ANALYSIS: JORDAN PICKFORD RILED AS NEWCASTLE'S INTENT DELIVERS 4-1
Magpies dismantle Everton 4-1, led by Thiaw's goals, silencing Pickford and ending their nine-game away winless streak. Dominant performance.
Newcastle United really shook up Jordan Pickford at Goodison Park, finally grabbing a win away from home.
Pickford came onto the field with his usual confidence, likely looking to provoke the Newcastle fans. Back in May, he was all smiles when he helped Everton win at St. James' Park, but this time was different.
As the game neared its end, many fans had already left, as Newcastle controlled the match. Pickford walked off looking disappointed and couldn't even look at the Newcastle supporters as he walked past the home section.
From the start, Newcastle showed strong attacking intent and kept it up throughout the game. This marks their first Premier League away win since April.
Just 21 seconds into the game, Nick Woltemade played in Anthony Elanga, who ran forward and shot at Pickford. Pickford pushed the ball wide, but from the following corner, Newcastle took the lead.
Lewis Miley's corner from the left was met by Malick Thiaw, who headed it in after 52 seconds. Eight minutes in, Harvey Barnes got through, but Michael Keane blocked his shot.
Everton had a chance two minutes later when James Tarkowski passed to Keane, but Dan Burn blocked the shot over the bar. Around the midpoint of the half, Everton had most of the possession, with 78%.
The home fans were shocked when Newcastle scored a second goal. Everton failed to clear the ball, and it fell to Miley, whose shot bounced into the net with Pickford's mistake after 25 minutes.
Tino Livramento passed the ball back into the box, Burn flicked it to Miley, who scored from a low shot, delighting the away fans. The 3,000 fans from Newcastle then sang, "Cheer up, Jordan Pickford."
Newcastle almost scored again three minutes later when Lewis Hall shot at Pickford, with a deflection sending it over the bar. Newcastle scored a third goal at the end of the first half with great teamwork. Ramsdale passed the ball to Livramento, who played in Elanga.
Elanga's cross found Woltemade in the box, who calmly chipped it over Pickford to make it 3-0! That score held until halftime, with Everton making a change for the second half.
Tim Iroegbunam was replaced by Carlos Alcaraz, but Everton knew they faced a tough challenge. The Toffees had their first shot on target five minutes into the second half when Iliman Ndiaye shot at Ramsdale.
Ramsdale saved a James Garner corner, and Alcaraz's follow-up hit the woodwork, but Newcastle held on. In the 56th minute, Barnes ran down the left, but Pickford blocked his shot.
Moments later, Pickford denied Woltemade, but Barnes and Hall got the ball back in, with Hall sending in a great cross. Thiaw then scored Newcastle's fourth goal three minutes before the hour mark.
Everton thought they had scored when Thierno Barry shot in from a left-wing cross on 65 minutes, but the goal was disallowed for a handball, keeping Newcastle's lead at 4-0.
Everton did score when James Tarkowski floated the ball into the box, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall finished it off. Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey came on late in the game and played well together with 11 minutes left.
Ramsey couldn't score, and Pickford made another save. As the game ended, the few fans left booed as Anthony Gordon, who used to play for Everton, came on for a brief appearance.
Newcastle looked for another goal, but they didn't need one, as the game was already won. Newcastle now has 18 points, just three points outside the top five.
CONOR GALLAGHER CONFIRMED AS "VITAL" STARTER FOR SPURS FOLLOWING BENTANCUR’S INJURY LAYOFF
Conor Gallagher proved the doubters wrong against Man City. Discover why his €40m move to Tottenham is finally paying off for Spurs.
Chelsea and Atletico Madrid both decided Conor Gallagher wasn’t worth the trouble. At Chelsea, he had his moments—Pochettino liked him, but the fans never really warmed up. When Chelsea shipped him off to Atletico, it made sense. Enzo Fernandez stepped up, took over Gallagher’s role, and fit in perfectly next to Caicedo, with Cole Palmer adding that extra spark up front.
Things didn’t get much better for Gallagher in Spain. He barely got a chance at Atleti, lost his spot in the starting eleven, and pretty much ended up on the transfer list before anyone had time to blink. Interest was lukewarm at best until the winter window rolled around. Aston Villa wanted him and went after him pretty aggressively, but then Tottenham swooped in late. Spurs needed someone to patch up the midfield after Bentancur’s injury, so they just paid up—40 million euros, no hesitation.
His start at Tottenham? Rough. Honestly, that was to be expected. He’d played well at Palace before, but after his struggles at Atleti, he needed time to adjust. Sitting on the bench in Spain didn’t do him any favours.
Then Gallagher showed up. People doubted whether he could really add creativity and move the ball forward for Spurs, so his early struggles got people worried. But then came the 2-2 draw against Manchester City. He suddenly looked like the player both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank were so desperate to sign.
Against City, Gallagher flipped the script. He set up a crucial assist, drove play forward on the dribble, and kept drawing fouls—everything the Spurs needed. Defensively, he was all over the place in a good way: two tackles, three interceptions, a full 90 minutes, and a huge part of the Spurs clawing their way back into the game.
Tottenham fans loved it. They saw the effort, the attitude, and the hunger to win. Gallagher just wouldn’t quit, and in that second half, he, Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny Udogie, and Dominic Solanke ran the show. Four of those guys have been carrying Spurs lately, so Gallagher is fitting right in with them. That’s a pretty good sign he’s going to work out just fine in North London.
AC MILAN MEDICAL FAILURE: THE HIDDEN KNEE INJURY THAT CRUSHED MATETA’S £30M MOVE
Jean-Philippe Mateta's £30m move to AC Milan is OFF. Discover why a failed medical has put his France World Cup dreams in jeopardy.