Everton 1-1 Newcastle: A gritty performance and great point for Benitez’s battlers

Many say you’ll be frustrated not to win a game if you take the lead, but that is a VERY good point for Newcastle United – especially when you consider what a good Everton side we’ve just come up against.

Everton’s 11 starters and the two subs that came on cost a combined £235 million. That’s FOUR times the amount we paid for the 13 players we used tonight. Were we defensive? Yes. But we did a job on them well, staying organised, battling for every ball and even having a chance to win it late on – which we could and should have taken if Atsu had his shooting boots on.

The West Ham hammering burst our bubble on Saturday and brought us quickly back down to earth, and although this game doesn’t send us flying up the table, it’s the sort of gritty performance and good point that should help us survive this season.

Rondon took his goal well and did his job well despite often being isolated up top, Atsu was much better and Murphy delivered a brilliant assist for the goal (but struggled to do much else after), but it was our back six that did so well.

Yedlin and Manquillo put in solid second half shifts after struggling initially, Schar showed his class, Lascelles’ presence and aerial ability was key late on and Fernandez was rock solid once again, putting in a goal-saving block to deny Sigurdsson in the first half. And then, saving perhaps the best until last, there’s Dubravka. He was commanding from crosses, a safe pair of hands all night and pulled off one of the saves of the season to deny what looked a certain goal as Tosun went to tap in from two yards out.

Here’s how the table looks after tonight and last night’s results:

We’re top of our mini league, with results elsewhere going VERY well for us over the past 48 hours. Fulham lost a home lead to draw with Leicester tonight, Burnley surrendered a 1-0 lead and lost 1-3 to Liverpool at Turf Moor, Southampton were beaten comfortably by Spurs at Wembley, Huddersfield lost at Bournemouth, Cardiff were well beaten at West Ham and Palace were hammered by Brighton.

Here’s our next five fixtures between now and the new year:

  • Wolves (H)
  • Huddersfield (A)
  • Fulham (H)
  • Liverpool (A)
  • Watford (A)

Roll on Wolves on Sunday – a side who may be full of confidence after a much needed 2-1 win over Chelsea tonight.

(Fancy writing for us? Send any articles/ideas over to us at [email protected] & we’ll get back to you!)

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

38 thoughts on “Everton 1-1 Newcastle: A gritty performance and great point for Benitez’s battlers

  1. Great battling point by the boys tonight.
    However I am trying to work out if it was a point won or two points dropped as we had a number of chances to score another 2.
    Mind you so did Everton, so in the end a point is what we would have taken before the game.
    One thing it does show though is we really need a consistent goal scorer. Rondon is getting fitter and will score more goals as season progresses. Pity we couldn’t have bought him rather than a loan and kept Gayle to play as the No 10. It would have been a fantastic pairing.

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  2. Nice to see Atsu given a chance with Perez rested.

    Just a a shame Atsu came out wearing Perez’s boots

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  3. The Chronicle‏Verified account @ChronicleNUFC

    Follow Follow @ChronicleNUFC

     More

    Report claims Ashley doesn’t believe Peter Kenyon has the financial backing to complete #NUFC takeover

    🙄

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  4. icedog:
    talk Rafa is looking at R/Madrid keeper as our keeper is off to Italy surely that cannot be right???

    Hope not Ice, I love Dubravka

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  5. Telegraph Football‏Verified account @TeleFootball

    Follow Follow @TeleFootball

     More

    If Newcastle United are not sold, only Mike Ashley is to blame for the storm it will unleash

    Well, it’s not happened all the other times he’s lied so I doubt it, but it should.

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  6. I love the bit where Magpie Group say that individual members can do their own boycott and they will support that – if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

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  7. Of course that is a stupid question and the subjective realists are idiots. The question should really be:

    “If a founding member of the Magpie Group has bored his wife sh1tless for so long talking about walk-ins that she forces him to go Christmas shopping instead of going to the game, will HE make a sound”?

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  8. On reflection the decision to suspend the boycott probably right. But only if it’s restarted with avengence if nothing happens in January and Jabba is still here.

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  9. It’s being reported that American accountants are pouring over NUFC accounts and player contracts at the moment. Sounds promising.

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  10. The Chronic are doing a Q and A with Ryder at the moment. He is hooked up to the machine. The Vaseline nodes have been put on his wrists and nipples (horrible thought) so here we go:

    Q: Is your name Lee Ryder?

    A: That’s a leading question.

    Q; Do you work for The Newcastle Evening Chronicle?

    A: It depends on your definition of “work”.

    Q: Who are the Magpie Group and will they go Christmas shopping instead of going to the Wolves game?

    A: Me and Chris “the intern” and Stuart “the intern’s intern” Jamieson will be there as always and will bring you 5 THINGS WE LEARNED.

    Q: When will Gibbo get a new barber?

    A: I am afraid he is stuck in 1974 and still plays shawaddywaddy on his Sony Walkman.

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  11. Q: does your computer automatically shut down when you have typed 275 words?

    A: Yes, next question.

    Q: Do you e-mail you 275 words or less articles in from a barstool?

    A: Another leading question, your honour.

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  12. Q: to sum up Lee, do you know anything about NUFC?

    A: Yes, I mean no, what was the question again? And can I answer in 275 words or less?

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  13. I just read Ryder’s Q and A. Can I have that 5 minutes of my life back FFS !!!

    He says that any new owner will need “clarity” on Ashley’s loans.

    No they fckin won’t. If they agree a price and give the Fatman the money then it is done.

    It is like if I agree to buy a car from Stuart for $1,000 but he owes the dealer $500, I don’t care if he boozes the $500 and still owes the car dealer the money. I have the car, I don’t care what Stuart does with his money.

    Ryder is an idiot!!!

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  14. georgio:
    It’s being reported that American accountants are pouring over NUFC accounts and player contracts at the moment. Sounds promising.

    That’ll blow it then 😆 🙄

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  15. RESPECTED JOURNALIST says…

    Intern says…

    Intern to the intern says…

    Lee Ryder from his barstool says…

    Gibbo from under his blow dryer at the hair salon says…

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  16. Eric Sykes:
    I just read Ryder’s Q and A. Can I have that 5 minutes of my life back FFS !!!

    He says that any new owner will need “clarity” on Ashley’s loans.

    No they fckin won’t. If they agree a price and give the Fatman the money then it is done.

    It is like if I agree to buy a car from Stuart for $1,000 but he owes the dealer $500, I don’t care if he boozes the $500 and still owes the car dealer the money. I have the car, I don’t care what Stuart does with his money.

    Ryder is an idiot!!!

    Actually Eric, owe I owed the money to wouldn’t allow me to sell it these days. Any check from a reputable purchaser will see that it’s still got money on it. But I take your point. Lee Ryder probably not quite right in his explanation.

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  17. Don’t know, Eric, I’ve heard of a few very wealthy people not paying their bills. Even refusing to pay for big jobs knowing that the contractor couldn’t afford to take the to court. Classy eh?

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  18. Stuart79:
    Don’t know, Eric, I’ve heard of a few very wealthy people not paying their bills. Even refusing to pay for big jobs knowing that the contractor couldn’t afford to take the to court. Classy eh?

    Talking ’bout Donald Trump!

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  19. Stuart79:
    Don’t know, Eric, I’ve heard of a few very wealthy people not paying their bills. Even refusing to pay for big jobs knowing that the contractor couldn’t afford to take the to court. Classy eh?

    This is true mate, happened to my late father. He was self employed, small company with 6 drivers. Did a long job for a very wealthy guy and didn’t get a **** penny. Still had to pay his drivers though, nearly ruined him he reckons. That was in the early 60’s .

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  20. People b1tch that some of Rafa’s signings have not been up to scratch, but consider this (taken from Football365):

    Manchester United have on their bench:

    Alexis Sanchez – the highest paid footballer in the history of British Football. Currently pretending he is injured.

    Lukaku – the most expensive forward in the history of British Football – 80 mil

    Pogba – the most expensive player in the history of British Football – 90 mil – currently getting 20 minutes off the bench, dying his hair and being an Instagram star. Every game is a stroll in the park for Paul. Well, that’s what it looks like anyway.

    Fred – second most expensive midfielder in the history of British Football.

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  21. Do all football clubs operate like this!!!! I only really follow NUFC but we never know what is going on from one minute to the next.

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  22. Ashley stays away for 18 months and then suddenly turns up for 7 games and then disappears again. Says Rafa can have every penny the club generates and then makes a 20 million pound profit in a transfer window where Wolves and Fulham spend 100 million.

    Ignores Rafa and communicates through Charnley and Bishop and then takes the players out for pizza?

    Say’s we are close to a sale on Sky but nobody believes him.

    Then the journos say they have known about things going on in the background for weeks but didn’t want to release the information they had. Isn’t that their fckin job????

    It is all very confusing.

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  23. Eric Sykes:
    Ashley stays away for 18 months and then suddenly turns up for 7 games and then disappears again. Says Rafa can have every penny the club generates and then makes a 20 million pound profit in a transfer window where Wolves and Fulham spend 100 million.

    Ignores Rafa and communicates through Charnley and Bishop and then takes the players out for pizza?

    Say’s we are close to a sale on Sky but nobody believes him.

    Then the journos say they have known about things going on in the background for weeks but didn’t want to release the information they had. Isn’t that their fckin job????

    It is all very confusing.

    It’s called baffling with bull **** mate 😉

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