Newcastle United come from behind to shock Everton

After being down 2-0 at halftime, Newcastle United came from behind to stun Everton 3-2 at St. James’ Park.

After deploying the same lineup against Burnley and West Ham, Rafa Benitez made two changes today by starting DeAndre Yedlin in the back and Ki Sung-yueng alongside Isaac Hayden. Those changes paid off as Newcastle United managed to come back after being down 2-0 at the half to win 3-2 thanks to goals from Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez.

First Half

Newcastle got off to a shaky start in this match with some poor passing and unforced errors in the back, but Everton were not in position to capitalize on any of those mistakes. Miguel Almiron got everyone on their feet in the fifth minute when he sped down the flank with defenders chasing behind him, but his cross missed Salomon Rondon. Seeing his urgency seemed to wake the rest of the team up as the Magpies attacked once more three minutes later.

Gylfi Sigurdsson almost gave the visitors the lead in the 11th minute, but his shot was saved by Martin Dubravka despite the striker only being three feet away from him. One minute later it was Ayoze Perez who almost gave the Toon a 1-0 lead. Jordan Pickford poorly punched the ball away and it went straight to Perez, but the Spaniard’s header went over the bar.

After a brilliant build-up in the 18th minute, Everton took the lead through a header from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The 21-year-old perfectly placed his header into the side netting, leaving Dubravka with little opportunity to make a save.

The Magpies did their best to try and attack more frequently after conceding a goal and their effort was rewarded with a penalty in the 29th minute as a result of Pickford tackling Rondon in the box, but Matt Ritchie’s kick was saved by the former Sunderland keeper, who was not even booked for his tackle. Moments after it looked like Newcastle would level the score from the penalty spot, Richarlison scored for Everton after the ball bounced off of Dubravka.

Perez nearly got a goal back for Newcastle in the 40th minute after a long ball from Fabian Schar traveled the distance and kindly landed on Perez’s foot who beat the offside trap, but Pickford made a big save with his shoulder. The first half was lively and comprised of several chances and incidents for both teams.

Second Half

The second half began with an immediate substitution out of the tunnel for Newcastle with Paul Dummett replacing Jamaal Lascelles after the captain picked up a booking in the first half. Both teams did well to attack through their wingers in the first few minutes of the half, but no meaningful chances were created by either side.

The Magpies came within inches of scoring in the 55th minute, but Rondon’s chip attempt just bounced around the wrong side of the post. A few minutes later, Everton had a good chance to score through a dangerous corner, but Dummett was quick to make an important clearance.

Newcastle finally got one back after Perez perfectly set Rondon up for a beautiful left-footed volley in the 64th minute. That goal was Rondon’s eighth of the campaign and it came at a crucial time. Four minutes later, a curling cross from Ritchie found Dummett, but his header went over the bar. After spending some time defending, Everton pushed bodies forward in the 70th minute and almost extended their lead through Calvert-Lewin, but his shot went wide.

Jonjo Shelvey returned to first team action in the 78th minute when he replaced Ki Sung-yueng in midfield and the mercurial midfielder was greeted with loud cheers from the stands. The 80th minute saw Newcastle score the equalizer through Perez. Almiron fired a shot from distance that bounced off Pickford and Perez did well to bury the rebound.

Dummett nearly made it three for Newcastle, but Pickford was alert and made another save that went out for a corner. Then it was Perez 30 seconds later who scored for Newcastle once again to give the home side a 3-2 lead. The Magpies maintained their composure and they deserved all three points today.