Nine-man Newcastle hold on to seal 3-2 victory
Nine-man Newcastle held on for a thrilling 3-2 victory over Southampton in a chaotic Premier League classic at St James’ Park.
In an eventful first half, Newcastle raced into a 2-0 lead as Joe Willock slotted home on his debut before Miguel Almiron’s low shot from an angle deflected off Jan Bednarek for his second own goal in the space of five days
Takumi Minamino halved the deficit with a finish from an acute angle on his Saints debut but Almiron capitalised on a poor Alex McCarthy kick and Ryan Bertrand mistake to score from outside the box.
The chaos did not abate in the second half – James Ward-Prowse cut Newcastle’s lead with a spectacular long-range free-kick, his fourth direct free-kick of the season , before Jeff Hendrick saw red for a needless second yellow card .
Danny Ings hit the post as Saints searched for a leveller, and after Newcastle saw Javier Manquillo and Callum Wilson hobble off injured in the first half, Fabian Schar was also forced off to add to their injury crisis and see them go down to nine men.
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But Steve Bruce’s side held on for a battling victory which seemed against the odds early in the second half, and the result means Newcastle are up to 16th following their second win in three games. Saints are 12th having lost their last five Premier League games