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Match Report By
Gaz
Pearson (01 November 2005)
If Mr. Owen keeps playing like this then the rest of the Premiership are going to be terrified. Ghoulish Graeme Souness showed a bit of backbone and left Alan Shearer on the bench, preferring the partnership of Michael Owen and Shola Ameobi. Half of that partnership rewarding the gaffer with a man of the match winning display, the other half had a nightmare, horror show. Both ourselves and the Baggies had numerous first half chances to score with some superb tackling by the bloodthirsty Boumsong and Babayaro snuffing out the Albion attacks. At the other end it was Michael Owen who was terrorising the Baggies defence. Following a devilishly delicious pass from Charles N’Zogbia the England hitman almost opened the scoring but was denied by a smothering save from Baggies’ keeper Kuszczak. Other than the odd threat, goalmouth action was few and far between as the first-half ended all square and goaless. The Hawthorns was proving to be somewhat a bubbling cauldron and as the players emerged for the second half there was a sense something ominous was going to happen. Ominous for the Baggies’s fans that is. Newcastle came out like a side possessed. A minute after the re-start and N’Zogbia prowled down the right wing before whipping in a killer cross. Owen nipped in front of the Baggies defender to unleash a frightening volley that burst into the Albion net. The Newcastle fans behind the goal erupted. What a finish! For Albion the nightmare was only just beginning. Bella Lugosi lookalike Robbie Earnshaw almost got Bryan Robson’s men back on level terms but Shay Given pulled of a world class point-blank save and in doing so drove a stake through the home-side’s fan’s hearts. Newcastle then experienced deja-vu. Owen’s header was cleared off the line by Inamoto. The away side tried in vain to persuade the referee Webb that it was over the line but he waved away the appeals. Unlike the goal that never was at Wigan, this time the linesman and referee got it correct. West Brom must have thought that their pressure was going to get them something from the game. Shola Ameobi was nothing more than a lost soul on the pitch so scary Souey felt it was time for some fresh blood. On came Alan Shearer and… Keiron Dyer! His mummy outfit was left at home for Monday night, no bandages and hell was he wide awake! He absolutely terrified the Baggies defence. What a masterstroke by the Gaffer. Dyer demonised the Baggies’ full back before his cut back led to Owen firing in his second of the game. Who said money was the root of all evil? Newcastle’s torture of the Albion wasn’t complete yet either. Only a few weeks ago the Baggies were armed with enough garlic to see of the French team from London. Today Newcastle came to stake their claim as being a force to be reckoned with.
That man Shearer seized on the opportunity to further close in on Jackie’s record. His sharp finish at the near post following Peter Ramage’s tidy cross put Newcastle 3-0 up to send the Newcastle fans back up north with smiles on their faces. Have the team gone through the house of horrors and walked out the other side? At last the lads aren’t playing like a team of pumpkins. The grim reaper is no longer hovering over Souness tenure at St. James' (for the time being at least) and the doom and gloom surrounding our football club has ascended. Now for someone at the club to stop playing Jack Frost with the training pitch and keep the players fit. Halloween has been and gone it's now time for some fireworks against Birmingham please lads.
Lineups & Match Stats
United: Given, Ramage, Boumsong (Bramble 79), Taylor, Babayaro, Solano, Parker, Emre, N'Zogbia (Dyer 71), Owen, Ameobi (Shearer 66). Subs not used: Harper, Faye. Booked: Ameobi. Goals: Owen 46, 78, Shearer 80. Att: 26,216 Ref: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire).
Post-Match Reaction: Newcastle
"We couldn't have dreamt about the start we had to the second half. We then had a difficult 10 minutes where Shay Given has had to make a great save from Robert Earnshaw. If it had gone to 1-1, it could have been a very different game. "The momentum would have been with them but they didn't score and from that moment on we passed the ball very well and controlled things. "There were a couple of fine goals from Michael Owen and Alan Shearer gets one as well - but there are no surprises there. That's what they are about. They are as good as they get at getting goals out of nothing. "They have done it all their lives and will continue to do it. They are top drawer. We are a fortunate club in being able to afford players like that. They decide games of football. "This was the first game since last November where I've had decisions to make about who to leave out. The team has picked itself up until this day. "We've said all along once we got our better players on the pitch, we would have a different dimension to us. Today you saw Emre and Solano and Dyer all give us something different. They are good football players. "Now we want to finish as high up the Premier League as possible - that is the target - and give the supporters something to smile about. We have an enjoyable season in the league if we get our players back."
Post-Match Reaction: West Brom
"We've conceded three goals in much the same way. "We have to learn that. Michael Owen is very sharp and if you give him the space we did he will punish you. "We created a few chances and were unlucky. But we've just got to forget about it as it is a disappointing result." |
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Match Report: West Bromwich Albion 0-3 Newcastle United
