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Season 2010-11
Arsenal (h) Premier League



In association with NUFC.com


Date:
Saturday 5th February 2011, 3pm.
 
Venue:
 St. James' Park

Conditions: 
indescribable


   
 

Newcastle United

Arsenal

4 - 4

Teams

Goals

41 secs Andriy Arshavin threaded a pass through for Theo Walcott. He hared off towards the Gallowgate goal, leaving Fabricio Coloccini for dead before shooting past Steve Harper. The goal was a virtual re-run of his second at the same end here last October in the Carling Cup. 0-1

3 mins
Another Arshavin assist saw him centre from the left for Johan Djourou to head home his first ever senior goal (in his 102nd appearance), getting between Kevin Nolan and Mike Williamson, who were both seemingly rooted to the spot. 0-2

10 mins
Walcott continued to torture United with his pace and took Jose Enrique on towards the byline down the Arsenal right before cutting the ball back to Robin Van Persie who effortessly stroked it home - Williamson again mesmerised. 0-3

26 mins
Van Persie again punished a static defence, heading home from close range after nobody tracked his run. The assist this time came from Sagna, who supplied a deep cross from the Gunners right after the ball had pinged around thanks to some slick one-touch passing. To call it reminiscent of a training ground drill is an insult to those metal cutouts shaped like players. 0-4

Half time: Newcastle 0 Arsenal 4

68 mins Going away from goal, Leon Best was upended by a clumsy challenge from Laurent Koscielny in the box. Joey Barton stroked in an accurate penalty. 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny made the mistake of hanging on to the ball the goalscorer and Kevin Nolan bore down on him. 

With the linesman in close attendance, Nolan bundled Szczesny over with a bear hug. Both parties were booked, but Nolan's yellow didn't come until he was back in his own half and was missed by many. 1-4

75 mins A left wing cross from Enrique fell to Leon Best who initially looked to have misjudged his header after beating Gael Clichy to the ball. However the ball dropped in front of him and he shot firmly home from four yards - just seconds after seeing an equally valid effort mistakenly disallowed for offside 2-4

83 mins Another soft penalty was awarded when a long cross beyond the far post saw Williamson tumble over in the presence of Koscielny and Rosicky. Joey Barton again took the spot kick and although his unconvincing spot-kick was straight down the middle, Szczesny could only divert it into the roof of his net. The 'keeper was rather quicker to get rid of the ball this time, as United's tag team pairing closed in for a second fall (or a submission) 3-4

87 mins Joey Barton crumpled under contact outside the right hand corner of the Gunners box and took the resultant free kick himself. Although Gael Clichy headed it clear, the ball dropped to Cheick Tiote and he promptly smashed home a fabulous left-footed volley that screamed into the corner of the net. Staggering. 

He set off on a celebratory run back into his own half and ended up towards the Leazes corner flag, before slumping face down on the turf as most of his colleagues raced to join him, celebrating wildly. With Joey Barton celebrating with staff by the United dugout, there wasn't actually anything to stop Arsenal from kicking off again and attacking - except for the fact they were looking at each other in a collective daze.... 

In terms of power, pace and precision, Tiote's goal echoed the Obafemi effort at Spurs a few seasons back. Tony Yeboah's blaster for Leeds against Liverpool also came to mind, while memories of Terry Mac "specials" at that end of the ground were also awakened. 4-4




Full time: Newcastle 4 Arsenal 4

We Said


Alan Pardew said:

"It's one of the most remarkable games I have ever been involved in in my life - and I am talking about Sunday morning 7-7s, everything. There were a lot of positives for me but the biggest thing of course is the fans stayed with us and the team responded. An unbelievable day.

"51,500 after the week we've had? - unbelievable support this club has got. I know it's been mentioned by managers who have been in the position I'm in, but I'm so pleased for them.

"When you are 4-0 down after 27 minutes and you haven’t made a ­challenge or even got close to anyone­, you fear the worst. But we went out and played like lions in the second half. That’s what we have been about this year – making challenges, putting people under pressure.

“I said at half-time ‘if you’re going to feel sorry for yourselves because it’s been a tough week and you’ve lost at Fulham and lost a really good player in Andy Carroll, then you are going to get embarrassed.’ We were a disgrace in the first half, but in the second half we more than made up for it.

"That's what we've been about all year, even before I came here, we've shown character. Making a challenge and putting people under pressure. We did that and we got a goal, and that can change any game. No-one was taking responsibility, no-one was wearing that shirt and playing with pride, playing with character like they can. 

"There was a crucial period after the fourth goal and before half-time when we didn’t concede – a massive period of the season for us. Part of my (half time) message was you can’t sulk in front of 52,000 people at St James’ Park. 

"We were disgraceful. You have to pressure people, tackle people, turn people around, force them into errors.

"Generally the crowd were astonishingly supportive but, if I was a fan, I'd have been questioning the preparation of the team. We were a disgrace. I was questioning myself. I'd sensed something wasn't right before kick-off, we were feeling sorry for ourselves. We were genuinely feeling sorry for ourselves, a hangover from the events of this week and to some degree some of the players perhaps were asking: ‘Is it all about Andy Carroll?’ Well it isn’t. It’s about Newcastle.

"At 4-2 down I honestly thought we could win. It's been a tough, tough week; on a personal level there's been a lot of criticism but it's ended brilliantly for everyone here."

On Joey Barton (but surely missing a trick by not calling him our 'agent provocateur'):

"I know Mister Wenger has thrown out things about referees and excuses, but this was our day – a day that Newcastle fans will be remembering. I had a feeling this might come from Arsene. It was a proper honest challenge. He (Barton) was aggressive in the challenge and takes a little bit of the player ­ after he won it but this is football. This is how it’s played in the Premier League. Diaby’s sending-off was deserved. 

"We had to show the public that it meant something to us. In the second half, he showed what he is about, showed why he perhaps should be included for England. I saw the guy throw him to the ground and I thought, 'Joey, please'. You have to hold your hands up and say his reaction was top drawer.

"He didn't react and the Joey of old might have done that. In that little moment, perhaps, there are some people, including myself, thinking that England duty might be coming his way because he has matured as a person. He put in a great, great second-half display.

"You have got to make a challenge - it was a proper, honest challenge - I have seen it two or three times and there's nothing wrong with it. He goes for the ball, he wins the ball clean." 

Revealing that he was off on a post-match night out in Newcastle city centre:

"I don’t know whether people are going to buy me a drink or throw them at me - that’s the sort of week it’s been. It's been tough, tough week to be a manager, the toughest I’ve had here, as you can imagine, but at the end of it, I’m elated. It’s just a weird feeling." 

Joey Barton added:

"If anything sums up football, that was it. At half-time, the game was over against such a great side as Arsenal. But a little bit of lack of discipline with them and the momentum swung in our favour. We could have won the game 5-4, 6-4 - Kevin Nolan had a good chance. Very rarely am I lost for words, but in this case, I am a little bit.

"It doesn't happen every week, that. Days like this are few and far between. I don't think the old ticker can take too many more of those. They showed an incredible amount of pace and tore us apart in the first few minutes. The aim was to avoid a cricket score, we were thinking double figures.

"I don't understand Diaby's reaction. I went in one-footed, cleanly took the ball and my momentum carried me into him. I think it was stupid from him. They were 4-0 up, there was no need for him to react the way he reacted. For me, it wasn't an issue - if the Arsenal players don't like being tackled, they should go and play basketball or netball or one of the other games.

"Diaby has taken a bad touch and I have to go and win it. If I don't go for the ball, my manager, my team-mates and obviously the fans are going to nail me. "I have had a look at it again and I just don't understand the guy's reaction. He is going to probably cop a couple of weeks' fine off Arsène Wenger because it has probably cost them from going on and winning the game quite comfortably. But football is a game where you have to take advantage of situations and we still had a lot of work to do after Diaby got sent off."

"They were that good in the first half, but momentum changes. There was a little bit of a lack of discipline in their side and we got a goal and the 'Geordie Nation' got behind us. I think we were unlucky not to win the game in the end which is incredible because we were 4-0 down at half-time looking to keep it underneath a cricket score."

Cheick Tiote observed:

“At half-time it was a very angry dressing room. The manager was furious, shouting. He said this is not Newcastle United. He said it was up to us to put it right, to give something back to the fans. We had to give them something, they spend a lot of money and time on supporting the team and we had let them down. He was very annoyed, there were things thrown in there and we had let ourselves down. It was not a normal performance. He told us to wake up.

“If I’m honest I don’t think any of us thought we would have been able to get back into the game. Losing 4-0, it was dreadful. Against a team as good as Arsenal it is almost impossible to come back from that. But when we scored the first goal we could see the doubts start to creep in and they had had a man sent off. They got nervous and we started to believe we had a possibility. The fans were amazing.

“The goal? Wow. I don’t know why I hit it! I don’t normally score goals like that. I am even right footed and I hit it with my left. It was my wrong foot and I had not tried anything like that before. Sometimes in football you have to try something different. It’s been a difficult week for the club with Andy going and it’s nice to end it on a positive."

Leon Best added:

"It was a hard job, but it shows what Newcastle is about. We have Northern Rock on our shirts, you saw the Northern Rock right there – that was us against Arsenal and we showed them what we can do.

“People may wonder if I can fill the void left by Andy Carroll- I’ve been the underdog a lot of times in my life and come out on top. I just need to keep doing that. If I keep scoring it’s good but it’s about the team and we’ve shown what a team we are.

“The first half was bad, but when you perform like we did you can take the first half out, we could have easily gone on and won it. It was an outstanding performance from everyone, from the fans, to the manager to John Carver to everyone, the subs as well.

I just need to keep plugging away - there are a lot of questions over whether I can do it.Being the underdog is sometimes the easy way out. If you don’t succeed, it’s expected. But if you knock out whoever is in front of you, eyebrows are raised.

“You should never give up on anything in life. At 4-0 we could have easily given up and people could have let heads dropped and sulked. We didn’t. I’ve been brought up in a family where you never give up no matter what it is.

“It’s not the first time in my life I’ve been told I can’t do something and then achieved the impossible. As a team we showed we can do anything. We’re 4-0 down against Arsenal and people would have been saying we could lose by nine or 10, not even thinking about us. But once we got the first one the fans were behind us and were the 12th man – the roar of the fans alone could have made the ball roll into the net.”

"Where do you start? We’re at 4-4 and we could have won it when Kev had a late chance. It was against one of the best teams in the Premier League. There have been so many games lately when we’ve drawn games and it felt like we lost it but against Arsenal we drew and it felt like we’ve won it."

The Observer match report:

"...the patient barcode hordes started out having one of the worst afternoons of their football-watching lives, but went home jubilant after one of the best."

Have we ever been called patient before?

They Said

Arsene Wenger sniped:

"I cannot measure how angry I am because nobody has ever managed to do that before (we're unsure whether he meant come back from 0-4 against Arsenal, or measure his personal levels of wrath....)

"Mathematically, we have lost two points. Psychologically, the damage is bigger because everybody is very  disappointed – now only the future will tell. 

"It was a completely unnecessary sending-off and I believe Barton was lucky to stay on the pitch for the tackle on Diaby. He’s very disappointed and it’s better not to talk to him. He’d had an outstanding first half and I can only explain his reaction by the fact that he had been injured by bad tackles in the past. He’s been out for a long time and certainly the tackle provoked his reaction.

“What does it say about my team? It says that we have played 12 games since the first of January and they have played outstandingly well, but to go down to ten men had a psychological impact. In the second half you must say that we were really unlucky with some decisions.

"Mathematically, two points; psychologically, the damage is a bit bigger because everybody is, of course, very, very disappointed in the dressing room. But only the future will tell. It is never over. You can concede one goal and the crowd gets behind the team. You do not play with the same purpose going forward and I am long enough in the job to know that.

“We looked like getting another three points in the title race from what is a very difficult fixture but I knew at 4-0 the game was not over.”

Andrei Arshavin had a polar explanation:

"What happened was something unbelievable with a tragic end for us. It was as if there was a magnet behind one of the goals because all eight were scored in it."

Twits on Twitter:

Jack Wilshire: "Inconsistent refereing needs to stop.its killing the game.if Diaby goes..whats the difference between that and Nolan on our keeper!?? £joke''

Abou Diaby: "am a broken man.. i am soo sorry.. lost my head.. apologize."

And they want to close libraries?

Stats


Comebacks & Collapses - post WW2:

Won:
4-3 1997 Leicester City (h) 1-3 down after 68 mins, 4-3 up after 90 mins.
5-4 1990 Leicester City (h) 2-4 down after 75 mins , 5-4  up after 88 mins.
4-3 1974 Nottingham Forest (h) 1-3 down after 59 mins, 4-3 up after 78 mins
5-4 1956 Fulham (a) 3-0 up, 3-4 down, won 5-4 - no times.
5-4 1957 Manchester City (a) 0-3 down at half time, 3-3 by 86 mins.

Drawn:
4-4
2001 Troyes (h) 1-4 down after 61 mins, 4-4 after 90 mins.
5-5 1984 QPR (a) 4-0 up after 45mins, 5-5 after 90 mins.
5-5 1960 West Ham (h) 2-5 down after 70 mins, 5-5 after 86 mins.

Lost:
3-4
Liverpool (a) 1997 0-3 down after 42 mins, 3-3 after 88 mins.

Cheick Tiote
became the 96th player to score for us in the PL and the first from the Ivory Coast.

Newcastle scored four against the Gunners for the first time since May 2000, when they recorded a 4-2 home success (United led that one 2-1 at half time). The last season that we avoided defeat against Arsenal in the league was 2006/07 - 1-1 at the Emirates, 0-0 at SJP.

One has to go back to April 1927 to find when Newcastle last scored four times against Arsenal in one half, turning a 2-1 half time home advantage into a 6-1 full time rout.

Our 641st Premier League game finished in our 172nd draw - but was the first-ever 4-4 stalemate. Our previous league 4-4 draw had come at Goodison Park against Everton, back in October 1977.

Our last 4-4 draw anywhere in any competitive first team match meanwhile was the Intertoto Cup Final Second Leg against French side Troyes at SJP, in August 2001.

Joey Barton became the first United player to take - and score - two penalties in a Premier League game since Alan Shearer, who beat Everton's Richard Wright in a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in September 2003.

Amazing though this 19 minute four goal spree was, it's not quite as rapid as the four we slammed into the Gallowgate End net in 16 minutes against Everton in January 1997, taking it from 0-1 to 4-1. Our four goal salvo at the stadium of plight in Shearer's last game came in a 27 minute spell.

All that pales into insignificance when the 13-0 home win over Newport County in 1946 is mentioned - a game that included a scoring sequence of 5 goals in 12 minutes. Also worthy of mention is a 7-2 home victory over Fulham in August 1960 when United went behind almost from the kickoff, but were 5-1 ahead after 22 minutes. 

It's now twelve games since Gallowgate spectators witnessed a top-flight home success at 3pm:

Aug 2008 Bolton Wanderers won 1-0
Sep 2008 Hull City lost 1-2
Sep 2008 Blackburn Rovers lost 0-1
Nov 2008 Wigan Athletic drew 2-2
Dec 2008 Stoke City drew 2-2
Jan 2009 West Ham United drew 2-2
Apr 2009 Chelsea lost 0-2
May 2009 Fulham lost 0-1
Sep 2010 Blackpool lost 0-2
Oct 2010 Wigan Athletic drew 2-2
Nov 2010 Fulham drew 0-0
Jan 2011 Spurs drew 1-1
Feb 2011 Arsenal drew 4-4

(The Liverpool home win this season was a 5.30pm ko)

Gunners in Toon - Premiership years:

2010/11: drew 4-4 Barton 2, Best, Tiote
2010/11: Lost 0-4 (LC)
2008/09: Lost 1-3 Martins
2007/08: Drew 1-1 S.Taylor
2006/07: Drew 0-0
2005/06: Won 1-0 Solano
2004/05: Lost 0-1
2003/04: Drew 0-0
2002/03: Drew 1-1 Robert
2001/02: Drew 1-1 Robert (FAC)
2001/02: Lost 0-2
2000/01: Drew 0-0
1999/00: Won 4-2 Speed 2, Shearer, Griffin
1998/99: Drew 1-1 Hamann
1997/98: Lost 0-1
1996/97: Lost 1-2 Shearer
1995/96: Won 2-0 Ginola, Ferdinand
1994/95: Won 1-0 Beardsley
1993/94: Won 2-0 Cole, Beardsley

Full record against Arsenal:
 
  P W D L F A
SJP 77 40 18 19 142 89
Hbury/Em 77 22 17 38 81 125
League 154 62 35 57 223 214
SJP(FA) 2 0 2 0 4 4
Hbury/Em/W/VG 8 4 0 4 7 12
SJP(LC) 1 0 0 1 0 4
Hbury/Em 3 0 0 3 0 8
Cup 14 4 2 8 11 28
Tot 168 66 37 65 234 242

Our goalscoring total in the Premier League at SJP now stands at 30 for the season, from 13 games. That compares favourably to previous seasons and even at this stage is already the most prolific top-flight scoring campaign since 2003/04:

1993/94: 51 goals scored in 21 games
1994/95: 46 goals scored in 21 games
1995/96: 38 goals scored in 19 games
1996/97: 54 goals scored in 19 games
1997/98: 22 goals scored in 19 games
1998/99: 26 goals scored in 19 games
1999/00: 42 goals scored in 19 games
2000/01: 26 goals scored in 19 games
2001/02: 40 goals scored in 19 games
2002/03: 36 goals scored in 19 games
2003/04: 33 goals scored in 19 games
2004/05: 25 goals scored in 19 games
2005/06: 28 goals scored in 19 games
2006/07: 22 goals scored in 19 games
2007/08: 25 goals scored in 19 games
2008/09: 24 goals scored in 19 games
2010/11: 30 goals scored in 13 games

2008/09: NUFC after 25 games: 27 points, 13th position (scored 33, conceded 42)
2010/11: NUFC after 25 games: 31 points, 10th position (scored 40, conceded 38)

PS: We've saved the most bonkers stat until the very end - Walcott's 41 second strike was the quickest opposition goal at SJP we can find since January 2002, when Leeds United struck after 27 seconds. The assist came from Mark Viduka and the goal was scored by Alan Smith....

 
 

Waffle



 

Even by the outlandish standards of Newcastle United, this one will take some beating. 

On paper, successive home games brought consecutive draws against North London sides. While the first felt like a defeat though, the second seemed like the most improbable of victories - As ever on Barrack Road, context is vital.

After a week in which we trousered a record transfer fee and then looked like a team in mourning when losing at Fulham, to concede a first minute goal against Premier League's current in-form side didn't augur well. And to then lose three more with barely quarter of the game played gave rise to genuine alarm that a walloping of unprecedented dimensions was in the offing - and with it, another lapse into familiar crisis mode. 

Despite the departure of our Emirates hero, the Gunners looked in the mood to settle that old score and were given every encouragement by a Newcastle side who surrendered rather than defended. Never mind not being at the races, we weren't even in the bookies. 

Of course this sort of capitulation isn't totally alien to us; messrs Harper, Barton and Enrique all on the field in November 2007 when Dirty Harry's Pompey side raced into a 3-0 lead inside 10 minutes - ending up with a 4-1win in which they scored all five goals; Sol Campbell accidentally opening his Magpies account.

There was a difference this time though; a reaction that was to write another chapter in this bizarre season - and the most remarkable demonstration yet of our seemingly willful unpredictability.

In retrospect, the signs were beginning to emerge by the end of the first half, albeit well hidden...

Most obviously, Harper had stopped picking the ball out of his net and his colleagues had began to string a pass or two together. Almost imperceptibly, things started to level out and those fans at the Leazes End of the ground actually saw the ball in their postcode. The returning Cheick Tiote had found his feet again and if an actual fight back was beyond contemplation, avoiding an avalanche was at least becoming feasible.

Beginning the second half with an unchanged lineup and the bare minimum of noise from the home crowd, the whole course of the afternoon would be radically altered within five minutes of the restart - and what was to follow was in equal parts unexpected, inexplicable and utterly incredible. 

A robust but legal challenge from Barton in the centre of the pitch enraged the Frenchman to such an extent that he attempted a Vulcan death grip on the United player's neck, before raising his hands a second time, to push Nolan in the back. Much Abou about nothing really - but he deservedly walked for two bookable offences. That spark was enough to ignite both home team and crowd though to devastating effect. 

One high-profile local may have provoked much misery round these parts lately, but 48,000 others were on hand here to help us move on. Anything more than reeling in the goal difference still seemed improbable and Barton's penalty conversion was greeted with little more than relief. When Best poked in another after having been denied seconds earlier though, suddenly the ground was jumping - and the visitors reeling.

To be honest, at 0-4 down, we'd just dreamt of scoring against this lot. At 2-4 we were reasonably content, having shown enough evidence that the team had collectively moved on from their midweek strop and gained sufficient impetus to take into the Blackburn and Birmingham games, where points were a possibility. 

Not so those in black and white though, who poured forward putting Arsenal under immense pressure. With boyhood Gunners follower Nile Ranger causing all sorts of problems. For whatever reason, a second penalty was given and duly converted and then came then that goal. The only other moment in our recent history that remotely rivals Tiote's strike in the incredulity stakes was when Tino put us 3-0 up against Barcelona - highly appropriate then that the Colombian was here today.

Even allowing for Kevin Nolan dragging a late effort agonisingly wide, this will surely be remembered as the Premier League game of all time, featuring as it does the most unlikely comeback imaginable - a turnaround that even Asian spot-fixers would struggle to cook up. 

We may be doomed to suffer endless Ronnie Radford reruns until the planet melts or freezes, but maybe, just maybe images of Kevin Keegan slumped across the Anfield hoardings in the first 4-3 game will be replaced by Alan Pardew shouting and punching the air when Tiote scored here.

Having over-praised the vocal contribution of Newcastle fans since his arrival in Toon, the manager struck exactly the right chord with his post-match comments about harnessing the power of the SJP crowd for positive ends. What a shame that his masters still singularly fail to share that sentiment. 

Yes, the majority of match tickets may have been sold before the Carroll fandango unfolded and yes, some home fans did take their leave before half time (although not that many, despite reports to the contrary). Those that remained though were back onside at 0-4, once the first hints of a fight back emerged. 

In answer to the Gooner jibes from earlier in the afternoon: "There's your famous atmosphere."

Credit to Pardew for whatever he said at half time - we're not convinced that Chris Hughton's words of wisdom would have had the desired effect. And credit to the players for getting us into this mess before turning things around, for again shrugging off resentment and rage - as they did when Hughton was bundled out of the door. 

Best, Barton and the rest of them succeeded in making it all about the football again after another avoidable week of heartache. There is a genuine spirit here that was sadly absent in 2009 - witness the post-match exchange between Nolan and Williamson. 

Despite the most incredible of comebacks, the centre half looked inconsolable and his captain failed to rouse him. Never mind grinning, glad-handing opposition players, swapping shirts or arranging nights out, the sort of reaction Williamson showed was sadly lacking two seasons ago. I just never believed Owen was bothered.

Turning off our Busker CD for a second though, forget about any ideas of consistency or tangible success under the current ownership and direction. This was your cup final success, those songs of joy echoing round the main entrance after full time, your victory parade.

As the Beardsley/Waddle/Gazza deserters' triumvirate becomes a quartet, our collective characteristics remain uncomplicated support in return for effort and a lack of expectation - simultaneously our greatest asset and handicap, but a source of pride on days like this. Despite everything, some spirit remains.

From impending tragedy to near-triumph via the most improbable route possible - 95 minutes that neatly encapsulate 130 years of football on this particular piece of grass. Newcastle, United, will never be defeated. 

At least not today anyway. 

Biffa 


Page last updated 19 April, 2020