Barton goal earns Toon win
Joey Barton kept his cool to convert the penalty
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Saturday, 15, Dec 2007 09:09
Midfielder Joey Barton converted an injury time penalty to secure Newcastle a precious 1-0 win away at Fulham.
The win will further ease the pressure on Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce, but in truth a draw would have been a fair result as neither team created good chances in a really poor game.
Newcastle could have taken the lead twice within the first 15 minutes. First defender Habib Beye saw his header float inches from the Fulham goal. Then Barton rose highest at the back-post but his header was saved low down by Antti Niemi.
The home side's best chances fell to striker David Healy. He first tried to lob the keeper from the edge of the box when he really could have taken the ball on and had a better effort on goal. He also had a 20-yard strike which was well saved by Shay Given.
Newcastle are now 16th in the Premier League, but the defeat has left Fulham in the relegation zone.
"It was a crucial, crucial victory, it wasn't pretty, we didn't play well but we were very resilient and nullified them," said Allardyce.
"The late winner shows that we give our all right to the end. They are very fit now and it shows we can win late on.
"We were always in the game and I said to my players that they were struggling at home and we can get at them."