MY ACCOUNT
Alex Iwobi’s 99th-minute winner saw 10-man Everton beat Newcastle 1-0 at Goodison Park after a lengthy delay as a fan tied himself to a goalpost.
In a tight, scrappy game lacking quality, neither side was able to craft many clear-cut chances for the majority of the contest.
Everton were dealt a blow late on after a VAR check saw Allan’s yellow card upgraded to a straight red after a reckless, late challenge on Newcastle substitute Allan Saint-Maximin.
However, the Toffees still claimed a narrow victory as substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s backheel set Iwobi up to steer a low effort in and end Everton’s four-match losing streak.
Everton manager Frank Lampard’s delight was evident at full-time, with the Toffees boss revealing he had injured himself as he celebrated Iwobi’s goal.
He said: “I’ve broken my hand in the celebrations. My bones must be going soft, I don’t remember the moment.
“It was an amazing night and we need those nights. Spirit and togetherness, the players stood up tonight.
“It was not a night for quality or calm. It means so much to the stadium we all felt that. I wanted to use the atmosphere. Everton fans wanted to see passion. We proved what we could be tonight.
“I don’t think it is a red card. It is a yellow, yes, is it a strong yellow? Possibly. But that isn’t a clear error. It was the wrong decision and we lose Allan for three games.”
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe, meanwhile, expressed his disappointment at the result and the performance.
He said: “It is very disappointing. I don’t know why that second half was lacking in that bit of quality.
“It was our game to win and we didn’t grab that opportunity.”
Did you know?
Iwobi’s strike for Everton was the second-latest winning goal on record (since 2006-07), timed at 98 minutes and 19 seconds, behind only Bruno Fernandes’ winner for Manchester United in a 3-2 win at Brighton in September 2020 (99:45).
Everton have received 101 red cards in the Premier League, the joint-most of any side (level with Arsenal), while they have received a red card in consecutive league games for the first time since October 2020 against Liverpool and Southampton.
Four of the last five league goals scored in matches between Everton and Newcastle at Goodison Park have been scored in the 90th minute – two from Florian Lejeune in January 2020 and a Callum Wilson strike in January 2021, as well as Iwobi’s tonight.
Everton have managed just one shot in the first half of two of their last three league games under Frank Lampard (one against Spurs, one tonight), after having a maximum of one shot in the first half of just two of their previous 71 league matches beforehand.
Among all Premier League fixtures, only the Merseyside derby (22) has seen more red cards than Everton against Newcastle (17), with Allan the first Toffees player sent off in this fixture since Tim Cahill in May 2012.
