What a moment for Tom Cleverley to score his first goal of the season. What a cruel way for the otherwise excellent Rob Elliot to preface a defeat which leaves Newcastle United in the bottom three.
When Steve McClaren’s goalkeeper could only punch Leighton Baines’s stoppage-time corner the ball fell to Cleverley who, with the evening’s final touch, not only headed the winner but perhaps suggested that this is not necessarily destined to be another season of Premier League underachievement for Everton.
It was surely no coincidence that Gerard Deulofeu had stepped off the bench in time to be heavily involved in the winning of a set piece destined to ruin McClaren’s mood on a night when Newcastle’s second-half endeavours at least earned them a standing ovation from the Gallowgate End.
Travelling Everton fans had long been demanding the former Barcelona winger’s introduction to a game in which their team dominated possession for protracted periods and only a series of outstanding saves from Elliot prevented Romelu Lukaku extending his scoring streak.
Paradoxically though, Newcastle – operating very much on the counterattack – had created the best two chances with Aleksandar Mitrovic, their £14.5m Serbia striker, heading two highly inviting crosses wide. Less positively for McClaren, Everton’s Tim Howard made a solitary save – to keep out Gini Wijnaldum’s header.
“In football you have to take your chances,” reflected Roberto Martínez, Everton’s manager. “For us to win with the last kick was very cruel for Newcastle but it was a very well-deserved three points. I was really pleased with the way we controlled the game. We were totally dominating.”
McClaren appeared rather less imbued with festive cheer. “Never before have I felt so upset and disappointed for a set of players,” he said. “They didn’t deserve that. They gave everything but that performance bodes well for the future.
“We couldn’t keep the ball at first but once we grew into the game in the second half we went toe to toe with a very good Everton team. A draw would have been a fair result. This game is cruel but the key thing was the appreciation from the fans.”
Everton, all one- and two- touch passing, initially dominated possession to an almost embarrassing extent. With Séamus Coleman and Baines playing more like wingers than full-backs and Lukaku shrugging Fabricio Coloccini aside in an increasingly disdainful manner, Elliot was kept busy.
Newcastle’s goalkeeper was soon saving smartly with his legs to deny first Kevin Mirallas and then Lukaku. A little earlier Coloccini – who like his central defensive partner, Chancel Mbemba, would later improve considerably – had been extremely lucky not to concede a penalty after sneakily hauling Lukaku back.
When Mitrovic, possibly distracted by Coleman, headed a cross from Daryl Janmaat (later lucky not to be sent off for a second bookable offence) wide it was very much against the run of play.
Almost imperceptibly, though, the power balance began shifting. As good as Everton were at passing the ball around at the back and as enjoyable as it was to watch John Stones’s ease and elegance in possession from centre-half, Newcastle had sussed that Martínez’s team are not actually that hot in the air.
Accordingly when the visitors completely misread Elliot’s long kick, Ayoze Pérez dragged a shot fractionally wide. Then Moussa Sissoko broke fast before crossing impressively for Mitrovic who, once again, headed off-target.
Happily for Martínez, Cleverley would make no such mistake on a night when the sight of his header looping into the net might as well have been a stake through McClaren’s heart.
Guardian