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| Newcastle's Hatem Ben Arfa celebrates his wonder goal |
1-0 down at home to struggling Blackburn Rovers following a 3-0 win over Manchester United, it looked to be a case of after the Lord Mayor's show for Newcastle United.
However, salvation soon arrived, and it came in the form of a truly magical goal from Newcastle's enigmatic Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa, who after collecting the ball just inside the Rovers' half, set off on a mazy run, surging into the area past four players before jinking on to his left foot to fire home an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net from six yards.
It was a magnificent solo effort and it has already been likened to goals scored by the master craftsman that is Barcelona's Lionel Messi. More importantly, the goal leveled the game and gave the Magpies an extra dose of momentum as the contest headed towards its final minutes.
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| Ben Arfa fires Newcastle level against Blackburn Rovers |
Newcastle had to wait until the fourth minute of injury time for their opportunity, but when it came they grasped it with both hands, Jonas Gutierrez driving forward before playing a one-two with Leon Best, the Argentinian then took the return pass from Best in his stride and sent a delicately placed chip over Rovers' keeper Mark Bunn and into the net from a tight angle.
Gutierrez's goal was to be the last action of the match, therefore securing Newcastle's passage into the 4th Round. The result capped a magnificent week for the Magpies and will give Pardew's side added confidence as they head into a run of fixture minus the talents of Demba Ba and Cheick Tiote, who are away of African Cup of Nations duty.
Newcastle will now face a trip to either Brighton Hove Albion or Wrexham, but the more pressing concern is their home game against Queens Park Rangers, who will be under the guidance of new manager Mark Hughes.
The Rangers' players will undoubtedly be out to impress their new boss, but they will have a tough task on their hands with Alejandro Faurlin and Joey Barton both missing due to injury and suspension respectively.
Barton expressed his devastation at missing out on a return to his former club via twitter, but for Pardew and Newcastle his absence removes what would have been an unwanted distraction from another important clash.
Newcastle currently sit in 7th position on 33 points, just seven points shy of the magic 40 point total that virtually guarantees Premier League safety, and with fixtures against Fulham and Blackburn following their clash with QPR, Pardew's side will be confident of reaching that total within the next couple of weeks.
The defence, which had been surprisingly inconsistent in recent weeks, now seems to have rediscovered its solidity, Mike Williamson was extremely impressive in the comfortable victory over Champions Man United, while Davide Santon appears to have secured the left back spot after a string of good displays.
Questions will be asked about whether Newcastle can cope without the talents of Ba and Tiote, and a lot of responsibility may be placed on Mehdi Abeid and Haris Vuckic, who are both now staking a claim for a place in the first team. The good news is that Danny Guthrie, who performed admirably when Tiote was absent through injury earlier in the season, is set to return from injury.
On the attacking front much of the burden will be placed on Shola Ameobi and Leon Best, who have struggled to replicate the goal scoring form of striking partner Demba Ba, however the weight will be lifted if Ben Arfa is able to produce more spectacular moments similar to the mesmerizing goal he scored at the weekend.
Newcastle will need Ben Arfa and others to contribute more consistently in front of goal if they are to continue to produce results in both League and Cup, should they do so then it will stand them in good stead when Ba and Tiote return for the end of season run in.
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