Midweek Misadventure.

Midweek misadventure.

Swansea City 3 Newcastle 0


Newcastle's winning run came crashing to a halt at Swansea's Liberty Stadium on Wednesday evening as just about everything went wrong for Alan Pardew's side.

The three-goal deficit was harsh on United as a combination of non-decisions from referee, Howard Webb and some bad luck undid the Magpies but luck and form deserted the visitors.

It was also a night to forget for Tim Krul who could look back at all three Swansea goals with regret but two or three penalty claims were waved away by Webb and the non-whistler also failed to dismiss goalscorer Jonjo Shelvey for an intention to head-butt Mathieu Debuchy.

A fairly sterile first period had seen Loic Remy go closest for United - wearing the blue away kit - but his well directed header was tipped wide by Michel Vorm.

But his opposite number, Krul, had very little to do until the first minute of added time when he made a mess of punching a cross and it fell straight to substitute Nathan Dyer who volleyed home from eight yards.

Newcastle started the second period with renewed intent and the turning point of the game came when Remy found time and space in the box to fire goalward only for a clear handball deny the Frenchman his ninth goal of the season.

Debuchy's cross had also hit the arm of Ashley Williams but both offences were missed, although Debuchy's frustrated late challenge seconds later was spotted and punished with a booking.

It was pretty much game over midway through the second period when Webb waved away more penalty appeals from Yoan Gouffran after he was pushed in the back by Williams and Swansea broke upfield.

Shelvey was put clean through and Debuchy almost got a last ditch tackle on the City player but the ball was saved by Krul and unluckily bounced back off Debuchy into the goal.

Shelvey had an effort saved by Krul but having got away with his coming together with Debuchy, he curled a first time effort over Krul to make it a miserable night for Newcastle and secure the points for the Swans with nine minutes remaining.

The defeat only saw us drop down a place to seventh with Spurs going above United after their win at Fulham.

There was more bad news pre-match with Hatem Ben Arfa and Papiss Cisse missing from the squad with illness and a heel injury, respectively.

Full match report to follow.

Team: Krul, Debuchy, Williamson (Yanga-Mbiwa 77), Coloccini, Santon (Haidara 56), Sissoko, Tiote, Cabaye, Gouffran, Remy, Shola Ameobi (Obertan 67).
Subs n/u: Anita, Dummett, Elliot, Sammy Ameobi.

Booked: Debuchy, Haidara.

SCFC: Vorm, Tiendalli, Chico, Williams, Ben Davies, Canas, de Guzman, Pozuelo (Routledge 84), Shelvey, Hernandez (Lamah 71), Vazquez (Dyer 29).
Subs n/u: Amat, Taylor, Britton, Tremmel.

Goals: Dyer 45+1, og(Debuchy) 66, Shelvey 81.

Crowd: 20,457

Referee: Howard Webb - first Toon appointment this season and hopefully his last. He carried on his World Cup Final embarrassment of failing to give any major decisions and three penalty claims and a red card for Shelvey weren't given.

On the flip side, Cabaye was lucky to escape a booking for a challenge form behind and Sissoko also escaped a yellow for dissent. Both were just one booking away from suspension.

NUFC's summary of the game.

 

Not wrong about Howard Webb, awful referee and a cheat to boot.

 

Well....

"Clear handball": Sometimes given, sometimes not. The ball hit Davies between body and arm. Said arm was slightly out but there was no hand-to-ball movement by him so there was no intention. Could have been given, yes but would also have been harsh. "Clear"? Hardly.

Webb: Didn't give you much, though the pen shouts were dubious at best. Gouffran just fell over. If you give that you'll be giving a pen every time a player challenges another in the box. But he also allowed a reckless challlenge by Debuchy on Hernandez to pass by on a yellow that some say could have been a straight red. I've looked at it again and it was bad. Shelvey's non headbutt (no contact). Could/ should he have gone? Maybe. Do the rules allow for a sending off if there's no contact? Whatever. The game was won anyway.

We've been cheated out of 6 points in recent games by bad refereeing and those decisions were much clearer than last night. Unfortunately, that's the way it goes sometimes.

Good luck for the rest of the season - I think you'll do alright this time around.

 

We had been doing very nicely before last night,

 

You only need to be on the right side of bad refereeing decisions in one more game to even it out then don't you.

 

I was saying going into this game that the one thing we can count on is that a Geordie side doesn't know how to quit. They will fight to the death, etc.
In the pub before the game, I predicted a 2-2 draw.
I was absolutely flabbergasted that the front two or three, with five or six minutes to go, didn't seem to have any fight in them at all. No scramble for a late goal or two. Nothing.
Howard Webb appeared to blow for time at the end because none of the Newcastle forwards were prepared to come and challenge for the ball. Ashley Williams and Chico just passed it back and forth and waited.

 

Didn't know how to start last night. Useless bunch of tossers.

 

It was clear penalty to me. Webb had a good view too. I'm not keen on penalties being given when crosses are going in and they fail to remove their arm from the trajectory. It makes no sense to give a guilt edge opportunity when it is only a cross into the box. They are cleared more than they are scored from. However when a ball is hurtling into the net and it is prevented from doing so by a hand/arm, sorry but that is unfair on the attacking side. I don't believe the player should be booked unless it is done on purpose (which Davies clearly didn't) but you have to give the pen.

To be fair to Webb though I think this is more to do with fudging of the rules than his own interpretation.

 

Common sense should prevail, if the ball's going into the net and is stopped by the outstretched arm of a defender it's got to be a penalty, accidental or not.

 

Agree with AB and Hacky on the penalty issue.


Reason why it was an obvious pen, and not as you described "ball-to-hand" is because
a)Hand was in an unnatural position, away from the body, hand not by the side of his body (it stuck him on his palm at chest level, and then hit his hip, so hitting his hand then hip in quick succession doesn't make it any less of a handball)
b)The hand stopped a goal-bound shot, or at the very least a shot on target

The only times I would condone a handball not given would be times where the striker/crosser just rams the ball at the arm of the defender, when his arms are beside his body, in a natural position with the palms near the waist