Newcastle and Luton served up an absolute treat that somehow left both sides feeling rueful, while Roy Hodgson took a gamble and looks set to pay with his job…
Newcastle 4-4 Luton: Pure Barclays prompts regrets for Toon, Hatters
A exhilarating eight-goal thriller somehow left everyone but the neutral unsatisfied at St James’ Park.
Newcastle and Eddie Howe needed a win to build on the Villa triumph and prove that their recent wretched run was behind them. Luton, at 4-2 up, really ought to have won. That neither did is unlikely to be held against either manager, certainly not Luton’s, but for both, here was a missed opportunity.
“I’m slightly disappointed,” admitted Rob Edwards who at least ensured their drop into the bottom three lasted only a couple of hours. But with a two-goal cushion going into the final quarter, it is easy to understand why the Hatters boss is feeling somewhat rueful, despite another impressive showing from his side.
Howe, outwardly at least, will focus on the positives. A point sure is better than what they were facing after conceding for a fourth time and Howe’s substitutions had the desired impact, especially Harvey Barnes’ return to score a fine leveller.
But defensively, Newcastle have become easy to breach. They have conceded 10 at home in their last three games, while we don’t need the numbers to recognise how badly Dan Burn struggled at left-back against Chiedozie Ogbene. Howe’s change, bringing on Tino Livramento and moving Kieran Tripper across, had the desired effect but could have been made earlier.
In midfield they were woefully open and up front, they lacked a focal point for as long as Callum Wilson remained on the bench. He at least returned but, typical of Newcastle’s injury misfortune, that coincided with Anthony Gordon having to leave St James’ hobbling in a protective boot.
For all their flaws, Newcastle are a fun watch. But Howe appears no closer to the answers he needs to get the Magpies back on the track his paymasters expect.
Brighton 4-1 Crystal Palace: Hodgson set to suffer same fate as Vieira after dire defeat
The last time Palace were pummelled at Brighton, it cost their manager his job. Roy Hodgson might be about to discover how Patrick Vieira felt.
Vieira was given his cards last March after a 1-0 defeat in this derby of sorts, with the Eagles 12th and on a run that threatened to drag them into a relegation scrap. Similar is true of Palace now, except they are two places lower and reeling harder after a 4-1 thumping at the AmEx.
Hodgson would be a convenient shield for the Palace board, who for the second away game in succession were the subject of protests from the travelling support. This time, unlike the 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal, they didn’t wait for full-time to get the banners out because by then, most had made for the exits.
The early fliers cannot be blamed for not sticking around. This Palace, without Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, are very difficult to like. Hodgson’s mitigation might focus on the absence of his two best players, but being so reliant on the pair is damning on the manager. With them, they are still a soft touch. Without, they are unwatchable.
Hodgson did his best to get Olise in the action, but that in itself could be used as a stick with which to beat the boss. Olise started on the bench, as if his hamstring injury could cope with half a shift but not a full one. You don’t need a medical degree to understand that hamstrings don’t work like that.
Coming on at 3-0 down – surprise, surprise – Olise lasted all of 11 minutes. The fact he was thrown on at all suggests Hodgson knows he might not last for as long as Olise’s hamstring takes to properly heal.
David Datro Fofana celebrates scoring for Burnley against Fulham.
Burnley 2-2 Fulham: Clarets sparked by new recruits
Burnley, most likely, did not do enough in January to save their Premier League skins. But at least their new arrivals offered some hope for the Clarets’ survival prospects in a game they probably had to win but were grateful to draw.
Anyone who has watched Burnley at Turf Moor this season will not have been remotely surprised to see them start brightly then find themselves 2-0 down. They have the worst home record in a league containing this Sheffield United.
That pattern seemed sure to continue after Joao Palhinha’s header and Rodrigo Muniz’s lob had Fulham in control with less than a quarter of the game played. The Cottagers, with two goals in four minutes, were comfortably in control. Until Kompany dispatched his striker signing from the bench just after the hour.
David Datro Fofana roused Burnley, especially when he halved the deficit by heading in a cross from another new recruit, Lorenz Assignon, who looked bright on his debut after joining from Rennes. Kompany’s other deadline day arrival, Maxime Esteve also offered some solidity at the centre of the Clarets defence after coming on at the break.
But Fofana is likely to make the biggest difference as a centre-forward capable of unsettling defences. Burnley have played plenty of good football this season without offering the necessary ruthlessness to survive. Fofana’s second in stoppage time, sliding across the near post, suggested he can offer a different dimension. Which is handy with Liverpool and Arsenal up next.
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