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Swansea City edge away from danger as Wilfried Bony sees off Newcastle Swansea City edge away from danger as Wilfried Bony sees off Newcastle
(about 1 hour later)
Divorce is not necessarily inevitable but the relationship between Alan Pardew and Newcastle United is becoming increasingly strained. If a fifth straight defeat – the team's ninth in 12 games – can hardly have enhanced his job security, at least one manager was happy. Divorce is not necessarily inevitable but the relationship between Alan Pardew and Newcastle United looks increasingly strained. Yet if a fifth straight defeat – the team's ninth in 12 games – can hardly have enhanced his job security, Pardew knows the afternoon could have been considerably worse.
Like Pardew, Garry Monk faces an uncertain future and has had to cope with dressing room unrest but this win will go a long way towards banishing Swansea's lingering relegation worries. Significantly the crowd refrained from turning on him, instead restricting their displeasure to gentle booing after Wilfried Bony's stoppage-time winning penalty went a long way towards banishing Swansea City's lingering relegation worries.
Not that the afternoon began overly brightly for the side from South Wales. With Swansea starting to look impressively fluent and the crowd becoming a little edgy, Shola Ameobi's first Premier League goal of the season – and Newcastle's first in five games – could not have come at a better time for Pardew. Like Pardew, Garry Monk faces an uncertain future and has had to cope with dressing-room unrest in the past week but this victory, secured courtesy of the excellent Bony's two latest goals, proved thoroughly restorative.
Receiving possession from Luuk de Jong, Ameobi turned his marker adroitly before extending his left foot and rolling the ball into Michel Vorm's net. Slapdash defending had undone Swansea but Monk's side were not about to surrender and continued to move the ball with an assured menace. "It was deserved – at times we played very well – but it's just a relief to get the three points," said Monk. "Whether it's enough I don't know, we're not mathematically safe but this goes some way to putting things right for next season. Newcastle put pressure on us with long balls but they didn't create much, it was mainly half chances for them."
Instead they equalised as half time beckoned, the dangerous Wilfried Bony surging forward to connect with Ben Davies's corner before powering a header beyond Tim Krul. Although Monk joked that he had kept his players happy by "getting the crisps out at half time" he was anxious to downplay suggestions of schism in South Wales. "If our squad wasn't together you wouldn't get a performance like that," he said. "It's clear to see the players are all together and fighting for the club. A lot of the stuff that was written last week was fabricated and it galvanised us."
Newcastle were gently booed off at the end of a 45 minutes which had seen injuries to Chris Foy, the referee, and Papiss Cissé and De Jong, who were replaced by Mathieu Debuchy and Loïc Rémy. If only Pardew could say the same. "It's a real cruel blow," said Newcastle's manager. "We just switched off at the end and it's cost us. I'm absolutely choked for the players and the staff because even a point might have been enough to carry us forward. I'm low. I didn't think we deserved to get beat today.
With no Hatem Ben Arfa to bring off the bench – Newcastle's No10 had flown to Paris, apparently for consultations with a back specialist, in the wake of an acrimonious dressing room altercation with Pardew last weekend – Newcastle were largely dependent on Rémy for goals and creativity. "But I was pleased with the crowd. They gave us a platform to win and I thank them. I'm absolutely choked for the fans and just sorry we haven't given them a win. We mustn't let a top-ten finish slip now. It's important we secure it, we need another win."
Finally back after a six-game absence spent nursing a calf strain – permitting their French contingent to receive treatment in Paris is perhaps not always the best idea – much was expected from the QPR loanee. It helped his cause that the afternoon had begun deceptively brightly for those wearing black and white. With Swansea starting to look impressively fluent and the crowd becoming a little edgy, Shola Ameobi's first Premier League goal of the season – and his side's first in five games – could not have come at a better time for Pardew.
Unfortunately for Pardew, Rémy looked less than match fit. Receiving possession from Luuk de Jong, Ameobi turned his marker adroitly before extending his left foot and rolling the ball into Michel Vorm's net. Slapdash defending had undone Swansea but with Leon Britton quietly effective in central midfield, Monk's team continued to move the ball with an assured menace and were not about to surrender.
In stoppage time Cheik Tioté felled the Swansea substitute Marvin Emnes in the area. Bony stepped forward to beat Krul from the penalty spot and as the ball arced inexorably towards the top corner Pardew's grip on his job loosened a little more. Instead they equalised as half time beckoned, the ever dangerous Bony surging forward to connect with Ben Davies's corner before powering a header beyond Tim Krul.
Mild groans greeted the end of an opening 45 minutes which had seen injuries to Chris Foy, the referee, Papiss Cissé – who sustained potentially serious knee damage – and De Jong, replaced by Anthony Taylor, Mathieu Debuchy and Loïc Rémy respectively.
With no Hatem Ben Arfa to bring off the bench – Newcastle's No10 had flown to Paris, apparently for consultations with a back specialist, in the wake of an acrimonious dressing-room altercation with Pardew last weekend – an otherwise no frills home side ensemble were heavily dependent on Rémy for goals and creativity.
Finally back after a six-game absence spent nursing a calf strain – permitting their French contingent to receive treatment in Paris has arguably backfired on Newcastle – much was expected from the QPR loanee.
Unfortunately for his manager, a less-than-match-fit Rémy merely showed glimpses of his game-changing potential during a second half in which the unlikely figure of Dan Gosling forced Vorm into a decent save but Newcastle generally found themselves restricted to shooting from distance. No matter, at least with Swansea largely limited to half chances Pardew appeared to have finally halted the losing streak.
Or so it seemed until, in stoppage time Cheik Tioté – who, ironically, had enjoyed a good game – felled the rapidly accelerating, counter-attacking Swansea subsitute Marvin Emnes in the area. Bony stepped forward to beat Krul from the penalty spot and as the ball arced inexorably towards the top corner, Pardew's grip on his job loosened a little more.