2007/8 NEWCASTLE 2 FULHAM 0
Viduka And Owen Set For Toon Repeat?
NEWCASTLE: Harper, Beye (Edgar 87), Taylor, Faye, Jose Enrique, Geremi, Butt, Barton, Owen, Viduka (Smith 84), Martins (N'Zogbia 74).
Subs Not Used: Forster, Carroll.
FULHAM: Keller, Stalteri (Healy 84), Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Andreasen, Bullard, Murphy (Volz 71), Davies, McBride (Dempsey 66), Johnson.
Subs Not Used: Warner, Bocanegra.
Att: 52,293
Goals from Mark Viduka and Michael Owen presented Kevin Keegan with his first win since his return to Newcastle as the Magpies eased their relegation fears.
At the 10th time of asking, Keegan finally had the taste of victory to savour with his side ending their 13-game wait for a Barclays Premier League success.
Viduka struck with just six minutes gone to claim his sixth, and undeniably most important, goal of the season to extend Fulham's wait for an away league win to 32 games.
On an afternoon when the result was always more important than the performance, the Magpies were just about value for the points, although the result remained in the melting pot until Owen calmed the nerves with an 83rd-minute header.
The performance was at times disjointed, but few who witnessed it could fault either the effort or the commitment of Keegan's players, who have been through the mill in recent months, but now appear to have begun to believe again.
For the home fans among a crowd of 52,293, there was a rare opportunity to celebrate, while the travelling supporters high in the stand behind Steve Harper's goal as the final whistle sounded headed off on the long journey south knowing their club's plight had worsened significantly.
Keegan had reverted to type at Birmingham on Monday evening when he adopted a bold 4-3-3 formation and returned from the midlands with a valuable point as his reward.
It was little surprise, then, that he opted for the same system and the same personnel for a game his side simply had to win, and as he headed down the tunnel at the break, the ploy had worked on the face of it with the Magpies leading 1-0 and knowing they should perhaps have been even further ahead.
However, that did not tell the full story of a 45 minutes which demonstrated the best and much of the worst of Newcastle this season.
With Viduka, Owen and Obafemi Martins forming a dangerous frontline, the home side were always a threat in attack and, but for two superb saves from Kasey Keller who just about got his fingertips to blistering strikes from Martins and Owen, they could have been out of sight.
But despite the best efforts of Nicky Butt, Joey Barton and Geremi behind them, Keegan's men were overrun in midfield as Jimmy Bullard orchestrated play for the visitors.
Full-backs Jose Enrique and Habib Beye were repeatedly exposed by the lack of cover ahead of them and it was only a combination of desperate defence, good goalkeeping and poor finishing which saved the Magpies.
They had got their noses in front after just six minutes when Viduka turned on Geremi's pass to fire a left-footed shot into the bottom corner to relieve the tension.
The Australian then headed horribly wide after 19 minutes, but Martins would have hit the target four minutes later had Keller not dived full length to turn his shot away.
The goalkeeper was equally agile with 29 minutes gone to deny Owen from 25 yards, and then had to palm away the striker's close-range header after deflected off one of his own men.
Abdoulaye Faye sent an overhead kick across the face of goal, but Owen really should have made it 2-0 nine minutes before the break, only to head Geremi's cross straight at Keller.
In the meantime, Harper had to make a smart save to keep out Bullard's 34th-minute shot after it dipped nastily in front of him, and the Magpies were grateful for the half-time whistle when it arrived with Fulham making a genuine push.
The second half began in much the same fashion with the visitors seeing plenty of the ball, but the home side looking the more threatening.
Viduka saw a 49th-minute header blocked at point-blank range after Owen and Barton had combined to open up the Londoners, and Martins fired just over six minutes later after a pacy run towards goal.
Barton, enjoying one of his better days in the black and white shirt, went for goal himself with 58 minutes gone, hammering a right-footed shot just wide from 25 yards as the Magpies began to build up a head of steam.
Martins had the ball in the net eight minutes later, although from an offside position, and the roar from those who had not spotted the flag spoke volumes about tension levels inside St James' Park.
Geremi almost embarrassed Keller with a 76th-minute shot after the ball ricocheted to him as Owen became involved in a goalmouth scramble, but the second goal simply would not come.
But with seven minutes remaining, Owen timed his run to perfection to meet Geremi's free-kick and glance home a deft header to spark mass celebrations.
2006/7 NEWCASTLE 1 FULHAM 2
NEWCASTLE: Given, Carr, Bramble, Moore, Ramage, Duff, Parker (Butt 80), Emre, N'Zogbia, Ameobi, Martins (Rossi 72).
Subs Not Used: Harper, Solano, Sibierski.
FULHAM: Niemi, Rosenior, Knight (Bocanegra 78), Pearce,Queudrue, Diop (Radzinski 83), Brown, Bullard (Routledge 34), Boa Morte, John, McBride.
Subs Not Used: Lastuvka, Helguson.
Att: 50,365
Newcastle snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as they imploded at home to Fulham.
Leading 1-0 with just eight minutes remaining, the Magpies capitulated woefully as first Brian McBride and then substitute Carlos Bocanegra beat Shay Given to claim an unlikely victory.
A crowd of 50,365 at St James' Park could barely believe their eyes as a game the home side should have had wrapped up long before, after captain Scott Parker had headed them in front, slipped from their grasp.
It was no coincidence that the former Chelsea midfielder had left the pitch seconds before McBride's 82nd-minute strike after turning in an inspirational individual display.
But with new £10million signing Obafemi Martins ineffectual on his home debut and Shola Ameobi clearly not 100 per cent fit, the first of seven games inside 23 days turned horribly to condemn the Magpies to a second successive Barclays Premiership defeat.Twenty-four hours short of a year to the day since Fulham's last visit to Tyneside, they returned to a stadium filled with anticipation.
This time last year, £17million signing Michael Owen made his debut, although the visitors almost spoiled the party when it took a late equaliser from Charles N'Zogbia to snatch a point for Newcastle.
Twelve months on and with Owen starting his recovery from knee surgery, the onus was on new arrival Martins to provide the goals to suggest there will be life after Alan Shearer.
But that particular question was left unanswered as the home side enjoyed the better of the game, but simply could not make the pressure tell.
Ameobi forced a good save from Antti Niemi, but from an offside position, and in truth, the Magpies' strike-force while hard-working, threatened only fleetingly before the break.
There were chances, however, as Parker and Emre dominated a central midfield battle which lost the unfortunate Jimmy Bullard to what looked like a serious knee injury after a 32nd-minute clash with Parker.
Duff, who had earlier drilled a long-range shot just wide, called Niemi into action two minutes before the break with a well-struck drive and full-back Stephen Carr sent a fizzing long-range effort just over in injury-time.
However, although N'Zogbia and Emre both went close and Ian Pearce had to hack a goal-bound Duff effort off the line, the Fulham defence was rarely breached.
At the other end, Given had little to do before the break despite having to keep out a first-minute Franck Queudrue free-kick, although he will have been concerned at the ease with which McBride was afforded two headed opportunities.
Martins might have done better within two minutes of the restart when Emre won possession and fed him, but he dragged his left-foot shot well wide.
But Fulham served warning that they were still in the game seconds later when Wayne Routledge, who had replaced Bullard, found himself in acres of space on the right with the path to goal clear.
He struck his shot well, but the recovering Peter Ramage, a central defender playing at left-back, slid in to deflect it over the bar and protect a grateful Given.
But it was Pearce providing the heroics at the other end on 52 minutes when, while appealing for an offside flag which never came, he managed to cut out Martins' header back across goal towards the unmarked Ameobi.
But his efforts counted for little as Newcastle took the lead within two minutes.
Emre curled an inviting ball into the box for Parker to meet it with a downward header which flew past Niemi and into the bottom corner.
The relief was palpable, and N'Zogbia might have extended the lead three minutes later when he blasted wide from a tight angle after Ameobi and Parker had carved Fulham open.
The visitors attempted to launch a fightback, but too often found themselves undone by the hugely influential Parker.
Ameobi headed weakly at Niemi under pressure on 66 minutes after Emre had crossed from the left, but there was still work to be done.
Martins made way to warm applause for fellow newcomer Giuseppe Rossi with 18 minutes remaining, but it was N'Zogbia who forced a fine save from Niemi two minutes later with another powerfully-struck shot.
But the Magpies were made to pay for their wastefulness eight minutes from time when McBride turned up at the far post to stab Routledge's cross past Given to level.
But Newcastle had not finished shooting themselves in the foot and were undone again with three minutes remaining when McBride headed Routledge's corner against the bar and Bocanegra bundled home the rebound.
2005/6 NEWCASTLE 1 FULHAM 1
NEWCASTLE: Given, Taylor (Bowyer 45), Boumsong, Bramble, Babayaro, Carr, Faye (Clark 72), Parker, Luque (N'Zogbia 35), Shearer, Owen.
Subs Not Used: Elliott, Harper.
FULHAM: Warner, Volz, Knight, Bocanegra, Niclas Jensen, Radzinski (John 70), Claus Jensen, Diop, Malbranque, Boa Morte, McBride (Helguson 81).
Subs Not Used: Batista, Elrich, Christanval.
Att: 52,208
Ten-man Newcastle needed the brilliance of teenage substitute Charles N'Zogbia to prevent record signing Michael Owen's welcome party turning into a wake.
Owen's debut was heading for defeat when the French youngster curled home their first Barclays Premiership goal of the season with a superb free-kick 12 minutes from time to clinch just their second point.
The £17million man struggled to make the impact for which his new club broke the bank as a lack of creativity and shambolic defending behind him left he and captain Alan Shearer feeding off scraps.
Fulham were comfortably the better side and will know that, had they taken their chances, N'Zogbia's strike would have been irrelevant on an afternoon when under-pressure Magpies' manager Graeme Souness was able to field £33million worth of summer signings.
One of them, Scott Parker, was sent off seven minutes from time for a second yellow card.Souness took something of a gamble when he moved in-form central defender Steven Taylor to right-back to release Stephen Carr for a midfield role with Nolberto Solano suspended, Kieron Dyer and Emre injured and Jermaine Jenas and James Milner having left the club.
Just where he expected the creativity to come from with the defensively-minded Carr, Parker and Amdy Faye, who has rarely looked like a Premiership player during his time at Newcastle, is debatable.
When £9.5million signing Albert Luque, a striker playing as a left winger, was carried off with a hamstring injury before the break Newcastle's woes deepened.
The home side were able to create little or nothing apart from a fourth-minute Shearer effort which was tipped away by keeper Tony Warner and two half-chances for Owen which went begging.
More worryingly, they were unable to contain a Fulham midfield in which Steed Malbranque and Claus Jensen toyed with their opponents with Tomasz Radzinski and Brian McBride taking advantage of some shambolic defending.
It was Taylor's dreadful 13th-minute back-pass which allowed Radzinski and former Newcastle target Luis Boa Morte to set up McBride for the opening goal, although Jean-Alain Boumsong's slip made the American's task all the easier.
Shay Given had to react smartly after being wrong-footed by a viciously-swerving Papa Bouba Diop drive 10 minutes before the break and the home side left the pitch at half-time to a bemused silence.
Taylor, who had collided with a post before the break, was replaced by Lee Bowyer, who had passed a late fitness test on a groin injury, with Carr resuming at right-back.
The former Tottenham man floated an early free-kick into keeper Tony Warner's hands and Shearer headed wide from a Celestine Babayaro cross, although he fouled Carlos Bocanegra in the process.
However, Fulham might have been out of sight by then as the Magpies repeatedly crumbled at the back.
Given got Titus Bramble, returning after a fractured elbow, off the hook, after 47 minutes with an excellent block from Radzinski and N'Zogbia cleared Diop's header off the line before McBride headed straight at Given after profiting from another slip by the hapless Boumsong.
Newcastle rallied with Faye testing Warner, although not to any great extent, from 25 yards and N'Zogbia seeing a driven cross deflected away from Shearer.
But the harder Owen tried, the less effective he became and with the visitors twice going close on the counter-attack through Boa Morte and McBride, they continued to look the more likely scorers.
Indeed, substitute Collins John could have wrapped up the points with his first touch when he got behind Bramble but fired wide after 71 minutes.
Carr went desperately close to an equaliser after 75 minutes when his piledriver came down off the crossbar but salvation arrived in the shape of N'Zogbia with 12 minutes remaining after Owen had been felled by former Magpies' target Boa Morte on the edge of the box.
The French teenager curled an unstoppable free-kick past Warner to level and set up a tense finish.
Newcastle's chances of victory were dealt a hammer blow within five minutes when Parker was booked for the second time for a tug on Claus Jensen's shirt, and the Dane crashed the resulting free-kick against Given's crossbar.