2004/5 CRYSTAL PALACE 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 2
CRYSTAL PALACE: Kiraly, Boyce, Hall, Popovic, Granville, Routledge, Watson, Riihilahti (Freedman 84), Kolkka (Lakis 83), Hughes, Johnson.
Subs Not Used: Speroni, Leigertwood, Andrews.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Hughes, Bramble, Johnsen (Elliott 56), Bernard, Dyer, Bowyer (Milner 72), Jenas, Robert, Kluivert, Bellamy.
Subs Not Used: Ambrose, Ameobi, Caig.
Booked: Johnsen, Bernard, Elliott.
Goals: Kluivert 79, Bellamy 88.
Att: 22,937
Patrick Kluivert took a leaf out of Thierry Henry's book with a sublime backheel to help Newcastle get back to winning ways in today's Barclays Premiership clash at Crystal Palace.
Both sides had seen chances spurned and the match seemed to be heading towards a goalless draw.
However, with 11 minutes to go, the Dutchman - signed from Barcelona in the summer - connected with Craig Bellamy's centre to flick the ball into the far corner.
The Welshman then drove home a second two minutes from time as Palace were pressing forwards, to bring Newcastle their first win for three league matches.
It was the visitors who had started brighter as, after three minutes, Laurent Robert, back in the side following an injury to Nicky Butt, got the better of his marker on the left and sent in a low centre towards Kluivert.
Fitz Hall cut the ball out and it rebounded back into the path of the Frenchman but his drive across goal was well wide.
Palace's leading scorer Andy Johnson - fit again following a hip problem - then spun clear of Ronny Johnsen on the byline and was unceremoniously upended by the Norwegian defender, which earned him a caution from referee Mark Halsey.
On 12 minutes, Kluivert held his run well to collect a pass from Bellamy into the box, but as the Dutchman shaped to shoot with three men on his back, Tony Popovic got a crucial foot in. The Newcastle striker remained on the ground, much to the annoyance of the home supporters behind the goal.
Joonas Kolkka netted a decent strike at Liverpool last weekend and the Palace winger almost had another for his scrapbook after 15 minutes when a curling 25-yard effort was just wide of the far post after cutting in from the left.
At the other end, a clipped pass down field from Lee Bowyer released Bellamy into the area. As Gabor Kiraly came out to close him down, the Welshman lifted the ball up over the advancing keeper but had got too much power on his effort and it lofted over the crossbar.
Newcastle felt they had claims for a penalty in the 29th minute when Robert edged ahead of Emmerson Boyce down the left.
The Frenchman went on into the box and then theatrically stumbled over as the Palace full-back tried to make up ground. Mr Halsey, though, was having none of it, much to Robert's frustration.
With four minutes left of the first half, Shay Given produced a brilliant reaction block to push Johnson's close-range effort up over the crossbar from Boyce's right-wing cross to ensure the side's went into the break on level terms.
Neither side made any changes at the break and it was Newcastle who were first to show following the restart, the visitors forcing a succession of corners.
The Eagles, though, soon settled back into the rhythm they had found towards the end of the first half.
Routledge put Johnson clear down the right and Johnsen did well to head clear in his own six yard box with plenty of Palace men waiting to pounce.
On 52 minutes, the ball fell to Bowyer on the edge of the penalty area when a free-kick from the left was only half cleared, but the former Leeds man could not keep his shot down.
Tempers were now starting to get frayed, with Bowyer and Hall being given a stern talking to by the referee after they had squared up following a series of strong challenges from both sides.
Despite being encamped in their own half, Palace looked dangerous on the break.
Johnson picked the ball up and surged forwards on 66 minutes. He got past three back-tracking Newcastle players before being chopped down by Elliott, who was swiftly cautioned.
The free-kick was in a central position, some 25 yards from goal, but Ben Watson's strike smashed into the wall.
Jermaine Jenas finally found some space of his own to run at the Palace defence, and slipped a lovely pass through to Bellamy. The Welshman's first touch set himself up nicely, only to then send his shot was straight at Kiraly from 10 yards.
Newcastle finally made a breakthrough with 11 minutes left when Bellamy's run down the right found Kluivert in the six-yard box and the Dutchman's cheeky backheel found its way into the far corner and as Palace presser for an equaliser, they were hit on the break with two minutes to go when Bellamy drilled the ball into the top corner after Robert had surged down the right.