Everton 0 Newcastle 2: Callum Wilson saves under-fire Steve Bruce’s skin as he gives Toon their first win of 2021
CALLUM WILSON kept his Everton love affair burning with the priceless double that gave Newcastle a winning bonus at long last. Wilson’s two second half goals ended a run of five straight losses to ease the pressure on under-fire chief Steve Bruce and put daylight between the Toon and the bottom three. It also made […]
CALLUM WILSON kept his Everton love affair burning with the priceless double that gave Newcastle a winning bonus at long last.
Wilson’s two second half goals ended a run of five straight losses to ease the pressure on under-fire chief Steve Bruce and put daylight between the Toon and the bottom three.
It also made it FOUR in Newcastle’s two league meetings with the Toffees this season, and ended a personal run of seven games without finding the net.
And you had to say Bruce’s men were more than good value for it, despite going to Goodison as the Prem’s most out-of-form side, with two points from the last 27.
But this time there was a real fighting spirit about them, a togetherness and organisation which have been as rare as a manager of the month award for Bruce.
Isaac Hayden, switched to a deep-lying midfield role, gave protection and a constant outlet, while Wilson was the liveliest striker on the pitch.
It was Wilson who went closest to an opener, with a magnificent leap and flicked header from a Ryan Fraser corner that drew an equally jaw-dropping save from Jordan Pickford.
Pickford was perhaps fortunate to keep his place after the midweek clanger which gifted Leicester their equaliser on Merseyside. In that one instance he justified it.
Yet as you’d imagine for a team which hadn’t won a game since mid-December, for all the Toon went toe to toe with the top four chasers, there were plenty of hairy moments too.
Karl Darlow reacted well to push away one Richarlison strike, while he showed plenty of guts in twice putting off Yerry Mina and Gyllfi Sigurdsson.
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Then he held his nerve well in standing tall to block James Rodriguez toe-poke after Dominic Calvert-Lewin teed him up with the shrewdest of backheels.
And the longer it went, the more Newcastle sensed this could be their day at long last – and 18 minutes from time the big moment arrived.
This time it was Jonjo Shelvey delivering an outswinging corner and Wilson stepped away from Richarlison and found the space to send a pinpoint header into the far corner.
Only the post stopped him adding a second when he rounded Pickford, yet the angle was too tight.
But in stoppage time they could finally breath easily at last, as Everton threw men forward, the Toon hit them with a sucker punch and Wilson drilled in the clincher.
