19th April, 2016
Newcastle recovered from Sergio Aguero’s controversial goal to earn a valuable draw with Manchester City.
Aguero was offside when he headed in Aleksandar Kolarov’s free-kick.
Vurnon Anita equalised with a low curling shot before Magpies keeper Karl Darlow excellently saved Jesus Navas and Kevin de Bruyne strikes.
City keeper Joe Hart saved from Georginio Wijnaldum late on as Newcastle remain in the bottom three just behind Sunderland and Norwich.
Hart rushed out to block from Wijnaldum to deny the home side a winner which would have lifted them out of the relegation zone.
Newcastle are now one point a and a place behind Sunderland and two adrift of the Canaries, who lie just outside the relegation zone.
Is Newcastle fight too late?
BBC Radio 5 live summariser Alan Shearer believes Newcastle would have stayed up had they appointed Rafael Benitez earlier and the Spaniard has certainly added some steel and discipline to the Magpies.
United had not beaten City in their last 18 league games, losing the last 12, and the three points they needed to move out of the drop zone appeared unlikely.
The home fans might have feared the worst when Aguero’s goal was allowed to stand but their team responded with the type of character and commitment they have been lacking for much of the campaign.
Andros Townsend’s work-rate and desire to track back and get forward on the right set the example to his team-mates and the ovation he received when substituted showed the Magpies faithful appreciated his efforts.
The left side of Manchester City’s defence appeared to be a weakness and is where the home side’s equaliser came from, with Anita cutting in and curling in a shot off the post for his first goal since March 2014.
Whether Benitez can now maintain his side’s improvement and steer them to safety in their final four games – which are against Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Tottenham – remains to be seen.
Did City have one eye on the Champions League semi-final?
Benitez was hoping the visitors would be distracted by the first leg of their Champions League tie against Real Madrid next Tuesday.
However, City have yet to secure a top-four spot to book a place in Europe’s top competition next season and, while they were not as their best, they certainly applied plenty of pressure on their hosts.
Aguero’s goal made him the second fastest player to reach 100 goals in the Premier League, behind Shearer, and City’s failure to build on that had plenty to do with the resoluteness of Newcastle.
The visitors had the boost of having centre-back Vincent Kompany back after six games out with a calf injury, but he looked rusty on his return.
The Belgium international gave the ball away to Sissoko before Hart came to his rescue by rushing out to clear, while Kompany was also booked for a late challenge on the Newcastle midfielder.
“The hardest part of coming back from injury is getting back to the level of the Premier League,” said Kompany. “The more games you play the better you will feel. Overall, it was a positive day.”
Winger Raheem Sterling came on as a substitute to make his comeback after five games but could not inspire his side to a winner as they remain third.
The stats you need to know
- Newcastle United have won none of the last 19 Premier League meetings against Manchester City (D3 L16).
- The Magpies have been beaten just once in their last seven league games at St James’ Park (W3 D3).
- Sergio Aguero has now scored 100 Premier League goals in just 147 appearances – only Alan Shearer (124 apps) reached this milestone in fewer games.
- Aguero has scored more Premier League goals versus Newcastle than any other team (11).
- Sergio Aguero is the first South American to score 100 goals in Premier League history.
- Vurnon Anita scored his first Premier League goal since March 2014, ending a run of 53 games without one.
BBC SPORTS