Newcastle United | 2 | |
Crystal Palace | 0 |
Starting Lineup |
Starting Lineup |
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Substitutes |
Substitutes |
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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. |