NEWCASTLE UNITED v MANCHESTER CITY, 0-1 Sat 31 Mar
2007
Newcastle United's slim hopes of European qualification were
all-but ended as Manchester City snatched an invaluable victory at
St James' Park.
Emile Mpenza, who scored his first goal for the club at
Middlesbrough a fortnight ago, struck 10 minutes from time to claim
a second win in as many games and further ease the pressure on
manager Stuart Pearce.
The Magpies were booed from the pitch by sections of a crowd of
52,004 after a disjointed and uninspired display, although defender
Steven Taylor might have snatched a point at the death when his
header hit the crossbar.
That would have been harsh on City, who were also denied by the
woodwork before the break, after a performance characterised by
excellent organisation and total commitment.
By contrast, Newcastle were often wasteful in possession, short on
ideas and their lack of firepower in front of goal left their
campaign all-but over.
Obafemi Martins and Kieron Dyer started up front but neither player
managed to get a grip on the game, with Sylvain Distin and Richard
Dunne dominant to the extent that Dyer spent much of the 90 minutes
camped on the halfway line desperately trying to get
involved.
City, who ended a run of five successive Barclays Premiership
defeats with a 2-0 win at Boro, arrived at St James Park
determined not to leave empty-handed.
Striker Darius Vassell was asked to play wide on the left of a
five-man midfield as Mpenza took on the home defence alone.
However, with Newcastle failing to deal with free man Joey Barton
as he repeatedly broke from central midfield, it was City who
looked the more likely to break the deadlock.
Indeed, they came closest to the opening goal before the break when
Mpenza made the most of hesitancy in the home defence to blast a
left-foot shot against the crossbar from 25 yards with Shay Given
beaten.
Newcastle skipper Scott Parker had earlier seen a 17th-minute
strike ruled out for offside and Nolberto Solano had whistled a
long-range effort just wide.
Pearce made a change at the break when he replaced holding
midfielder Dietmar Hamann with striker Georgios Samaras, although
he kept the same system with the new arrival lining up wide on the
right as Sun Jihai moved inside.
Samaras endured a tough opening as Duff prospered down the left,
sending in a 48th-minute cross which was just too strong for
Martins and Solano and then providing Parker with a chance which he
thumped just over the bar.
Dunne headed well over from a 57th-minute Barton corner as City
temporarily relieved the pressure, but defensive partner Distin had
to make a vital block two minutes later after Duff found Solano at
the far post.
There was no faulting Newcastles endeavour as they sought the
breakthrough but there was a lack of ideas when they got into the
final third with keeper Andreas Isaksson untroubled.
Solano was not enjoying one of his better days and there were calls
from the stand for James Milners introduction as he warmed up on
the sidelines.
Given saved from Vassell on 71 minutes before Roeder made his first
change and replaced Craig Moore with fellow central defender Oguchi
Onyewu.
Milner and Antoine Sibierski soon followed as replacements for Dyer
and Solano.
There was worse to come though, when Michael Johnson picked out
Mpenza in acres of space and he fired gleefully past Given to claim
all three points.
Taylor rattled the crossbar with a minute remaining and Stephen
Carr and Onyewu both went close to an equaliser, but it was simply
not Newcastles day.
