Tuesday Boxing Day 2006
BOLTON WANDERERS 2 NEWCASTLE UTD 1
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Meite, Faye, Ben Haim, Nolan,Campo, Speed, Diouf (Pedersen 90), Anelka, Davies.
Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Gardner, Vaz Te, Tal.
NEWCASTLE: Srnicek, Edgar, Ramage, Taylor, Huntington,Dyer (Emre 55), Butt, Parker, Milner (Rossi 65), Sibierski, Martins.
Subs Not Used: Krul, Luque, Pattison.
Att: 26,437
Newcastle target Nicolas Anelka claimed his third goal in as many days as Bolton recovered from an early goal from Kieron Dyer to beat the Magpies for the second time this season.
United started so well, and should have come away with something, but the young defence contributed to their own downfall. With an average age of 20, no-one can be too critical of a back-line that was playing together for the first time, with 19-year old David Edgar making his debut. How frustrating it must be for Glenn Roeder, to unearth the genuis of Nobby Solano at right-back only to find him join the injury list just when things were looking up.
To add to the defensive problems, Shay Given's groin problem meant Pavel Srnicek got his chance. So the prospect of facing Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf must have been frightening for all concerned. However, for 32 minutes Edgar and his team-mates were on top and had the Bolton fans rather concerned.
Dyer fired the Mags in front within eight minutes, capitalising on a careless defensive header by striker Kevin Davies to sprint into the box and fire past the helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Obafemi Martins might have doubled the lead on 17 minutes when he blasted a left-foot drive beyond the keeper's dive but just wide of the far post, and James Milner threatened on more than one occasion as Bolton looked repeatedly vulnerable at the back.
But just as UNited started to anticipate a victory, Pav let the Trotters back into the game. Ramage waited until he could wait no longer for Srnicek to come for Gary Speed's hopeful header into the box and, with Kevin Nolan bearing down on him, the defender tried to head the ball back to his keeper but succeeded only in putting it into his own net.
Dyer joined Martins and Antoine Sibierski in a three-man frontline after the break, but just 12 minutes into the second half Davies flicked on Ivan Campo's long throw, Diouf scuffed a shot across the face of goal, and Anelka arrived at the far post to slam the loose ball into the net.
Pav's uncertainty after such a long spell out of football caused panic at the back and although he got a punch to Diouf's 61st-minute free-kick, he needed help to complete the job.
Nolan might have made it 3-1 with a 77th-minute flicked header, but the visitors were preparing a late assault of their own.
Substitute Giuseppe Rossi poked a shot into Jaaskelainen's arms and fellow newcomer Emre, on for Dyer, sent a dipping long-range effort just over in quick succession.
But it was Butt who went close six minutes from time, forcing the keeper into a diving save with a shot from distance as Roeder's men battled all the way to the whistle, but did so ultimately in vain.
BOLTON WANDERERS 2 NEWCASTLE UTD 0
August 24th 2005
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Jaidi (Diagne-Faye 23), Ben Haim, Pedersen, Nolan, Speed, Okocha, Giannakopoulos, Davies (Campo 70), Diouf (Borgetti 87).
Subs Not Used: Walker, Vaz Te.
NEWCASTLE: Given, Carr, Boumsong, Taylor, Babayaro, Jenas, Faye (Clark 60), Parker, Bowyer (Milner 67), Shearer, Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Elliott, Harper, N'Zogbia.
Along with a crowd of 29,504, Graeme Souness put aside all talk of signing Michael Owen from Real Madrid, and was forced back to reality with a bump to watch another embarrassing performance from his paper-thin side.
Goals from El-Hadji Diouf and Stelios Giannakopoulos piled the misery on Souness, who looked like a cat on hot bricks all night, knowing the odds of him getting the boot will drop even further overnight.
And the worst thing that can possibly come out of this game is Michael Owen will look at it on SKY TV and say to himself "what the hell do I want to spoil the habit of a lifetime and join a relegation battle?"
Newcastle and Souness have taken just one point from their opening three matches, one less than at the same stage last season under predecessor Sir Bobby Robson who was eventually sacked before August was out.
The Scot could easily follow, particularly with Manchester United next up at St James' Park on Sunday, and currently with two strikers in form in Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney.
With Newcastle also drawing a blank for the third successive Premiership game, there is no doubt Souness desperately needs a player of Owen's calibre as his side continue to underachieve.
Owen's preferred option, if all else fails at Real Madrid and if Liverpool fail to make the move he hopes for, is to join Newcastle on a season-long loan - and that would appear to be the safer option for the England international striker should the Magpies prove to be his escape route from Spain.
The Magpies are currently a shambles of a side, lacking in imagination and inspiration, and that could ultimately prove the downfall for Souness as he has players of quality in the squad but is currently unable to draw the best from them.
Bar one third minute chance for Lee Bowyer, United struggled for the remainder of the opening half as Bolton pressed, worked together as a unit and ultimately gained their reward.
In truth, Bowyer was a shade unlucky as former Magpie Gary Speed just happened to be in the right place at the right time to head the midfielder's left-footed drive off the line, with Jussi Jaaskelainen well beaten.
It was also Newcastle's best-worked move of the half, involving Amdy Faye, Celestine Babayaro and captain Alan Shearer whose far-post knock down found Bowyer with his back to goal before he cleverly worked the opening.
Bolton soon countered, with captain Jay-Jay Okocha driving narrowly over from an acute angle, while referee Rob Styles was unmoved to the penalty claims of Diouf when he took a tumble on the edge of the area as Celestine Babayaro challenged.
By the half-hour mark Newcastle were struggling to escape from their own half, with one rare raid in the 33rd minute resulting in Stephen Carr firing wildly over from 20 yards after fine approach play from Babayaro and Bowyer.
Admittedly, by that stage, Bolton had not created many chances of their own as Newcastle were hardly being torn apart, but the home side were comfortably in control and did not look a team ready to relinquish their dominance.
Nine minutes from the break they deservedly broke the deadlock, with Nicky Hunt taking a lay-off from Stelios and delivering a piercing cross to the far post where Diouf powered home a header from four yards in off the right-hand post for his first of the season.
Within five minutes of the second half Souness was wearing the look of a worried man as Bolton doubled their lead with comparative ease.
Diouf chased down an overhit Hunt right-wing cross, and given time to pick his spot with his own ball, he found Speed at the near post for a flick to the far where Stelios tapped home from a yard.
There followed the inevitable cries from the Newcastle fans of 'We want Souness out, we want Souness out' - with a large section of Bolton supporters adding weight to the chants.
Bolton fans will be hoping that is not one of the last acts they see from Stelios as he continues to be linked with a move away, with Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez confirming his interest and now seemingly in a tussle with Manchester City for his services.
Wanderers could have added a third in the 70th minute, but Carr first headed away from underneath his own bar an inswinging Speed corner.
From the subsequent corner, Diouf was narrowly wide with a stabbed shot before United rallied in the closing stages as Shearer and Ameobi both went close - but by that stage it was too little too late.