NEWCASTLE 1 MAN CITY 3
NEWCASTLE: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Routledge (Ranger 60), Barton, Tiote, Gutierrez, Nolan, Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Williamson, Guthrie, Perch, Smith, Best.
MAN CITY: Hart, Boateng, Lescott, Kompany, Kolarov, Barry, De Jong, Milner, Toure Yaya (Vieira 83), Silva (Adam Johnson 69), Tevez (Balotelli 85).
Subs Not Used: Given, Richards, Zabaleta, Jo.
Att: 51,635
Tim Krul is under pressure from veteran Steve Harper, and now it has reached crisis point for the young Dutchman, as he set Man City on the road to a vital Premiership win with a mistake that will haunt him.
Yes, after the first five minutes Alan Pardew's side matched Manchester City for the rest of rather frustrating game, but you cannot erase what happened in those two spells that proved the difference between the two sides.
Roberto Mancini was full of praise for Andy Carroll, but it just showed how important the youngster is to Newcastle .... because EVERYTHING came through him.
He was the only outlet - the single plan in a formation that was like something from the 1960s and 1970s - but in those days the target man had a partner and Carroll didn't.
Wyn Davies had Pop Robson picking up the scraps; Supermac had John Tudor; but Carroll was the lone wolf trying to do everything.
In the meantime, Pardew's options are even more limited, because he'll be without Kevin Nolan for the Tottenham Hotspur game, his captain having picked up fifth booking of the season, and a one-match ban.
Carlos Tevez fired Manchester City back into the Premier League title race after their shock defeat to Everton last week, and his class was probably the difference between the two teams.
The Argentinian put the Magpies to the sword in a blistering opening to the game, setting up Gareth Barry's opener with just 72 seconds gone and then helping himself to a second in the fifth-minute.
Then after Carroll had dragged Alan Pardew's men back into the game with a 72nd-minute header, his 11th goal of the season, Tevez ended Newcastle's hopes when his 81st-minute effort ended up in the back of the net with the help of two deflections.
City were made to fight all the way by a Magpies side which, having seemingly thrown the points away barely before they had broken sweat, threatened to emerge with something to show for their efforts in front of a crowd of 51,635.
By contrast, the Magpies were left to reflect on a fourth home league defeat of the season and looking anxiously over their shoulders ahead of Tuesday's difficult trip to Tottenham.
Despite having tasted victory over Liverpool in his only game to date at the helm, Pardew went into this afternoon's encounter knowing the degree of difficulty to be significantly higher, and a cursory glance at the team-sheet would have illustrated the gulf between a club which is now being run on a strict budget and the richest in world football.
Opposite number Roberto Mancini was even able to leave £24million signing Mario Balotelli sitting on the bench after serving the 20-year-old with a reminder as to what is expected of him.
But where Newcastle could not compete in terms of quality, they would have backed themselves to do so when it came to passion and honest endeavour.
In the event, their game plan was torn up inside five disastrous minutes when they twice pushed the self-destruct button to hand the advantage to the visitors.
Keeper Tim Krul has proved an able deputy for Steve Harper during his spell on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, but his ill-judged second-minute pass to Joey Barton handed the midfielder's former club the perfect opportunity to get their noses in front.
Tevez anticipated well to steal possession and slide a pass into the run of Barry, who dispatched it past Krul into the bottom corner.
Worse was to follow barely three minutes later when the Argentinian picked out former Magpie James Milner on the right and then found space between central defenders Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor to meet his cross and guide it expertly into the top corner.
Tevez was simply too hot to handle as he repeatedly dropped deep to find space before running at the heart of the home defence as they back-pedalled in sheer terror.
However, lone striker Carroll perhaps should have dragged Newcastle back into the game when he headed a sixth-minute Wayne Routledge cross straight at keeper Joe Hart, and having survived further damage, Pardew's men started to work their way back into the game.
Carroll proved a major handful for central defenders Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott, and Hart had to collect his 31st-minute looping header and was then grateful to see his diving injury-time effort fly wide.
But in the meantime, full-back Aleksandar Kolarov had blasted two long-range efforts just over to remind the home side of City's potency from all areas.
Carroll sent an acrobatic 59th-minute volley wide from Jonas Gutierrez's cross, and Pardew made his move seconds later when he sent on striker Nile Ranger for Routledge and adopted a 4-4-2 formation.
City were content to try to hit the Magpies on the break and Yaya Toure embarked upon an enterprising 63-minute run which was only ended by Coloccini's desperate challenge deep inside his own penalty area.
Gutierrez sent a looping header across the face of goal six minutes later, but Newcastle got their break three minutes later when Carroll powered home a header from Barton's crooner.
Hart protested with some justification that he had been blocked by Kevin Nolan, and was booked for his pains as the home fans settled in for a grandstand finish.
With Barton and Cheik Tiote snapping at heels and Carroll in menacing form, the Magpies looked the more likely scorers, but their hopes were dashed in unfortunate fashion with nine minutes remaining.
Jose Enrique and Coloccini looked to have got back to close down Tevez, but his shot deflected off both of them to wrong-foot Krul and creep inside the post.
There was still time for substitute Balotelli to be booked for a foul on Tiote, but that was off little consequence to the home side.
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HOLIDAY FIXTURES ...
Monday 27th December
Barclays Premier League
20:00 Arsenal vs Chelsea
Tuesday 28th December
Barclays Premier League
15:00 Man City vs Aston Villa
15:00 Stoke vs Fulham
15:00 Sunderland vs Blackpool
15:00 Tottenham vs Newcastle
15:00 West Brom vs Blackburn
17:30 West Ham vs Everton
20:00 Birmingham vs Man Utd
NEWCASTLE UTD MAD
CONTACT US (Kev): Kevnumad@fsmail.net
TOON FIXTURES:
Tuesday 28th December 2010
Tottenham v Newcastle 15.00
Sunday 02nd January 2011
Wigan Athletic v Newcastle 16.00
NEWCASTLE UNITED 2010/11
PREMIERSHIP
NEWCASTLE 1 MAN CITY 3 (Carroll)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Routledge (Ranger 60), Barton, Tiote, Gutierrez, Nolan, Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Williamson, Guthrie, Perch, Smith, Best.
NEWCASTLE 3 LIVERPOOL 1 (Nolan, Barton, Carroll)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Campbell, Jose Enrique, Barton (Routledge 90), Nolan (Smith 87), Tiote, Gutierrez, Carroll, Ameobi (Ranger 63).
Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch.
WEST BROM 3 NEWCASTLE 1 (Lovenkrands)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Campbell, Jose Enrique, Routledge (Ranger 74), Guthrie (Smith 73), Tiote, Gutierrez, Carroll, Ameobi (Lovenkrands 46).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Perch, Best, Kadar.
NEWCASTLE 1 CHELSEA 1 (Carroll)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Campbell, Jose Enrique, Routledge, Guthrie, Tiote, Gutierrez, Carroll, Ameobi (Ranger 77).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Lovenkrands, Perch, Smith, Best, Kadar.
BOLTON 5 NEWCASTLE 1 (Carroll)
Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Guthrie (Routledge 71), Nolan, Smith, Gutierrez (Campbell 77), Carroll, Ameobi (Lovenkrands 72).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Perch, Steven Taylor, Ranger.
NEWCASTLE 0 FULHAM 0
Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Guthrie (Routledge 76), Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Carroll, Lovenkrands (Ranger 76).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Campbell, Smith, Xisco, Steven Taylor.
NEWCASTLE 1 BLACKBURN 2 (Carroll)
Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Barton, Nolan, Tiote (Routledge 88), Gutierrez, Carroll,Ameobi (Ranger 46).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Campbell, Lovenkrands, Smith, Steven Taylor.
ARSENAL 0 NEWCASTLE 1 (Carroll)
Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Barton, Tiote, Nolan, Gutierrez, Carroll, Ameobi (Ranger 82).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Campbell, Routledge, Lovenkrands, Smith, Steven Taylor.
NEWCASTLE 5 SUNDERLAND 1 (Nolan 3, Ameobi 2 - 1 pen)
Krul, Jose Enrique, Coloccini, Williamson, Simpson,Tiote, Barton, Nolan, Gutierrez, Ameobi (Ranger 86), Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Routledge, Lovenkrands, Perch, Ryan Taylor, Smith.
WEST HAM 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Nolan, Carroll)
Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Barton, Nolan, Tiote, Gutierrez, Carroll, Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Guthrie, Routledge, Lovenkrands, Perch, Ryan Taylor, Smith.
NEWCASTLE 2 WIGAN ATH 2 (Ameobi, Coloccini)
Krul, Perch (Ranger 89), Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Guthrie (Routledge 66), Tiote, Barton, Gutierrez, Lovenkrands (Ameobi 60), Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Ryan Taylor, Smith, Kadar.
MAN CITY 2 NEWCASTLE 1 (Gutierrez)
Krul, Perch, Williamson, Coloccini (Campbell 36), Jose Enrique, Ben Arfa (Routledge 7), Nolan (Carroll 76), Tiote, Barton, Gutierrez, Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Lovenkrands, Ryan Taylor, Smith.
NEWCASTLE 1 STOKE CITY 2 (Nolan pen)
Krul, Perch, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Ben Arfa (Gutierrez 62), Barton, Tiote (Ameobi 74), Routledge, Nolan, Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Lovenkrands, Ryan Taylor, Smith, Ranger.
EVERTON 0 NEWCASTLE 1 (Ben Arfa)
Harper (Krul 35), Perch, Coloccini, Williamson,Jose Enrique, Routledge, Tiote, Barton,Ben Arfa (Gutierrez 84), Nolan, Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Campbell, Lovenkrands, Ryan Taylor, Smith.
NEWCASTLE 0 BLACKPOOL 2
Harper, Perch, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Routledge (Ameobi 81), Smith (Lovenkrands 62), Barton, Gutierrez (Ben Arfa 73), Nolan, Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Krul, Campbell, Ryan Taylor, Tiote.
WOLVES 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Carroll)
Harper, Perch, Williamson, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Routledge, Smith, Barton, Gutierrez, Nolan, Carroll (Ameobi 81).
Subs Not Used: Krul, Lovenkrands, Ryan Taylor, Kadar, Vuckic, Ranger.
NEWCASTLE 6 ASTON VILLA 0 (Barton, Nolan 2, Carroll 3)
Harper, Perch, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Routledge (Ameobi 76), Smith (Ryan Taylor 76), Barton, Gutierrez (Xisco 80), Nolan, Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Krul, Lovenkrands, Vuckic, Tavernier.
MAN UTD 3 NEWCASTLE 0
Harper, Perch, Coloccini, Williamson, Jose Enrique, Routledge, Smith, Nolan (Ameobi 71), Barton,Gutierrez (Xisco 80), Carroll.
Subs Not Used: Krul, Ryan Taylor, Vuckic, Ranger, Tavernier.
CARLING CUP
NEWCASTLE 0 ARSENAL 4
Krul, Perch, Williamson, Kadar, Ryan Taylor, Routledge (Gutierrez 56), Guthrie, Smith (Barton 71), Vuckic, Lovenkrands (Carroll 57), Ranger.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Tiote.
CHELSEA 3 NEWCASTLE 4 (Ranger, R Taylor, Ameobi 2)
Krul, Ryan Taylor (Tiote 63), Campbell, Coloccini (Williamson 63), Ferguson (Barton 90), Ranger, Gutierrez, Vuckic, Smith, Ameobi, Lovenkrands.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Nolan, Carroll, Ben Arfa.
ACCRINGTON STANLEY 2 NEWCASTLE 3 (Ryan Taylor, Ameobi, Lovenkrands)
Krul, Ryan Taylor, Kadar, Tavernier, Ferguson, Ranger, Donaldson, Vuckic (Nolan 90), LuaLua, Ameobi,Lovenkrands.
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Williamson, Barton, Routledge, Perch, Smith.
PRE-SEASON
CARLISLE 0 NEWCASTLE 3 (Best, Ranger, Vuckic)
Harper (Krul 46), Tavernier (R Taylor 46), Coloccini (S Taylor 46) (Henderson 81), Williamson (Perch 46), Enrique (Ferguson 46), Inman (Routledge 46), Smith (Barton 46), Nolan (Guthrie 46), LuaLua (Vuckic 46) , Carroll (Best 46), Lovenkrands (Ranger 46).
NORWICH CITY 2 NEWCASTLE 1 (Ameobi)
Krul, Taylor (Routledge 45), Tavernier, Coloccini (Williamson 45), Diaz (Ferguson 57); Ranger (Xisco 45), Barton (Smith 45), Nolan (Guthrie 45), Vuckic (Edmundsson 72); Best (Lovenkrands 45), Carroll (Ameobi 45).
NEWCASTLE 2 PSV EINDHOVEN 2 (R.Taylor, Best)
Harper, Perch, Enrique, Coloccini, Williamson, Guthrie, Nolan, Smith, Ryan Taylor, Lovenkrands, Ameobi. Subs: Carroll, Xisco, Best, LuaLua, Krul, Vuckic, Ranger, Donaldson, Tavernier.
DEPORTIVO 0 NEWCASTLE 0 (NUFC win 5-4 on penalties - Lovenkrands, Nolan, Carroll, R Taylor, Barton)
Harper (Krul 46); R Taylor, Perch (Tavernier 52), Coloccini, Enrique; Routledge, Barton, Guthrie (Nolan 46), Xisco (Gutierrez 46); Carroll, Best (Lovenkrands 73). Subs (not used): Smith, Ferguson
RANGERS 2 NEWCASTLE 1 (Lovenkrands)
Harper; Perch (Tavernier 81), Coloccini (Ferguson 81), Williamson, Enrique (R Taylor 56); Routledge (Xisco 83), Barton, Nolan, Guthrie, Gutierrez (Lovenkrands 69); Carroll (Ameobi 46).