Everton fight back from brink to stun Newcastle

Newcastle United 3 Everton 3 aet; score at 90 min 2-2 Everton win 3-2 on penalties

Tim Rich
Thursday 07 November 2002 01:00 GMT
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Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool manager after a League Cup tie like this, a 4-4 draw with Everton that stretched his emotions beyond the limit. It is worth pointing out he was half Sir Bobby Robson's age.

That match, in February 1991, was replayed, this was settled by penalties and decided when Laurent Robert drove his spot-kick wide, although the winners were those who believe the Worthington Cup is a competition worth fighting for.

Newcastle should have won through, not just because they had slightly more of a compelling evening but because they tried to win when there was an excuse for letting the match slide away. Would Arsène Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson, facing a trip to play the league champions on Saturday and a make-or-break Champions' League decider in Rotterdam on Wednesday, have sent on their big guns when 1-0 down with 23 minutes remaining? Robson is from a different generation.

It seemed his boldness would be rewarded when, in the space of a minute, Kieron Dyer stood the contest on its head. By Wayne Rooney's standards, Dyer, who was captaining Newcastle for the first time, is at 23 something of a veteran but to most he remains an example of glittering promise. Last night he proved it, first by running on to Hugo Viana's pass and sliding his shot past Richard Wright and then driving in a second from the edge of the area.

Morally, he should have celebrated a hat-trick as it was his cross in the first period of extra time which Alessandro Pistone, an unloved member of Dalglish's dour Magpies side, headed past his own keeper to restore the Tynesiders' lead. As it was, he did not even have the honour of leading Newcastle into the fourth round.

Everton, who won a fourth successive match for the first time in 11 years, demonstrated the spirit David Moyes has fashioned at Goodison Park. Naturally, it required an intervention from Rooney who roared down the right flank and clipped over a ball which Steve Watson, a rather more popular former Newcastle defender, drove home in the 84th minute. Then Kevin Campbell, who had scored the first goal of the game with a simple free header 100 minutes before, rounded Steve Harper and saw his shot handled on the line by Steve Caldwell, who was sent off for his pains. David Unsworth converted the penalty, although curiously he was the only Everton player to miss in the shoot-out.

It was a match alive with young talent. Naturally, Rooney shone; there was one little chip over Caldwell's head, a nod-down and a shot in almost the same movement which Harper could not hold. But even the boy wonder was outshone by Viana, a player whom the next golden generation in Portugal will be fashioned around but who cannot command a place in Robson's starting line-up. His shooting tested Wright throughout, his control was a delight and he fluffed his penalty. It summed things up perfectly.

Newcastle United (4-4-2): Harper; Griffin, Dabizas, Caldwell, Elliott; Dyer, Acuna (Solano, 67), Viana, Bernard (Robert, 67); LuaLua (Chopra, 67), Cort. Substitutes not used: Hughes, Given (gk).

Everton (4-4-2): Wright; Pistone, Stubbs, Weir, Unsworth; Carsley, Linderoth (Watson, 39), Li Tie (Raddzinski, 56), Naysmith; Campbell, Rooney. Substitutes not used: Li Wei Feng, McLeod, Simonsen (gk).

Referee: M Riley (Leeds).

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