Positives and negatives from dramatic draw vs. Everton

Newcastle United left the football world speechless after scoring twice in 102 seconds in stoppage time to draw with Everton, but the Magpies’ overall performance was terrible.

Newcastle United shocked everyone, including themselves, yesterday when Florian Lejeune scored two goals in the 94th and 95th minute of stoppage time to steal a point for his team at Goodison Park. The end of the game will steal all the headlines, but the game was difficult to watch for the Toon Army.

Everton were the better team for 90 minutes and they deserved to take three points, but the fight Newcastle United displayed with their backs against the wall was admirable. There are plenty of talking points from yesterday’s game, but here are some of the key positives and negatives from the Magpies’ performance.

Positives

Late Heroics

Newcastle United are known for conceding goals in stoppage time, but this time luck was on their side. Florian Lejeune’s acrobatic goal in the 94th minute was impressive, but was seen as a consolation goal so late in the game. His second goal, however, showed the true fighting spirit of this squad. No one except for those players on the pitch believed that a positive result was possible despite being down 2-0 in stoppage time. Lejeune’s late goals served as a reminder that collective determination can be more precious than flashy football for 90 minutes.

Aggressive Football

Newcastle United lacked creativity for the majority of the game and only created a handful of chances, but their aggression in the middle of the park is worth praising. The Magpies struggled to cope with the attacking tactics Carlo Ancelotti implemented, but players like Matty Longstaff, Matt Ritchie, Ciaran Clark and Isaac Hayden did their best to frustrate the opposition by putting their bodies on the line all over the pitch.

Negatives

Too Much Respect for Everton

Newcastle United respected Everton far more than they should have yesterday. Goodison Park is not an easy place to play and Everton have some quality players, but they are not worthy of the Magpies parking the bus. Prior to yesterday’s game, Everton only scored 26 goals this season and the player directly involved in 42% of those goals, Richarlison, was not in the team sheet. After defeating Chelsea over the weekend, momentum was on Newcastle United’s side, but Bruce’s tactics did not allow the Toon to utilize that momentum.

Lazy Defending

Newcastle United were caught out by Moise Kean, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Bernard several times with minimal hassle. The attacking trio had too much green space in front of them all game. By the time Newcastle United’s defenders were ready to make a tackle or tried intercepting a cut-back pass, the aforementioned players were already in dangerous positions in the penalty area. Martin Dubravka needed more support from Jamaal Lascelles and company, but he single-handedly saved the team from more suffering with some quick reactions between the sticks.