Newcastle eased the pressure on manager Alan Pardew on
Sunday with a 3-2 victory over Everton that ended a four-match losing streak in
all competitions.
With Moussa Sissoko and Cheick Tiote excellent in midfield
Newcastle dominated the second half but should be thankful the visitors did not
add to Kevin Mirallas’s late strike.
Still, should Papiss Cisse have been sent off? And where do Everton
go now with a growing injury list? Let’s take a look at what we learned.
Newcastle start slowly and peak late once more
19 matches into the season Newcastle still haven’t scored in
the first half an hour of a Premier League match. Surely this is the kind of statistic
that will come back to haunt the Geordies. Still, once Cisse cancelled out Arouna
Kone’s opener - his first goal since joining Everton in August 2013 - a clever finish from Ayoze Perez and a chip from Jack Colback put Newcastle ahead in
the second half. Despite Mirallas making it 3-2 the hosts still created chances
through Perez and Sissoko, while they have now scored 62% of their league goals
in the last 30 minutes of play.
Cisse was lucky to
stay on the pitch
The Senegal international was a nuisance all match, dropping
deep to provide flick-ons and also equalising with an acrobatic half-volley
after Michael Williamson returned a cross from the right. Still, he should have
been sent off when he appeared to elbow Seamus Coleman in Everton’s penalty
area. Referee Craig Pawson, who couldn’t have missed the incident, took no
action but the Football Association could punish the forward even if Pawson
doesn’t mention the event in his post-match report.
Pardew can take heart
from Rolls-Royce midfield
Unruly strikers aside, Pardew will take a lot of pride from
his midfielders’ performances. The former Crystal Palace player started as a
leading candidate to take up the manager’s spot at Selhurst Park but if he stays
in the north-east, Sissoko will be crucial to Pardew’s revival. The French
international’s through-balls set alarm bells ringing all match and he now boasts
a 79% pass completion rate over the course of the season. Tiote was also productive
with two assists, while the ever-improving Colback put his side in front like a
predatory centre-forward, finishing with the outside of his boot.
Martinez needs fringe
players to improve – and quickly
With seven changes made from Friday’s 1-0 reverse to Stoke,
when goalkeeper Tim Howard and centre-back Phil Jagielka both went off injured,
it was always going to be a tough ask for Roberto Martinez’s Everton side. Joel
Robles in goal failed to command his area at corners while left-back Luke
Garbatt, at 21-years-old making his first Premier League appearance, played
with adventure despite losing the ball on occasion. Because of other long-term absentees such as
Steven Pienarr, these players need to step up particularly if Martinez keeps
his job throughout the January transfer window.
Ross Barkley is still
maturing as a player
As if five losses in seven league games wasn’t bad enough, the
Everton boss has also been criticised recently for playing Ross Barkley on the
wing, stifling his ability to open pockets of space and thread balls through. The
21-year-old thrives when driving from the centre-circle but has struggled this
season after returning from a disappointing World Cup with England. Barkley
sliced a clearance into Colback’s path for Newcastle’s second and he was
overrun in midfield by the combative Sissoko. It’s times like these when
Martinez needs his big players, especially Barkley, firing on all cylinders.
By Alistair Hendrie
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