Everton were left feeling hard done by after Newcastle scored late on to draw 2-2 in a very controversial match that saw two perfectly good goals be disallowed for Everton.
Demba Ba scored a late, late equaliser for the travelling side after Victor Anichebe thought he had sealed the win for Everton after an 88th minute goal. Anichebe was earlier celebrating a goal which was wrongly ruled out by the linesman after he failed to see that Anichebe’s header had in fact crossed the line. This fell after Fellaini also had a goal disallowed for offside when replays showed he was just on.
Before the game, Everton paid their respect to Liverpool and all the families that suffered from the Hillsborough disaster. The song ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was blasted over the speakers at Goodison Park before kick off.
The first half was dominated by Everton and they actually found the net in the first 10 minutes, but it was rightfully disallowed when Jelavic was in an offside position when he turned in a rebounded shot from Fellaini. After scoring though, Jelavic, crashed into the post and hurt his knee which later saw forced him into being subbed later on in the first half.
Everton’s dominance was finally rewarded when left back, Leighton Baines, scored a powerful effort after a nice back-heel by Steven Pienaar. The low shot fizzed past Steve Harper who was in goal instead of the injured Tim Krul. Although they spent the rest of the half on the front foot, Everton could not hit the back of the net for a second time which they were later punished for.
The second half started how it also finished, with plenty of action. Half-time substitute, Demba Ba, scored after being on the pitch for just four minutes. He latched on to a perfect pass from Yohan Cabaye and slotted home past Tim Howard. This started off the half full of controversy.
In the 60th minute, Everton thought they had regained their lead but Marouane Fellaini’s goal was wrongly ruled out for offside. After brilliant work from Everton and a decisive pass by Steven Pienaar, Fellaini, was left the easy job of putting the ball in the back of the net, which he did, but celebrations were cut short when the linesman put his flag up for offside. Replays do show that Fellaini was just onside when the ball was played.
Just coming into the last 10 minutes, Everton thought they had scored again. However it was once again ruled out by the same linesman. After a corner had been whipped in, Victor Anichebe, headed goalwards and Steve Harper did his best to save the ball, which he did, but he could only tip it onto the bar. The ball then rebounded over the line before Mike Williamson scrambled the ball away. All the Everton players were appealing and some were celebrating, but once again, the linesman didn’t give the goal. Replays once again showed that it should have been a goal.
Everton finally got their second when Victor Anichebe finally got his goal. After a cross from Pienaar, Anichebe’s first touch took him away from his marker and he then rifled the ball past Steve Harper to make it 2-1 in the 88th minute. Everton thought they had secured a deserved three points, but substitute Demba Ba was there again to save a point for Newcastle. After a long ball forward, Shola Ameobi flicked the ball on and Demba Ba got to the ball ahead of Tim Howard to tap home the equaliser.
Newcastle’s goalscoring saviour said after the game: “It was good getting a draw because it was difficult. I was determined because lately I was not so happy with some of the things goings on. But after the bad comes the good.”
The Newcastle manager, who was serving a touchline ban praised his side’s second half performance: “I was proud of the second half because we were terrific, but the first half we lacked belief and I was shocked at how we played. Fortunately we’ve got good players and not many teams would come back and respond in the way we did so all credit to the players for that. At half-time I put some belief in the team, sometimes that’s all you need.”
It was a different story for Everton manager David Moyes who was visibly annoyed with the refereeing performance: “We played well, we thought we had other goals in the game but for some reason or not they weren’t given. For Anichebe’s effort the linesman was looking right along the line, that’s his job and he didn’t see it.
“I thought we deserved the win, sometimes you need decisions to go your way but they didn’t go for us tonight. I felt we should have taken all three points.”
The draw sees Newcastle stay 11th and Everton stay 7th in the Premier League.
Alex William Batt
