Newcastle United 2
  Crystal Palace 0

 

Starting Lineup

 

Starting Lineup

  1.
3.
4.
8.
9.
11.
17.
18.
24.
34.
35.
Given, Shay
Elliott, Robbie
Solano, Nolberto
Dyer, Kieron
Shearer, Alan
Speed, Gary
Bellamy, Craig
Hughes, Aaron
Distin, Sylvain
Dabizas, Nikos
Bernard, Olivier
Goalscorers
Newcastle United Crystal Palace
Alan Shearer 39
Clarence Acuna 76
 
Substitutions
Newcastle United Crystal Palace
Clarence Acuna Gary Speed 54
Lomano Lua Lua Nolberto Solano 84
Andrew O'Brien Kieron Dyer 84
 
Simon Rodger David Hopkin 81
Bookings
Newcastle United Crystal Palace
Yellow
Sylvain Distin 47 David Hopkin 63
 
Red
none none
Additional Notes
Referee:
Attendance: 38,089
  1.
6.
7.
10.
14.
15.
24.
28.
30.
36.
25.
Kolinka, Alexanders
Hopkin, David
Mullins, Hayden
Morrison, Clinton
Thomson, Steven
Riihilahti, Aki
Gray, Julian
Popovic, Tony
Granville, Danny
Symons, Kit
Kirovski, Jovan

Substitutes

Substitutes

  20.
5.
6.
13.
23.
Lua-Lua, Tresor Lomano
O`Brien, Andrew
Acuna, Clarence
Harper, Steve
Ameobi, Shola
  8.
12.
27.
21.
3.
Rodger, Simon
Berhalter, Gregg
Kabba, Steven
Carasso, Cedric
Harrison, Craig
Match Report
Alan Shearer and Clarence Acuna fired Newcastle United into the fourth round of the FA Cup at St James' Park. The Magpies scored a goal in each half to beat Crystal Palace, who had a goal from striker Clinton Morrison disallowed. Bobby Robson made one change for the visit of First Division Palace, bringing Olivier Bernard in for Robert Lee, who suffered a reoccurrence of a groin injury in the midweek defeat at Manchester United. Palace made the brighter start, with Aki Riihilahti testing Shay Given with just two minutes on the clock. The Republic of Ireland international was just able to palm his close-range effort away to safety, allowing Newcastle to rebuild. They were on the attack themselves three minutes later, when Robbie Elliott found Nolberto Solano on the right. Palace goalkeeper Alex Kolinko was just able to turn his cross over the bar and away from danger. Bernard's first telling contribution came in the 17th minute, when Craig Bellamy played him in on the left. The Frenchman, playing in fellow countryman Laurent Robert's position wide on the left, bent a wonderful cross behind the Palace defence, which Tony Popovic was lucky to turn round for a corner. Five minutes later, the Magpies carved out three wonderful chances in the space of 90 seconds. First Bellamy, breaking down the right, forced a low save from Kolinko. From the resulting Solano corner, Shearer was unlucky not to score at the far post. After Bellamy had got a touch, he directed the ball just a couple of inches above the Palace crossbar. Seconds later, Bellamy again attacked down the right, chasing a ball down the channel. Kolinko went for it as well but the Welshman got there first, leaving the visiting 'keeper well out of position. Bellamy found Bernard on the edge of the box but Kolinko was able to race back as Bernard lined up his shot, just getting back in time. Steve Thomson's shot whistled just over Given's goal in the 37th minute as Palace hit back, but it was Newcastle who went on to break the deadlock first.

Popovic conceded a free-kick five yards outside the Palace box and skipper Shearer lashed in an unstoppable right-foot shot to make it 1-0 with 39 minutes gone. The Magpies continued to pile on the pressure in the remaining minutes, looking for a second goal before the break. But it did not come and Robson's men had to be content with a one-goal advantage going into the break.

Newcastle breathed a huge sigh of relief eight minutes after the re-start, when a Clinton Morrison goal was disallowed for offside. The Palace striker, put through by Jovan Kirovski, skilfully clipped the ball past Given and into the far corner of the United goal, but the assistant referee had no hesitation in raising his flag. Gary Speed, who had fallen awkwardly minutes earlier, was replaced by Clarence Acuna in the 54th minute. Two minutes later, Shearer was denied just three yards out by Kolinko and a clutch of Palace defenders, after Solano's corner landed at his feet. It was United's turn to have a goal disallowed in the 63rd minute, when Shearer saw what would have been his second of the afternoon chalked off by referee Mike Riley for offside. He had pounced from close range after Nicos Dabizas had headed a Solano free-kick into his path. United were celebrating for real in the 76th minute, when Clarence Acuna made it 2-0. He beat Kolinko with a deft, right-foot effort which went in off the underside of the crossbar.