30 November 2024
Crystal Palace 1 Newcastle 1
Two sides met in the capital, both desperate for points for very different reasons. The infamous Saudi takeover at Newcastle is not blossoming the way the fans thought it would. Despite sealing Champions League football one season, Eddie Howe is struggling to make an impact. Meanwhile Palace were craving points to try and get out of the bottom three.
You wonder how long the owners at St James’ Park will continue showing patience in their manager. That said, none of us really know what their aim is with the club. It is not as if they have spent lavishly since their takeover. There has been the occasional signing of the likes of Isak, Gordon and Tonali but this team is a long way from challenging for silverware.
The Magpies’ striker is often linked with bigger clubs due to his form. However, one of the reasons he is still with the club reared its head early on in this one. The Swedish striker limped from the pitch with injury, something that seems to be a regular occurrence in his career in England so far. Nobody wants to pay big money for someone who will see their medics more than the fans.
This is something that Crystal Palace can definitely relate to. In Eberechi Eze, The Eagles have one of the best wingers in the Premier League. They look a completely different proposition when he plays. But therein lies the elephant in the room. He too spends far too much time at the hands of the medical staff at Selhurst Park. And boy do they miss him when he is out.
The winger was heavily involved in the middle of the park as Sarr was released down the right wing. His ball into the back post picked out Munoz, who seemed certain to score. Somehow, he got it all wrong and got his feet tangled up as he sliced a dreadful effort wide of the target. The fans behind the goal had their heads in their hands as they could not believe what they were seeing.
It was a tight affair in the capital, with neither side creating many chances. The pair went into the break with nothing to separate them. Soon after the break The Magpies tried to put the pressure on the hosts. A clumsy challenge gifted the visitors a free-kick in a dangerous position. Then came a thing of beauty for the travelling Newcastle fans.
A well-worked training ground routine saw Gordon run to the byline and cut the ball back into the six-yard box. Guehi then turned the ball into his own net to give the visitors the lead. That is what happens when you get crosses like that into the box. There is always a chance of it being turned into the back of the net, by your own players or the opponents.
The away end erupted as the Newcastle players wheeled away in celebration. It was not the way The Magpies had planned to score but they would take any goal to get a much-needed three points. Selhurst Park can be a tricky place to come, Eddie Howe’s side knew that the result was much more important than the performance here. Especially after losing at home to West Ham last time out.
With just under half an hour remaining, Crystal Palace looked to take it up a gear. Guehi played a good long pass into the feet of Sarr. His shot was well-blocked by Pope but the ball rebounded into the path of Munoz. His first-time effort was heading into the goal until the sliding challenge of Burn prevented an Eagles’ equaliser. Brilliant defending.
When Eddie Howe managed secure a top-four finish for Newcastle, their solid defence had been key to that success. Since that season, The Magpies seem to have lost that solidity and concede far too many goals. They need to rediscover their mojo if they hope for a successful campaign, leading to European qualification once again.
Newcastle seemed to go back into their shell in the second-half. They were inviting Crystal Palace onto them far too much. Munoz played it into Sarr, who got a shot off from a tight angle. Pope was able to parry behind for a corner. It would take some strike to score from there. Either way, The Eagles were starting to ask some questions of the visitors.
From the resulting corner, Newcastle struggled to clear their lines. Guehi headed back into the danger area and found Mateta. The French striker took one touch to control it, with his back to goal, before spinning on it to get a shot in. Sadly he got underneath it as it fizzed over the crossbar. Things were just not going the way of Oliver Glasner’s side in front of goal.
Howe’s side had everyone behind the ball in the closing stages of the game. They were defending like a League Two side looking to upset the odds in a money-spinning FA Cup tie. What was more of a concern, whenever they had the chance to clear the ball, they were gifting possession back to Crystal Palace. It was attack versus defence as the match headed into added time.
Guehi then looked to swing a cross into the back post and picked out Munoz. His solid header into the ground beat Pope at his near post and Selhurst Park erupted. Four minutes into added time the full-back had made up for his glaring miss earlier in the game. Crystal Palace had stolen a draw from the jaws of defeat in South London.
You could see how much it meant to The Eagles as their manager sprinted down into the corner of the pitch to celebrate with his players. Despite dominating possession, Newcastle had not created enough to put the game to bed. They had failed to register a single shot on target. Not the form they wanted to take into a tough game at St James’ Park as they welcome leaders Liverpool in midweek.
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