Everton Poor Record At St James' Park To Continue?

England striker Michael Owen came off the bench to inspire Newcastle to a hard-fought victory over Everton.

The 27-year-old confirmed his fitness for England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia with a goal just nine days after undergoing hernia surgery.

Owen struck with a header in the final minute of the game after Emre had smashed home a long-range piledriver to seal a game the Magpies might have had wrapped up by half-time.

Nicky Butt had fired the home side in front three minutes before the break after seeing his team-mates pass up a series of opportunities, but Andrew Johnson came off the bench after the break and levelled within eight minutes.

Goalkeeper Shay Given's afternoon was ruined in injury-time when he could only help Mikel Arteta's deflected shot into his own net, but the bulk of a crowd of 50,152 went home happy with the late show they had witnessed.

The presence of Owen's name on the teamsheet, albeit only among the substitutes, came as a huge boost for both Sam Allardyce and England boss Steve McClaren.

However, he was one of only two fit strikers in the 16 with Mark Viduka and Shola Ameobi both absent.

Allardyce's lack of options up front meant Alan Smith was afforded a rare chance to reprise his striking role, and his partnership with Obafemi Martins caused the Everton defence all kinds of problems during the opening 45 minutes.

The Nigerian's pace and movement proved a real headache for Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott, and but for some wayward finishing, the game could have been over before the break.

Martins' best chance was his first, which arrived with just four minutes gone when Smith played him in with an intelligent pass.

The striker took his time but with Lescott bearing down on him in a desperate attempt to recover lost ground, dragged his left-foot shot wide of the far post.

Chances came and went for the former Inter Milan man, who did not trouble keeper Tim Howard as much as he should have done, although the American was fully extended to keep out Charles N'Zogbia's 15th-minute drive.

Smith saw a 39th-minute shot deflected just wide by Lescott and then scuffed another straight at the keeper seconds later, and it was left to Butt to show his team-mates how to do it three minutes before half-time.

N'Zogbia and Smith had carved the Toffees open once again down the right and although Lescott managed to clear the ball to the edge of the box, Butt muscled himself into position and then curled an inch-perfect shot into the top corner to leave Howard grasping at thin air.

Everton created little going forward although Victor Anichebe, who was a handful throughout for central defenders Claudio Cacapa and Abdoulaye Faye, saw a 12th-minute header cleared off the line after embarrassing Shay Given from Tony Hibbert's cross.

Moyes made his move at the break when he withdrew James McFadden and sent on the fit-again Johnson in an effort to give his side grater impetus in attack.

Johnson had an immediate impact as he twice drifted into space wide on the left, but he was well marshalled by the home defence as they got back in numbers.

But they were powerless to prevent him from equalising on 53 minutes when Leighton Baines got in on the left to cross for him to fire home from close range.

Johnson's pace and direct approach had helped to change the balance of the game, and the home side found themselves pinned back deep inside their own half and struggling to reassert themselves.

Their cause was not helped by a series of poor set-pieces from which they failed to put any pressure on the Everton goal.

Owen finally arrived with 16 minutes remaining when he and Emre replaced Martins and James Milner as Allardyce attempted to breathe new life into his side.

Had Cacapa and Faye not thrown themselves into the path of Anichebe shots 10 minutes from time, Owen and his team-mates might have finished the game empty-handed.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid frontman forced an 85th-minute save from Howard with a smart shot and Butt headed the resulting corner over the bar, but it was Emre who changed the game.

Owen's cross was cleared to the Turkey international, who unleashed a fierce 25-yard drive into the bottom corner.

The points were assured on the stroke of full-time when Owen headed home Emre's free-kick off the underside of the crossbar, but the home side endured an anxious finish after Arteta's cross clipped Smith and was palmed into his own net by Given.

Tim Cahill preserved Everton's unbeaten run as his side came from a goal behind at Newcastle to claim a point.

The Australia midfielder powered home a 40th-minute header to cancel out Shola Ameobi's 14th-minute opener and ensure the Toffees headed home with something to show for their efforts.

But £10million Magpies striker Obafemi Martins was left to rue a series of missed opportunities to claim his first goal at St James' Park, perhaps the best of them on 71 minutes when he held off the hugely impressive Joleon Lescott, but shot straight at Tim Howard.

Titus Bramble and Tony Hibbert were both sent off for second bookable offences as the game reached a tense conclusion in which the result could have gone either way.

It might all have been so different had Scott Parker who, along with Everton striker Andy Johnson was watched by England boss Steve McClaren among a crowd of 50,107, not seen a first-half lob saved by Howard.

However, had Steve Harper not atoned for his slip at Liverpool in midweek with two fine saves from Leon Osman as the clock ran down, Newcastle might have gone away empty-handed after taking the lead for the second successive home game.

The major debate on Tyneside in recent weeks has centred around two main topics: the lack of firepower and the continuing fragility in defence.

In both cases, the first half provided no conclusive answer to either question.

Ameobi's 14th-minute strike, aided by an outrageous offside decision, was his fourth of the season and suggested there are goals in Glenn Roeder's new-look strikeforce.

However, his departure with an injury 10 minutes later again exposed the lack of strength in depth.

Partner Martins was again lively, but squandered a glorious opportunity to claim his first home goal three minutes before the break when he dragged a shot wide, and that was to become something of a theme.

By that time, Cahill had put the visitors back on to level terms, although the Magpies again contributed to their own downfall.

Having worked hard to keep Andrew Johnson at bay, the home defence wilted on 40 minutes.

Craig Moore sliced a clearance out for a corner under pressure from the in-form Everton striker and, although his side cleared the initial cross, Mikel Arteta was allowed to feed the ball back in and the Australian rose unopposed at the far post to head home.

In an entertaining encounter, both sides played enterprising and often attractive football, and but for a fingertip save by Tim Howard, Parker would have put Newcastle 2-0 up with 26 minutes gone with a delicious lob.

Joseph Yobo more than once found himself at full stretch in the attempt to keep fellow Nigerian international Martins at bay, but there was little to choose between the sides as they walked off at half-time.

Newcastle started at a brisk pace again, and Parker had strong appeals for a penalty waved away after he had wormed his way into the box on 47 minutes.

Martins climbed superbly to get his head to an Emre free-kick a minute later, but Phil Neville hacked his downward header away before the black and white shirts could pounce.

However, the visitors were looking dangerous on the break and both Arteta and Cahill only just failed to put Johnson in as Newcastle were stretched.

But James Milner, who had started the game well, fired straight at Howard after playing a neat one-two with Martins, and the Nigerian perhaps should have scored on 62 minutes after being played in by the former Leeds midfielder.

Milner tested Howard with a curling free-kick two minutes later after Tony Hibbert's nasty challenge on Parker, which earned the defender a booking.

Martins earned himself a showdown with Howard 19 minutes from time when he managed to hold off Lescott, but he hit his shot straight at the big American.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men within two eventful minutes when first Bramble was sent off for a foul on Osman, his second bookable offence, and then Hibbert followed him down the tunnel when, after being cautioned for a foul on Parker, he repeated the dose on substitute Antoine Sibierski.

Harper pulled off a superb save with his legs to deny Osman seven minutes from time after Stephen Carr's loose pass had put him in, and then kept out another effort from the midfielder a minute from time.

Substitute Giuseppe Rossi forced a good save from Howard as the game headed into injury-time, but there was to be no late winner.

Nolberto Solano brought Everton's unbeaten Barclays Premiership run to an abrupt halt to hand Newcastle a fourth victory in five games under caretaker boss Glenn Roeder.

The Peruvian slid home Charles N'Zogbia's 64th-minute cross to open the scoring, and produced a stunning finish 14 minutes from time to take his goal tally for the season to five.

It was a strike of which injured skipper Alan Shearer would have been proud as David Moyes' men tasted defeat for the first time in eight league outings and only the second in 12 in all competitions.

But despite Turkish midfielder Emre twice having to clear David Weir headers off the line before the break, the Magpies were good value for their victory as they kept a fourth clean sheet under former defender Roeder to delight the bulk of a crowd of 51,916.

With Shearer's name once again missing from the team-sheet, the home fans arrived wondering where the goals were going to come from against a side which had won six and drawn one of their last seven league games.

On Wednesday night, the Magpies enjoyed more than their fair share of possession against Charlton, but failed to create enough chances to win the game, Shola Ameobi squandering the best of the 14 minutes from time.

Caretaker boss Roeder again asked Emre to provide the support to lone striker Ameobi but, in the event, his most crucial contributions in the opening 45 minutes came on his own goal-line.

Twice the former Inter Milan star hacked Weir headers off the line as a makeshift Newcastle defence, which was coping reasonably well in open play, lost their bearings from Mikel Arteta's corners.

It was the Spaniard too who forced Shay Given into his only save of the half with a minute remaining, the Irishman tipping a dipping free-kick over the bar as it sped towards him on a bitterly cold Tyneside wind.

However, for all that the visitors created three excellent chances to take the lead, the home side had more than their fair share of possession and might themselves have gone in ahead at the break.

Four opportunities fell to Lee Bowyer alone as he dragged a left-footed shot just wide, saw another effort deflected over and then fired across goal and headed over the top.

But Newcastle's best chance came in first-half injury-time when N'Zogbia escaped from Joseph Yobo on the left and squared for Solano, whose shot was palmed away by loan signing Sander Westerveld in the Everton goal.

But having finished the first half strongly, the home side started the second beset by a strange lethargy as the visitors pinned them back again.

That changed when Scott Parker and Solano combined well on the edge of the Everton box before the Peruvian found Ameobi, although his shot was charged down.

As play switched quickly from end to end, Leon Osman saw the whites of Given's eyes two minutes later, but his right-footed snap-shot flew wide of the keeper's left post.

There was little to choose between the sides, although Bowyer might have done better with a first-time effort after N'Zogbia had cut out Yobo's clearance and played the ball into his run on 59 minutes.

Elliott had to block a Tim Cahill shot after Celestine Babayaro had neglected his defensive duties, but the breakthrough finally came at the other end with 64 minutes gone.

Emre did well on the left to hold the ball up and the lay it into N'Zogbia's path, and the Frenchman cut into the box before delivering the perfect low cross for Solano to slide home the opener from close range.

It could have been 2-0 within seven minutes when, after Westerveld had prevented Bowyer from finishing off a flowing attack, Parker thumped a volley just wide from the resulting corner.

Tim Cahill, who had earlier been injured in a challenge with Parker, was replaced by Lee Carsley with 16 minutes remaining, but the home side were pushing to kill the game off.

And they did so in superb style with 14 minutes remaining when Bowyer rolled the ball into Solano's path and the South American curled a shot beyond Arteta with the outside of his right foot.

Yobo might have pulled one back with an 86th-minute header from Arteta's free-kick, and James Beattie fired wide at the death, but the clean sheet was just reward for a committed team performance.

2008/2009 Sun 05 Oct Everton 2 - 2 Newcastle Utd. Premier League
2007/2008 Sun 11 May Everton 3 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premier League
Sun 07 Oct Newcastle Utd. 3 - 2 Everton Premier League
2006/2007 Sat 30 Dec Everton 3 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Sun 24 Sep Newcastle Utd. 1 - 1 Everton Premiership
2005/2006 Sat 25 Feb Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Everton Premiership
Sun 27 Nov Everton 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
2004/2005 Sat 07 May Everton 2 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Sun 28 Nov Newcastle Utd. 1 - 1 Everton Premiership
2003/2004 Sat 03 Apr Newcastle Utd. 4 - 2 Everton Premiership
Sat 13 Sep Everton 2 - 2 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
2002/2003 Sun 06 Apr Everton 2 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Sun 01 Dec Newcastle Utd. 2 - 1 Everton Premiership
Wed 06 Nov Newcastle Utd. 3 - 3 Everton League Cup
after extra time, 90 minutes 2-2, Everton won 3-2 on penalties
2001/2002 Fri 29 Mar Newcastle Utd. 6 - 2 Everton Premiership
Sat 27 Oct Everton 1 - 3 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
2000/2001 Sat 03 Mar Everton 1 - 1 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Sat 21 Oct Newcastle Utd. 0 - 1 Everton Premiership
1999/2000 Sun 19 Mar Everton 0 - 2 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Mon 08 Nov Newcastle Utd. 1 - 1 Everton Premiership
1998/1999 Sat 17 Apr Newcastle Utd. 1 - 3 Everton Premiership
Sun 07 Mar Newcastle Utd. 4 - 1 Everton F.A. Cup
Mon 23 Nov Everton 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1997/1998 Sat 28 Feb Everton 0 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Sun 04 Jan Everton 0 - 1 Newcastle Utd. F.A. Cup
Wed 24 Sep Newcastle Utd. 1 - 0 Everton Premiership
1996/1997 Wed 29 Jan Newcastle Utd. 4 - 1 Everton Premiership
Sat 17 Aug Everton 2 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1995/1996 Sat 16 Dec Newcastle Utd. 1 - 0 Everton Premiership
Sun 01 Oct Everton 1 - 3 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
1994/1995 Fri 14 Apr Everton 2 - 0 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Sun 12 Mar Everton 1 - 0 Newcastle Utd. F.A. Cup
Wed 01 Feb Newcastle Utd. 2 - 0 Everton Premiership
1993/1994 Sat 18 Dec Everton 0 - 2 Newcastle Utd. Premiership
Wed 25 Aug Newcastle Utd. 1 - 0 Everton Premiership