NEWCASTLE 2 LEICESTER CITY 3
Darlow, Yedlin, LejeuneBooked, Clark, Manquillo, Ritchie (Atsu 64), Hayden, Merino, Murphy (Pérez 71), Joselu (Mitrovic 88), Gayle
Subs: Elliot, Lascelles, Shelvey, Diamé
This always felt like the sort of birthday party that would turn sour for Newcastle United and so it proved as Ayoze Perez’s own goal condemned them to a sixth defeat in seven games and ensures relegation fear grips Tyneside like a heavy winter frost.
Having looked as though they had salvaged a point through Dwight Gayle, the home side conceded a third as they pushed forward for a winner. It was an infuriating finish to a contest in which they had taken the lead, lost it, been outplayed, but somehow found a way back. Emotionally, it pretty much summed up how their supporters have felt over the course of the last 125 years.
“I’m really disappointed. We had the draw and we made another defensive mistake and conceded another goal,” said Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez. “We keep giving the ball away and making easy mistakes, we were in control at 2-2. We have to learn quickly.”
Newcastle could not have asked for a better start. Jacob Murphy deserves credit for the through ball that sent Gayle away. With Leicester’s players desperately trying to get back, they forgot to mark Joselu, who ambled into the area and placed a shot beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
Leicester, though, were rarely troubled after that. When Riyad Mahrez was fed the ball, after a loose pass from Mikel Merino on the halfway line, he galloped forward and, from 30 yards, smashed a shot into the top corner, which goalkeeper Karl Darlow should have done better with.
But the visitors had to wait for the second goal. It came from a familiar route, a long diagonal ball over the head of right-back DeAndre Yedlin, which was side-footed back to Demarai Gray, whose shot looped into the top corner via the back of Florian Lejeune.
Newcastle recovered and, after equalising through Gayle, could have decided to stick with the draw, but that is not the Magpie way and they were exposed pouring forward, Perez poking the ball into his own net as Shinji Okazaki prepared to shoot.
“We deserved the win because of our fantastic positive attitude,” said Leicester boss Claude Puel, whose side have moved up to eighth. “It is always difficult here, the atmosphere puts pressure on you, but we scored some wonderful goals.”