Elliot |
|
Ben Foster |
Daryl Janmaat |
|
James Chester |
Steven Taylor |
|
Gareth McAuley |
(c) Fabricio Coloccini |
|
Jonas Olsson |
Rolando Aarons |
|
Craig Dawson |
(Saivet 90) Jonjo Shelvey |
|
Claudio Yacob |
Cheick Tioté |
|
Sandro (Berahino HT) |
Moussa Sissoko |
|
Craig Gardner
(Pritchard HT) |
Georginio Wijnaldum |
|
Darren Fletcher (c) |
(Pérez 88) Andros Townsend |
|
James McClean |
Aleksandar Mitrović |
|
Victor Anichebe (Rondón 74) |
|
Substitutes |
|
Ayoze Pérez |
|
Boaz Myhill (gk) |
Henri Saivet |
|
Sébastien Pocognoli |
(gk) Karl Darlow |
|
Rickie Lambert |
Seydou Doumbia |
|
Saido Berahino |
Liam Gibson |
|
Alex Pritchard |
Callum Williams |
|
Stéphane Sessčgnon |
Daniel Barlaser |
|
Salomón Rondón |
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Bookings |
|
|
|
McAuley (foul 47) |
|
|
Chester (foul 63) |
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|
Olsson (foul 83) |
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|
Attendance:
50,152 |
|
Referee:
Lee Mason (Lancashire) |
Assistant 01:
Andy Halliday (North Yorkshire) |
Assistant 02:
Harry Lennard (East Sussex) |
Fourth Official:
Paul Tierney (Lancashire) |
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|
Official Matchday
Programme |
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|
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NOTES |
|
● On loan Tottenham Hotspur
midfielder Alex Pritchard makes his Albion debut. |
|
MATCH REPORT |
Aleksandar Mitrovic's fifth
goal of the season dragged
Newcastle
out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone as they edged past
West Brom 1-0 at St James' Park. The Serbia international's
32nd-minute strike, which came three minutes after Cheick Tiote saw an effort
ruled out for offside, proved enough to claim three precious points and give
head coach Steve McClaren a little breathing space.
Newcastle might have won even
more comfortably had it not been for a series of saves by Ben Foster, who needed
the help of a post to prevent Andros Townsend from marking his home debut with a
goal, but a crowd of 50,152 was left biting its nails as time ran down.
McClaren's public face is
relentlessly positive, but even he knew going into the game that nothing short
of a victory would be enough to silence his detractors after a poor display in
defeat at Everton in midweek. In addition, he had to deal with a selection
crisis which denied him 12 players through injury and Jamaal Lascelles through
suspension, leaving him with only three fit defenders with one of them, Steven
Taylor, having not kicked a ball in anger since August. It was a day when
McClaren needed his players to understand the severity of the club's situation,
and he certainly got the response for which he was looking. Foster had to save
from Townsend and Mitrovic inside the opening six minutes and then field Jonjo
Shelvey's speculative 30-yard effort with 24 minutes gone. Newcastle were
dominant approaching the half-hour mark without having made it count. Daryl
Janmaat then saw his long-range 29th-minute effort charged down and Tiote
smashed the rebound past the wrong-footed Foster, only for referee Lee Mason to
halt the midfielder's celebrations after consulting his assistant and ruling
that Mitrovic had unsighted the goalkeeper from an offside position. However,
the Magpies had to wait just three minutes longer to get their noses in front
when Shelvey split the visitors' defence with a perfectly-weighted pass and
Mitrovic calmly beat the advancing Foster. West Brom had offered little going
forward, but urged to press higher up the pitch by manager Tony Pulis they
improved as the half drew to a close with Janmaat making a vital 43rd-minute
block to deny James McClean.
Jonas Olsson spared the visitors
further pain within four minutes of the restart when he threw himself into the
path of Moussa Sissoko's goal-bound shot. With Newcastle target Saido Berahino
and Alex Pritchard having been introduced at the break, the visitors were
playing more of a part. Pritchard curled high and wide from 20 yards with 58
minutes gone, but as the Baggies committed men upfield, the hosts were able to
break into the space they left behind and Georginio Wijnaldum headed over from
Townsend's dinked cross eight minutes later. Townsend might have increased his
side's lead, but saw his 68th-minute shot come back off the post and Sissoko
fired across goal two minutes later, but Mitrovic's goal ultimately proved
sufficient.
Sporting Life
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