Magpies end magnificent year in frustrating fashion

After the battle that was the valiant defeat against Manchester City, Newcastle's season ended in somewhat of a damp squib as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at Everton.

In the end the result proved to be immaterial in terms of Newcastle's Champions League challenge as both Arsenal and Spurs won their final day matches to secure 3rd and 4th spot respectively. Still the loss was a slightly disappointing end to what has been a magnificent season for Alan Pardew's side.

The Magpies were behind inside the first twenty minutes, as the Toffees responded to a decent start from the visitors in emphatic fashion, Steven Pienaar's deflected long range effort looping over Tim Krul to open the scoring.

Just 12 minutes later and Everton had doubled their lead, as in-form striker Nikica Jelavic beat Fabricio Coloccini for pace before seeing his effort brilliantly saved by Krul, however the Croatian showed smart reactions to volley home the rebound and put David Moyes' men in command.

Newcastle did offer some resistance, Papiss Cisse - who was attempting to take his tally to 14 goals in 13 games - had an effort well saved by Tim Howard before the interval, but it was a poor first-half performance from a side that have set themselves exceptionally high standards this season.

Pardew made two changes after the break, the Premier League Manager of the Year brought on Ryan Taylor and Sylvain Marveaux - who made his first appearance after a lengthy injury lay-off - in place of full backs James Perch and Davide Santon.

The reshuffle looked to have had a positive effect, with Marveaux comfortable on the ball as Newcastle attacked with more purpose and creativity than they had done in the opening period. Indeed, the Geordies should have pulled a goal back when Cisse skewed an effort wide after Marveaux; Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa had linked up well to put the Senegalese international one on one with Howard.

However, the game was soon taken beyond Newcastle's reach as Everton added a third when Johnny Heitinga headed in Darron Gibson's free-kick from close range.

Just eight minutes later Newcastle were given a glimmer of hope when Toffees' full back Tony Hibbert nodded Taylor's long ball past Howard and into his own net.

It was Howard who kept Newcastle from setting up a tense finale as he brilliantly clawed away a far post header from Cisse that appeared destined for the top corner. That proved to be the Magpies' last real opportunity as the home side stood firm to seal the three points which ensured that they would finish the season above city rivals Liverpool.

There was to be one last flash point at the final whistle however, as substitute Tim Cahill was shown a red card for raising his hand at Cabaye. The incident caused a minor fracas between the two teams, but it was nothing more than a minor footnote in a relatively one-sided affair, and both sides will head to the summer break in good spirits after enjoying very impressive campaigns.

Europa League football now beckons for Newcastle and the Magpies presence in Europe represents another giant leap forward for a club that has made great strides since returning to the Premier League just two years ago. 

Newcastle showcase European quality as City triumph in gripping encounter

Manchester City put one hand on the Premier League title at the weekend, as they battled their way to 2-0 win over Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Newcastle may have been on the losing side on Sunday, but the team; the club and the city; can hold their heads up high after playing a starring role in a compelling piece of footballing theatre.

The stage was set early in the day as Newcastle unveiled a statute of former Manager Sir Bobby Robson hours before kick-off. Sir Bobby's spirit will always inhabit St James' Park, but the addition of a physical tribute to the great man at the famous old stadium seemed apt ahead of the type of mammoth clash that Robson would have relished both as a player and as a Manager.

Undoubtedly watching from the heavens, Sir Bobby will have been engrossed by what he saw, as Newcastle and City stood toe to toe in a gripping battle of wills that would either effectively decide the destination of the Premier League or add more power to the Magpies' Champions League surge. 

Artistry and gritty determination were in plentiful supply, with City, spurred on by the technical sorcery of messrs David Silva, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero pressed and probed to find a way through the Newcastle back line. The home defence - as it has done on many occasions this season - proved to be an impenetrable force for the much of the contest however, with the agile reflexes of Goalkeeper Tim Krul supported by a back four well versed in the 'all hands to the pump' routine.

In the end, it took some brute force from midfielder Yaya Toure to break down the Newcastle wall, the Ivorian firing in two well taken goals to put Roberto Mancini's side on the cusp of their first league crown since 1968, when the likes of Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee secured the title after a dramatic 4-3 triumph at St James' Park.

The appearance of the stadium and the game of football have changed dramatically since that day, but the equation remained the same for City, win and they would be virtually ensured of the title, with only a home game against struggling Queens Park Rangers standing in their way.

Perhaps motivated by history, the visitors started the contest the brighter of the two sides, the ever reliable Krul forced into low stops from Silva and Aguero. Newcastle were not to be kept quiet however, and after half an hour without registering an effort on goal, they finally managed to get hold of the ball, Demba Ba's long range effort grazed flew just over the bar before Joe Hart produced a fine near post save from the Magpies' enigmatic midfield maestro Hatem Ben Arfa.

Despite the deafening jeers of the Tyneside audience, City dominated possession and played with the confidence and flow of a team that believed they could secure glory. The Citizens had their best opportunity to hit the front just before half time when Silva played in Gareth Barry one on one with Krul. The England midfielder looked certain to score, but Newcastle's defiance was exemplified by the efforts of Captain Fabricio Coloccini and Davide Santon who each blocked on the line to deny City the lead.

City upped the ante and pressed with increasing vigour and motivation after the interval, but as the second half wore on they appeared a frustrated and slightly bewildered outfit as they struggled to fashion as many goal scoring opportunities as they had done in the opening period. Newcastle's sterling defensive performance was roared on by an approving public and it looked as if City's cross-town rivals Manchester United were to be handed the initiative in the title chase.

Mancini had an ace up his sleeve however, and with half an hour to play he sent on the pantomime villain of the day, Nigel De Jong, in place of Samir Nasri. De Jong, whose tackle broke Ben Arfa's leg in two places back in the autumn of 2010, received a chorus of boos from the Newcastle faithful upon his introduction to the pitch.

It was the type of reception reserved most recently for the likes of Michael Owen and Andy Carroll -two figures who were chastised on their return to St James' Park after leaving the club for pastures new - but the move proved to be an inspired one, as De Jong's presence in the holding midfield role allowed Toure to be unleashed further forward to quite devastating effect.

At first the change seemed to have galvanised Newcastle, particularly Ben Arfa, who soon after the substitution jinked his way into the City penalty area before lashing a shot into the side netting. However, just a few minutes later Mancini's decision was vindicated as Toure escaped the attentions of Yohan Cabaye to collect a lay-off from Aguero before curling a well placed shot past the diving Krul and into the bottom corner to put the visitors in front. 

It was the first goal that Newcastle had conceded in 497 minutes of football at St James' Park, and it should have been swiftly followed by a second as Aguero missed wide after latching on to Silva's delicately chipped through ball. 

Newcastle almost made City pay for Aguero's lack of accuracy when Cisse headed well over from close range, and a grandstand finish looked increasingly likely as the Magpies pushed further into the City half.

It was not to be however, as Newcastle fell victim to the sucker punch. Cabaye was dispossessed stretching to retain the ball in midfield, and this enabled City to counter at alarming speed before the ball fell to Toure inside the box, who finished from close range to clinch a hard fought win for the prospective Champions.

The home side did search for a consolation, and Cisse came close as his low shot was well saved by the excellent Hart, but it proved to be too little too late as the final whistle was met jubilantly by the travelling City support.

Despite the defeat Newcastle's efforts were met with warm appreciation from the home crowd, and the majority of the stadium stayed behind to applaud the squad on what has been a magnificent season for the club.

By virtue of Liverpool's 4-1 win over Chelsea, the Magpies can now finish no lower than 5th, and go in to the final day of the Premier League season knowing a win could see them secure Champions League football after Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur could only manage draws with Norwich City and Aston Villa respectively. 

Alan Pardew and his side should take great pride from their performance against City, and they will surely head into their final day clash with Everton with nothing to fear. If Newcastle showed one thing against Manchester City last Sunday, it is that they can compete with Europe's elite, a victory at Goodison Park this Sunday could see them win the right to do just that on a weekly basis next season.

Cisse inspired Newcastle bounce back from Wigan hammering

Wonder strike: Papiss Cisse celebrates his 2nd goal against Chelsea

Thankfully, I struggled to find the time to publish a reaction to Newcastle's humbling defeat by Wigan Athletic at the weekend, but the short turnaround to Wednesday night's game against Chelsea gave me the chance to write about something much more positive, Newcastle's impressive 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

A clash with Roberto Di Matteo's resurgent blues was always going to be an extreme test of Newcastle's Champions League credentials, especially considering the manner of the defeat they suffered on the Saturday before.

The relegation threatened Latics blitzed past the Magpies and had the game wrapped up within the first 45 minutes, as two goals from Victor Moses, one from Shaun Maloney and a superb long range effort from Franco Di Santo put the game beyond Newcastle's reach despite the best efforts of star striker Papiss Cisse to reduce the arrears.

Resiliency has been a key factor in Newcastle's season however, and Cisse soon made amends in West London as he fired in two spectacular strikes to keep the Magpies in the hunt for a top four place.

Jumping for joy: Cisse put Newcastle ahead 19 minutes into the game

Chelsea started the game brightly and could have taken the lead when Raul Meireles fired a free-kick over the bar, but Newcastle soon took control of the game and began to dominate both possession and territory. They were rewarded for their good start when Cisse delivered the first of two remarkable efforts 19 minutes into the contest, the Senegalese international collected Davide Santon's pass before teeing up a delicious left footed volley past Petr Cech and into the top corner.

Di Matteo's men struggled to make much of an impression in the first half, but should have levelled matters when Florent Malouda headed Fernando Torres' cross wide of the goal.

Still it was Newcastle who looked more likely to score the game's second, Demba Ba - who has not netted since the 2-1 win over Aston Villa - forced a good save from Cech before being denied by the crossbar after latching on to a Hatem Ben Arfa corner.

The Londoners held on to the break but were unable to create any clear opportunities after the interval despite the introduction of Juan Mata and later Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

Indeed Newcastle kept the home side at bay with surprising ease, and midway through the second half the most eventful thing to have happened was an injury to Cheick Tiote, who had to be stretchered off after sustaining a cut to the head in a collision with John Obi Mikel.

The Magpies remained stern in defence throughout and their fortitude was summed up by Santon, who showed the presence of mind to clear a John Terry header off the line just three minutes from the end of normal time.

With 10 minutes of injury time to be played due to the delay caused by Tiote's injury, the Stamford Bridge crowd were more than confident that Chelsea could pull off a late rally.

All Blues' hopes were dispelled three minutes into added time however, as Cisse produced one of the goals of the season to seal the points for Alan Pardew's side. The goal came about from a seemingly innocuous Newcastle throw-in just inside the Chelsea half. Substitute Ryan Taylor launched the ball into the path of Shola Ameobi, whose knockdown fell to Cisse, who instinctively hit an audacious right-footed volley that swerved over the head of Cech and nestled in the top corner.

The visiting fans were sent into sheer delirium, Drogba and sections of the Chelsea fans applauded in admiration, Stamford Bridge and the Premier League had just witnessed a thing of beauty, one of those rare goals that unites fans in appreciation of the immense talent showcased by an individual.

Cisse's strikes have kept Newcastle right in the thick of the race for the Champions League, but his second will not be remembered for that, instead it will rightfully be regaled as one of the greatest goals in the history of the Premier League.