Newcastle - Everton: Newcastle United rode a Callum Wilson double past Everton on Sunday at St. James’ Park, a 2-1 win sending the visitors to back-to-back losses.
Everton struggled without Richarlison and James Rodriguez, snapping to life late through Dominic Calvert-Lewin but failing to claim a point. The Toffees have now lost two-straight and now sit three points behind leaders Liverpool.
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Steve Bruce’s Magpies are 3-2-2, good for 10th after Wilson scored a penalty and tapped home a deflected cross.
Newcastle - Everton was a weird one, as the Toffees’ depth questions will multiply.
Three things we learned from Newcastle - Everton
1. No one steps up for Toffees: Our own Joe Prince-Wright’s notes from St. Mary’s last week are sounding prophetic regarding Everton’s depth. A less-than-fully-fit James Rodriguez couldn’t get it done at Southampton without Richarlison, but the Toffees without both had very little going for them. Newcastle was able to focus on a lively-but-stifled Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Everton was mostly limited to long efforts from Gylfi Sigurdsson.
This PL match was just the seventh Richarlison has missed for Everton in two-plus seasons, and the Toffees entered the day with four draws and three losses. The Toffees are 32-16-28 when he plays.
2. Olsen makes strong debut: Carlo Ancelotti said he was giving Swedish No. 1 goalkeeper Robin Olsen a start to give him minutes and Jordan Pickford a rest. Whether that was honest or not, Olsen delivered the goods on debut. The routine saves were there and a couple of big stops, too, though he was unable to stop Wilson’s penalty and couldn’t have do much with the goofy second goal. Ancelotti said before the game that Pickford would start against Manchester United. Did Olsen do enough to justify anything else?
3. Wilson fills it up: Callum Wilson’s down 2019-20 at Bournemouth feels like ancient history as he’s finishing well for Steve Bruce. His penalty was near perfect and the tap-in goal a deserved reward for running his shorts off this young season. Wilson has six goals and one assist in seven matches for Newcastle.
Man of the Match
Wilson. Unquestionably.
Newcastle - Everton recap
The game began about as most would expect, Everton with the ball but Newcastle threatening with pace on the counter.
Magpies striker Callum Wilson tried to test Robin Olsen from a tight-angled but sent the ball over the bar.
Everton came back the other way and Newcastle was forced to save goalkeeper Karl Darlow blushes after 10 minutes.
A Newcastle counter after the half-hour mark was thwarted by Olsen, as Miguel Almiron found Callum Wilson racing down the left side. Wilson looked to have wasted his chance but then slipped a perfect pass to Allan Saint-Maximin that required a quality save from the Swede.
Darlow raced out to defy Abdoulaye Doucoure at the other end, the match properly open for a spell.
The last 15 minutes of the first half were very much driven by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but Newcastle hassled the Everton center forward with tight lanes and blocked shots.
Newcastle star Saint-Maximin stumbled and walked off the pitch gingerly at halftime with an apparently upper leg/hip injury, but re-emerged after the break.
Wilson won a penalty off of Andre Gomes and beat Olsen to supply the Magpies a 56th-minute lead.
The Magpies doubled their lead when Yerry Mina’s slide to block Ryan Fraser’s cross saw the ball loop onto Wilson’s path at the back post for a tap-in.
Calvert-Lewin nabbed a goal early in stoppage time off an Alex Iwobi pass as Everton threatened karmic retribution for last season’s 2-2 draw at Goodison that saw unlikely hero Florian Lejeune swipe a point with a stoppage-time brace which included a bicycle kick.