Newcastle Vs Everton: Toffees edge classic at St James' Park as Magpies slip in Premier League
In a high-drama encounter at St James' Park, newcastle vs everton finished 3-2 as Everton restored the lead seconds after both Newcastle equalisers, leaving Eddie Howe's side deeper in Premier League trouble and Everton climbing back into the top eight.
Branthwaite header and Beto strike bookended Ramsey’s deflected effort
Everton opened the scoring when James Garner's corner found Jarrad Branthwaite, who flicked a header that brushed the far post and flew into the net, giving the visitors the early lead. Sandro Tonali then found Jacob Ramsey with a defence-splitting pass; Ramsey's shot took a heavy deflection and looped over Jordan Pickford to draw Newcastle level. Just 105 seconds later Dwight McNeil's swerving effort was spilled by Nick Pope and the onrushing Beto smashed the rebound into the empty net, his fourth Premier League goal of the season, to make it 2-1 to Everton at half-time.
Newcastle Vs Everton — Murphy levels but Barry bundles winner
Eddie Howe pushed for a late equaliser in the second half and one of his attacking changes worked when Jacob Murphy fired past a crowd of players to level the score. The reprieve was short-lived: Everton substitute Thierno Barry bundled home straight from the restart to restore Everton's lead, and that late touch proved decisive as Barry’s strike settled the match 3-2 in favour of the visitors.
Pickford denies Tonali and Newcastle’s late hope
Newcastle thought they had snatched a stoppage-time equaliser when Sandro Tonali volleyed toward goal, but Jordan Pickford produced an extraordinary flying save to keep Everton ahead. The stop preserved Everton’s unbeaten away run, which extended to six matches, while the result left Newcastle with just one win in their last seven Premier League games.
Howe’s selection calls and in-game disruption
Howe made six changes after resting several key players for a midweek Champions League win over Qarabag, and some positional shuffles strained the side: Joelinton started on the left, Nick Woltemade was deployed in midfield, and Anthony Gordon led the line before being moved. The match featured further disruption when Jacob Ramsey vomited on the pitch and was replaced by Joe Willock, and later Anthony Elanga and Woltemade were withdrawn for Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes as Gordon reverted to centre-forward.
Errors, starts and substitute moves that shaped the game
Nick Pope’s spill from Dwight McNeil’s shot directly allowed Beto to score, and Beto — making his first start since December — later beat Malick Thiaw and rattled the bar with a chance before being replaced by Thierno Barry; Yoane Wissa also came on. Everton restored momentum after a recent defeat to Manchester United on Monday Night Football, and the win moved David Moyes' men back into the top eight.
Newcastle’s deeper issues were visible: they have not kept a clean sheet in the 11 games since they beat PSV Eindhoven 3-0 here on 21 January, conceding 23 goals over that run, and they have managed only two clean sheets in 21 league matches. Howe conceded the club’s Premier League form has been poor: "In relation to the Premier League, our form has not been good enough for a while. We know that. We take responsibility for that. " He added more bluntly after the game: "It's really hard to explain. It's hugely frustrating, desperately disappointing... We think we're a good team, but we're wildly inconsistent, even within games. I don't see players not trying... Chasing the game took a lot out of us. It's not a good look for us. "
Rain fell as the final whistle blew and Howe walked the pitch alone; the defeat represented a clear step backwards after a recent run that included four wins from five matches across all competitions. Newcastle have secured a last-16 Champions League tie against Barcelona, a tie Howe and the squad will face soon, while Everton will travel on as they press an unlikely push for more European football.
